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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Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
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2 products · IT Service Management (ITSM)
Side-by-side · live
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing starts at $13/technician/month for the Standard plan
verified 6w ago
View pricing →
ServiceNow ITSM
ServiceNow ITSM does not publish pricing on its website.
verified 9w 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 6 sourced facts
5 hidden-cost · Vendr median
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
Sources 3 sourced facts
3 contract
Last verified 2mo 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
5 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
  • Complex Admin Interface Learning Curve
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Higher Price Point vs. Alternatives
    10-20% of license costs
    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
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.