ServiceNow Alternatives

Why Teams Look for ServiceNow Alternatives

ServiceNow is the 800-lb gorilla of IT service management (ITSM), but it’s not always the best fit. Common reasons teams go hunting for ServiceNow alternatives include:

• High licensing and implementation costs
• Long rollout cycles and dependence on consulting partners
• Overkill for smaller IT teams that just need solid ticketing + automation
• Desire for open-source control or AI-native experiences instead of legacy portals

When you evaluate alternatives, you’re really choosing among three broad categories:

1. Traditional enterprise ITSM competitors – similar to ServiceNow in scope and approach
2. Open-source alternatives – more control and lower license cost, but more DIY
3. AI-native startups – lighter-weight, faster to deploy, and built around LLMs/agents from day one

Let’s break those down.

1. Traditional ServiceNow Competitors

These platforms compete with ServiceNow on breadth of ITSM features, ITIL alignment, and enterprise readiness.

BMC Helix ITSM

Often cited as ServiceNow’s closest like-for-like competitor for large enterprises, BMC Helix offers a full ITIL-aligned ITSM suite and strong cloud capabilities. The CX Lead

Best for:

• Large organizations that want enterprise-grade ITSM without being locked into ServiceNow
• Complex environments with multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure

Highlights:

• Incident, problem, change, and request management
• Strong integration with monitoring and operations tools
• Focus on AIOps and predictive intelligence

Jira Service Management (Atlassian)

Jira Service Management (JSM) focuses on aligning IT and development teams. It’s frequently listed among the top ServiceNow alternatives for organizations that already live in the Atlassian ecosystem. SolarWinds+1

Best for:

• Engineering-heavy organizations
• Teams already using Jira Software and Confluence

Why people pick it over ServiceNow:

• Familiar Jira UI and workflows
• Tight DevOps/ITSM integration (change requests tied directly to code and releases)
• Flexible licensing and good fit for mid-market teams

Freshservice (Freshworks)

Freshservice is a cloud-native ITSM tool designed to be easier and more affordable than ServiceNow, and it’s consistently listed in “best ServiceNow alternatives” roundups. Blaze

Best for:

• SMBs and mid-market IT teams that want fast time-to-value
• Organizations that want clean UI and minimal configuration

Highlights:

• Incident, problem, change, asset, and release management
• Modern UI and built-in automation rules
• Native AI assistant (“Freddy AI”) for ticket classification and self-service

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM combines traditional ITSM with endpoint management and “hyper-automation,” and is frequently named among top ServiceNow alternatives. SolarWinds

Best for:

• IT teams that want unified ITSM + endpoint/asset management
• Organizations focused on self-healing, automated remediation

Highlights:

• Automated service delivery workflows
• Integration with UEM (unified endpoint management)
• Bots for self-service and proactive incident prevention

SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds Service Desk (formerly Samanage) is a widely cited ServiceNow alternative, especially in lists aimed at 2025 buyers. It emphasizes simplicity and a unified ITSM + ITAM (asset management) experience. SolarWinds

Best for:

• IT teams that want one tool for ticketing + asset management
• Organizations that want strong reporting and a modern portal without complex customization

Highlights:

• Incident, problem, change and release management
• Integrated asset discovery and inventory
• Employee portal and knowledge base

Other traditional ITSM competitors worth a look

These also appear frequently in ITSM tool comparisons and ServiceNow competitor lists: InvGate

• SysAid – long-standing ITSM vendor with strong automation
• TOPdesk – popular in education and public sector
• InvGate Service Management – highly rated UI, strong for mid-market
• Zendesk Suite – more customer-support centric but used by some as lightweight ITSM
• TeamDynamix, EasyVista, HaloITSM – each with strong regional or vertical footholds

If you want a “ServiceNow-but-slightly-different” experience, this is the bucket you’ll usually pick from.

2. Open-Source ServiceNow Alternatives

If you want full control over your data, stack, and customization, open-source ITSM tools can be compelling ServiceNow alternatives. The trade-off is usually more responsibility for hosting, upgrades, and configuration.

GLPI

GLPI is one of the most established open-source ITSM and asset management platforms. It offers: incident, problem, and change modules; asset/inventory management; and a plugin ecosystem. CloudNuro

Pros:

• Fully open source and self-hostable
• Strong community and plugin library
• Good fit if you need ITAM + ITSM in one tool

Cons:

• UI and UX can feel older compared to modern SaaS tools
• Setup and maintenance require in-house skills

iTop

iTop is an open-source ITSM and CMDB platform, originally developed by Combodo. It puts a lot of emphasis on modeling your infrastructure and services. CloudNuro

Pros:

• Strong CMDB and relationship modeling
• Supports incident, change, and service request management
• Multi-tenant capabilities

Cons:

• Steeper learning curve
• Customization usually involves editing XML/PHP

Znuny (OTRS Community Edition fork)

When OTRS closed its open-source edition, Znuny emerged as a community-maintained fork. It provides a robust ticketing and workflow system used by many IT helpdesks as a low-cost ServiceNow alternative. CloudNuro

Pros:

• Battle-tested ticketing workflows
• Email integration, SLA management, and knowledge base
• Actively maintained and free to self-host

Cons:

• UI looks dated versus modern cloud ITSM tools
• Full ITIL coverage typically requires configuration and extensions

Zammad, NocoBase, and other open platforms

Recent guides to open-source ServiceNow alternatives also highlight tools like Zammad (modern open-source helpdesk) and app platforms such as NocoBase and Budibase, which can be used to assemble custom ticketing and workflow solutions. NocoBase

These tend to be better fits when:

• You want a developer-friendly platform to build custom flows, or
• You only need lightweight ticketing plus automation, not full ITIL compliance

3. AI-Native Startups: The New Wave of “Invisible” ServiceNow Alternatives

Traditional ServiceNow competitors mostly replicate the same patterns: portals, forms, queues, agents.

A newer crop of AI-native ITSM and helpdesk startups flips that model:

• Employees talk to a chat or voice agent in Slack, Teams, email, or by phone.
• The agent uses LLMs and tools to reset passwords, unlock accounts, look up assets, or execute workflows.
• ServiceNow (or another ITSM tool) might still exist in the background—but the primary experience is AI-first.

This is where Verifia lives, along with companies like Moveworks, Aisera, Ravenna, and others.

Verifia (AI Voice Agent for Secure IT Helpdesk Automation)

Verifia is an AI-native startup focused on securing and automating the IT helpdesk, with a flagship AI voice agent called Avina.

From Verifia’s own content, Avina is positioned as a secure AI voice agent that:

• Automates routine helpdesk work like password reset requests Verifia
• Uses OpenAI-based agents to secure and automate the helpdesk, focusing on cybersecurity and IT operations Verifia
• Helps defend against audio deepfakes and vishing attacks by detecting and deflecting social-engineering attempts in real time Verifia

Where Verifia makes sense as a ServiceNow alternative

Instead of forcing users into a portal, Verifia sits at the front door of IT support, especially on the phone channel:

• If you’re struggling with caller verification, deepfake voice fraud, or social-engineering attacks on the helpdesk, Verifia offers capabilities that traditional ITSM suites don’t natively handle. Reddit+1
• If your most painful tickets are repetitive (password resets, account unlocks, “I can’t log in”), an AI voice tech like Avina can take that entire category off your agents’ plates while still integrating with your identity and IT systems. Verifia

Think of Verifia as:

It can replace some ServiceNow workflows outright for smaller teams—or sit on top of ServiceNow/Jira/Freshservice as the AI-powered front end.

Aisera

Aisera markets itself as an enterprise-grade AI service automation platform for IT, HR, and customer service. It’s commonly listed alongside Moveworks in AI support automation guides. eesel

Best for:

• Enterprises seeking broad service automation across departments
• Organizations that want generative AI for both self-service and agent assist

Aisera can sit in front of ServiceNow (or other ITSM tools), or in some cases serve as a primary service interface.

Ravenna

Ravenna describes itself as an “AI-native ITSM platform” with a strong focus on Slack-first workflows. Their own comparison content positions Ravenna vs. Moveworks in the context of AI helpdesk platforms, especially after ServiceNow’s acquisitions in the AI space. Ravenna

Best for:

• Teams whose primary support interface is Slack
• Companies that want to move away from ticket portals to conversational workflows

Other notable AI-native players

Several other tools appear regularly in “AI for ITSM” lists: Risotto

• Risotto – positions as an AI solution for ITSM with a focus on automation
• Leena AI – employee experience platform with IT/HR support capabilities
• Resolve Systems – automation-focused platform with strong orchestration for IT operations
• Rasa / n8n / OpenDialog – more DIY frameworks/orchestration that can power custom AI service experiences

These tools typically:

• Rely heavily on LLMs, NLU, and automation
• Prefer chat, voice, and messaging interfaces over traditional portals
• Integrate with ServiceNow/Jira/etc., but increasingly offer enough capabilities to be your primary service interface

How to Choose the Right ServiceNow Alternative

To narrow the field, ask a few key questions:

1. Do you want an all-in-one ITSM suite, or just a better front-end?
   • Need full ITIL coverage, CMDB, complex workflows? → Look at BMC Helix, Jira Service Management, Freshservice, Ivanti, SolarWinds.
   • Happy to keep an existing ticketing tool but want a better employee experience? → Look at Verifia, Moveworks, Aisera, Ravenna, Risotto.
2. How important is open-source and self-hosting?
   • Strong data-sovereignty or on-premise requirements? → GLPI, iTop, Znuny are strong candidates.
   • Willing to trade some control for faster setup and vendor support? → Go with a SaaS ITSM platform or AI-native startup.
3. What’s your biggest pain right now?
   • Phone-based support, caller verification, vishing attacks → Seriously consider Verifia as an AI voice front end.
   • Portal fatigue & low self-service adoption → Chat-first platforms like Moveworks, Ravenna, Aisera shine.
   • Tool sprawl & asset chaos → ITSM + ITAM suites like SolarWinds Service Desk, BMC Helix, Freshservice may be better.
4. What’s your team size and budget?
   • Enterprise with global footprint → High likelihood of sticking with or moving to a traditional ITSM suite, augmented by AI.
   • Mid-market or fast-growing startup → Lighter-weight tools (Freshservice, Jira Service Management, Verifia + a modern ticketing tool) often give better ROI than a massive ServiceNow deployment.

Quick FAQ: ServiceNow Alternatives

What is the closest traditional alternative to ServiceNow?

Most analysts and comparison guides point to BMC Helix as the closest enterprise-grade competitor, with other strong contenders including Ivanti, Freshservice, SolarWinds Service Desk, and Jira Service Management. The CX Lead

Is there a free alternative to ServiceNow?

Yes. GLPI, iTop, and Znuny are open-source and free to self-host (though you’ll pay for infrastructure and internal effort). These give you a serious ITSM foundation without per-agent licensing fees. CloudNuro

Can AI-native startups fully replace ServiceNow?

In some smaller or more focused environments, yes: an AI-first platform plus a simpler ticketing/CMDB backend can effectively play the role that ServiceNow would otherwise fill. In larger enterprises, AI tools like Verifia, Moveworks, or Aisera more often sit in front of ServiceNow (or another ITSM tool) as the intelligent interface, while the legacy system remains the system of record. Risotto