Jira Service Management is the default pick for most teams already using Atlassian, because customers and requesters are free, only agents are licensed, and Standard starts at $21.50 per agent per month as a blended 75-agent rate. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the budget pick at $13 per technician per month, with a free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians, while Freshservice itself starts at $19 per agent per month and remains a sound mid-market choice. ServiceNow retired its five legacy ITSM tiers, Standard, Pro, Pro Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus, on 9 Apr 2026, replacing them with Foundation, Advanced, and Prime, and the legacy SKUs reached end of sale on 1 Jul 2026.
Freshservice is a solid mid-market ITSM tool, with published prices from $19 per agent per month, unlimited requesters, and a clear tier ladder. Teams still look elsewhere for a lower entry price, a deeper Atlassian or ServiceNow estate, or stronger AI included in the base price. The seven tools below include Freshservice itself, so you can compare it directly with six real alternatives. Shortlist on team size and on which features sit behind a higher plan or an add-on, then test the top two with a trial.
On this page
Best alternatives to Freshservice: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jira Service Management | Jira and Confluence shops wanting ITSM and customer service in one bundle | $21.50 per agent per month | Yes (free plan up to 3 agents) | Visit |
| 2 | ServiceNow | Large enterprises needing a full Now Platform rollout | quote only | No | Visit |
| 3 | Zendesk | Omnichannel customer support teams that also need an internal service desk | $19 per agent per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 4 | ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | SMB IT teams wanting full ITSM and asset management at a low per-technician price | $13 per technician per month | Yes (free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians) | Visit |
| 5 | SysAid | Mid-market IT teams that want AI and Copilot included in the base price | $89 per agent per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 6 | SolarWinds Service Desk | Mid-market IT teams wanting ITSM and asset management with unlimited requesters | $39 per technician per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 7 | Freshservice | Mid-market ITSM with published, predictable per-agent pricing | $19 per agent per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
The 7 best best alternatives to Freshservices, in detail
Jira Service Management
Best for: Jira and Confluence shops wanting ITSM and customer service in one bundle
Jira Service Management suits teams that already live in Jira and Confluence, because it brings ITSM and customer service into one bundle, and only agents are licensed. Standard includes Assets and CMDB with 5,000 objects, plus Rovo AI. The free plan covers up to 3 agents.
- The headline Standard rate is $21.50 per agent per month, the blended 75-agent rate, while small teams with 1 to 15 agents pay $25 per agent per month
- One limit: full change, problem, and incident management, plus Virtual Service Agent, are Premium-only, so teams that need the full ITSM set must budg
- Buyers must buy the Service Collection bundle.
- Check the bundle contents and the Premium price for your agent count.
Pros
- Customers and requesters are free, only agents are licensed
- Assets/CMDB (5,000 objects on Standard) and Rovo AI included on Standard
Cons
- Full change, problem and incident management and Virtual Service Agent are Premium-only
- No longer sold on its own, must buy the Service Collection bundle
ServiceNow
Best for: Large enterprises needing a full Now Platform rollout
ServiceNow is the enterprise pick here, for large organisations that want a full Now Platform rollout rather than a single service desk. It now sells three ITSM packages, Foundation, Advanced, and Prime, with Now Assist AI bundled in every tier since Apr 2026. Licensing is per fulfiller, and requesters are not counted, which helps large organisations with many employees who raise requests but never work tickets.
- One limit: ServiceNow retired its five legacy ITSM tiers, Standard, Pro, Pro Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus, on 9 Apr 2026, replacing them with
- There is also no published list price, so every tier ends in a custom quote, and implementation is billed separately.
- Choose ServiceNow only when your scale and budget fit an enterprise platform rollout.
Pros
- Three ITSM packages (Foundation, Advanced, Prime) with Now Assist AI bundled in every tier since Apr 2026
- Per-fulfiller licensing, requesters are not counted
Cons
- No published list price, every tier ends in a custom quote
- Implementation billed separately
Zendesk
Best for: Omnichannel customer support teams that also need an internal service desk
Zendesk suits teams that need omnichannel customer support and an internal service desk in one place. It starts at $19 per agent per month when billed annually, and AI agents are included on every plan. Suite Team, at $55 per agent per month on an annual term, adds messaging, live chat, help centre, and telephony.
- The 14-day free trial gives a team time to test the agent workspace and the AI setup.
- One limit: AI resolutions beyond the small included allowance, 5 per agent per month on Support and Suite Team, cost $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-y
- Copilot agent-assist is also a $50 per agent per month add-on on Professional and above.
- Choose Zendesk when omnichannel support and included AI agents matter most.
Pros
- AI agents included on every plan
- Suite Team ($55 per agent per month, annual) adds messaging, live chat, help centre and telephony
Cons
- AI resolutions beyond the small included allowance (5 per agent per month on Support and Suite Team) cost $1.50 committed or $2.00 pay-as-you-go each
- Copilot agent-assist is a $50 per agent per month add-on on Professional and above
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Best for: SMB IT teams wanting full ITSM and asset management at a low per-technician price
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the budget pick here, starting at $13 per technician per month, with a free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians. End users and requesters are not charged. Predictive and generative AI are included across all editions at no extra cost, which removes the AI add-on charge that other tools apply.
- One limit: asset management is only on Professional, at $27 per technician per month, and above, so the $13 entry price does not include it.
- Add up the add-ons you need before you compare the entry price with Freshservice.
- Choose this tool when low per-technician cost and free requesters matter most.
Pros
- End users and requesters are not charged
- Predictive and generative AI included across all editions at no extra cost
Cons
- Asset management only on Professional ($27 per tech per month) and above
- Change, release, service catalog and problem management are add-ons on Standard and Professional ($1,195-$2,395 per year each) or require Enterprise ($67 per tech per month)
SysAid
Best for: Mid-market IT teams that want AI and Copilot included in the base price
SysAid suits mid-market IT teams that want AI included in the base price. Its one Professional plan includes request, incident, change, and problem management, plus asset management for 250 assets and Copilot. It also offers unlimited agentic AI with no usage caps stated, plus 100K Workato credits.
- The starting price is $89 per agent per month, the small-team starting price, while the page calculator shows $59 per agent per month at 70 agents bil
- One limit: Enterprise is custom-quoted and starts at 20 agents, so larger teams lose the published price at that point.
- Live chat support is also Enterprise-only.
- Choose SysAid when included AI and Copilot matter more than the lowest entry price.
Pros
- One Professional plan includes request, incident, change and problem management plus asset management (250 assets) and Copilot
- Unlimited agentic AI with no usage caps stated, plus 100K Workato credits
Cons
- Enterprise is custom-quoted and starts at 20 agents
- Live chat support is Enterprise-only
SolarWinds Service Desk
Best for: Mid-market IT teams wanting ITSM and asset management with unlimited requesters
SolarWinds Service Desk suits mid-market IT teams that want ITSM and asset management with unlimited requesters, because only technicians are licensed. Essentials, at $39 per technician per month when billed annually, already includes incident management, service portal, knowledge base, asset management, service catalog, change, and CMDB. The 30-day free trial gives a team time to test the portal, the catalog, and the asset records.
- One limit: custom fields, advanced automation, runbooks, and Virtual Agent start on Advanced, at $99 per technician per month billed annually, so team
- AI incident summaries start on Premier, at $124 per technician per month billed annually.
- Choose SolarWinds Service Desk when a broad entry set and unlimited requesters matter most.
Pros
- Unlimited requesters on all plans, only technicians are licensed
- Essentials already includes incident, service portal, knowledge base, asset management, service catalog, change and CMDB
Cons
- Custom fields, advanced automation, runbooks and Virtual Agent start on Advanced ($99 per tech per month, billed annually)
- AI incident summaries start on Premier ($124 per tech per month, billed annually)
Freshservice
Best for: Mid-market ITSM with published, predictable per-agent pricing
Freshservice remains a sound mid-market choice because its prices are published at every tier, starting at $19 per agent per month when billed annually, and requesters are unlimited. Growth, at $49 per agent per month, adds service catalog, SLA management, and on-call. The 14-day free trial lets a team test the agent workspace and the portal before committing.
- One limit: Freddy AI Copilot is a $29 per agent per month add-on on Pro and Enterprise, not included in the base price, so teams that want AI assistan
- IT asset management is now sold separately by Asset Units in packs of 500.
- Choose Freshservice when published, predictable pricing matters most.
Pros
- Published prices at every tier
- Requesters are unlimited, only agents are licensed
- Growth ($49) adds service catalog, SLA management and on-call
Cons
- Freddy AI Copilot is a $29 per agent per month add-on on Pro and Enterprise, not included
- IT asset management is now sold separately by Asset Units in packs of 500
How we chose
We chose ITSM tools with published pricing pages or a clear enterprise quote route, real service desk features, and a named free plan or trial where one exists. Prices and plan limits in this article come from official vendor pricing pages opened on 2026-11-12. Where a vendor did not publish a price, we wrote quote only. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not install or use any of these tools. The order follows use case, not a score.
Which tool fits your team size and budget
| Situation | Pick | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Atlassian shop, up to 3 agents free | Jira Service Management | Free plan up to 3 agents, requesters free, Standard $21.50 per agent per month |
| Large enterprise, full platform rollout | ServiceNow | Foundation, Advanced, and Prime with Now Assist AI in every tier, quote only |
| Omnichannel support plus service desk | Zendesk | Starts at $19 per agent per month, AI agents on every plan, Suite Team $55 |
| SMB budget, up to 5 technicians free | ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | Starts at $13 per technician per month, free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians |
| Mid-market, wants AI in the base price | SysAid | Professional $89 per agent per month includes Copilot, $59 at 70 agents billed annually |
| Mid-market, wants broad entry set | SolarWinds Service Desk | Essentials $39 per technician per month includes asset management, service catalog, and CMDB |
| Mid-market, wants published pricing | Freshservice | Starts at $19 per agent per month, Growth $49 adds catalog, SLA management, and on-call |
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best alternative to Freshservice for most teams?
Jira Service Management is the best alternative for most teams already using Atlassian, because requesters are free, Assets and CMDB with 5,000 objects are included on Standard, and the free plan covers up to 3 agents. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the budget alternative at $13 per technician per month.
How much do Freshservice alternatives cost?
Prices start at $13 per technician per month for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, $19 per agent per month for Zendesk and Freshservice, $21.50 for Jira Service Management, $39 per technician per month for SolarWinds Service Desk, and $89 per agent per month for SysAid. ServiceNow is quote only.
What happened to the old ServiceNow ITSM tiers?
ServiceNow retired its five legacy ITSM tiers, Standard, Pro, Pro Plus, Enterprise, and Enterprise Plus, on 9 Apr 2026, replacing them with Foundation, Advanced, and Prime. The legacy SKUs reached end of sale on 1 Jul 2026. Now Assist AI is bundled in every tier since Apr 2026.
Which alternative includes AI without an extra charge?
SysAid includes Copilot in its $89 per agent per month Professional plan, with unlimited agentic AI and no usage caps stated. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus includes predictive and generative AI across all editions at no extra cost. Zendesk includes AI agents on every plan but charges for extra resolutions, and Freshservice charges $29 per agent per month for Freddy AI Copilot as an add-on.
Which alternative is best for a small IT team on a budget?
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the best budget pick, starting at $13 per technician per month, with a free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians and free requesters. Jira Service Management is also worth testing, with a free plan for up to 3 agents. Check the add-on costs for asset management and change management, because those can raise the total above the entry price.
Is there a free plan among Freshservice alternatives?
Yes, two tools in this set offer a free plan. Jira Service Management offers a free plan for up to 3 agents, and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers a free Standard edition for up to 5 technicians. Zendesk, SysAid, SolarWinds Service Desk, and Freshservice offer free trials of 14 or 30 days instead. ServiceNow offers no free plan, and its pricing is quote only.
Sources
- https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/service-management
- https://www.atlassian.com/collections/service/pricing
- https://www.servicenow.com
- https://www.servicenow.com/lpgp/pricing.html
- https://www.zendesk.com
- https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/
- https://www.manageengine.com/products/service-desk/
- https://www.manageengine.com/in/products/service-desk/pricing.html
- https://www.sysaid.com
- https://www.sysaid.com/pricing
- https://www.solarwinds.com/service-desk
- https://www.solarwinds.com/service-desk/pricing
- https://www.freshworks.com/freshservice/
- https://www.freshworks.com/freshservice/pricing/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.