ManageEngine vs ServiceNow ITSM Pricing (2026)
Compare / ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs ServiceNow ITSM
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Team size
25 seats

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs ServiceNow ITSM

IT Service Management (ITSM) pricing comparison · 2026

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing ranges from $13–$67/month, while ServiceNow ITSM uses custom pricing. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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2 products · IT Service Management (ITSM)
Side-by-side · live
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing starts at $13/month for the Standard plan, with the
verified 8w ago
View pricing →
ServiceNow ITSM
ServiceNow ITSM does not publish pricing on its website.
verified 13d ago
View pricing →
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Professional
$8.1K/yr
year 1 license · $27/seat
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$6.0K/yr
Vendr · n=5 · limited data
No Vendr data
Not in Vendr's deal flow
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 4 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 3 sourced facts
3 contract
Last verified 1w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
3 documented
  • Module Proliferation and Complex Licensing
    10-30% of license costs
    1 source
  • Minimum User/Device Licensing Requirements
    $500-$2,000
    1 source
  • Sales Response Time Delays
    1-2 weeks project delay
    1 source
No hidden costs documented
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
No public ratings yet
Best for
Small teams needing basic help desk
Watch out
Admin interface can be confusing to navigate
No public ratings yet
Best for
Organizations starting with core ITSM workflows
Watch out
Extremely high and non-transparent pricing
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
IT Service Management (ITSM)

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

$13–$67
/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
IT Service Management (ITSM)

ServiceNow ITSM

Custom pricing
/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus uses Per-seat subscription pricing while ServiceNow ITSM uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

$13–$67 / month
See full ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing →
vs

ServiceNow ITSM

Custom pricing
See full ServiceNow ITSM pricing →

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and ServiceNow ITSM are both full ITIL-aligned IT service management platforms. ManageEngine Standard starts at $13/technician/month, making it one of the most affordable enterprise ITSM options. ServiceNow ITSM starts at $100/agent/month. Both support incident, problem, change, and asset management with ITIL certification. ManageEngine is owned by Zoho Corporation and targets mid-market IT departments; ServiceNow dominates large enterprise.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus ServiceNow ITSM
Standard $13 /month Custom
Professional $27 /month Custom
Enterprise $67 /month Custom

Continue researching

Our Verdict

Choose ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus if you need a full-featured ITSM tool at a fraction of ServiceNow's cost, are a mid-market company (50–2,000 employees) without an enterprise ITSM budget, or want ITIL processes without multi-year implementation projects. ManageEngine implements in weeks, not months.

Choose ServiceNow ITSM if you're a large enterprise that needs ServiceNow's integration with HR, Finance, and Security workflows on the same platform, require custom application development on the Now Platform, or need enterprise-grade SLAs, audit trails, and compliance reporting.

Frequently Asked Questions

01 Is ManageEngine much cheaper than ServiceNow?

Yes, dramatically. ManageEngine Standard at $13/technician/month vs ServiceNow at $100/agent/month is nearly 8x cheaper at entry level. For a 25-technician IT team: ManageEngine costs $325/month vs ServiceNow's $2,500/month—saving $26,100/year. Many mid-market companies find ManageEngine provides 90% of their ITSM needs at 10% of the cost.

02 Does ManageEngine have a CMDB?

Yes. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus includes a built-in CMDB and IT Asset Management (ITAM) module with auto-discovery, asset tracking, and configuration item relationships. The CMDB is more basic than ServiceNow's but sufficient for most mid-market environments.