What is the best ITSM software in 2026?
The entry price lies. Check what changes and a CMDB really cost.
For most mid-sized IT teams, the best ITSM software in 2026 is the one that gives you changes and a CMDB without a module bill. GLPI Network Cloud does it from €19 per agent. Freshservice is the easiest to roll out, but changes only come with Pro at $99. If your company runs on Jira, Jira Service Management is free for up to 3 agents.
We compared eight IT service management tools on what actually drives the bill: the price once ITIL processes are included, the CMDB and asset limits, setup effort, and where your data lives. This page is about the internal IT service desk, the one that handles employee requests. For customer support tools, see our help desk ranking.
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The right ITSM tool for your IT team
€19 per agent, changes included
You need to go live fastEasiest UI, full ITIL on Pro
Your company runs on JiraFree for up to 3 agents
You keep everything on-premCloud or on-prem, free for 5
You hate module mathOne price, everything in
You need EU data residencyEU residency by design
8 ITSM tools side by side
Rank follows what an IT manager at a 100 to 2,000 person company needs: ITIL processes first, then what they really cost. The price column shows the official entry price, which does not always include change management.
| Best for | What it does best | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GLPI Network Cloud (Teclib') | Best value for full ITIL | Changes, problems and inventory from €19 | 4.4/5 | €19 per agent per month (cloud), open source edition free | ✓ | 1 to 200 technicians | |
| 2 | Freshservice (Freshworks) | Easiest to roll out | Clean UI, service catalog from Growth | 4.2/5 | Starter $19 per agent per month, changes from Pro at $99 | — | 5 to 300 technicians | |
| 3 | Jira Service Management (Atlassian) | Best for teams already on Jira | Free for 3 agents, Assets CMDB included | 4.1/5 | Free up to 3 agents, Standard about $21.50 per agent | ✓ | 3 to 500 agents, technical teams | |
| 4 | ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho Corp.) | Best for on-premise IT | Cloud or on-prem, free up to 5 technicians | 4.1/5 | Free up to 5 technicians, Standard from $13 | ✓ | 1 to 1,000 technicians | |
| 5 | HaloITSM (Halo) | Best all-inclusive ITIL | One price, every module included | 4.0/5 | £66 per agent per month, all-in | — | 10 to 500 agents | |
| 6 | TOPdesk | Best for EU data residency | EU data residency by design | 4.0/5 | Essential £51 per agent per month | — | 5 to 50 agents, more on request | |
| 7 | iTop Community (Combodo) | Best open source CMDB-first option | CMDB at the core, free up to 10 agents | 3.9/5 | Free up to 10 agents, self-hosted | ✓ | 1 to 10 agents (Community) | |
| 8 | SolarWinds Service Desk | Most complete entry plan | Changes and CMDB from Essentials | 3.8/5 | Essentials $39 per technician per month | — | 10 to 300 technicians |
Entry prices from vendors' official pricing pages in 2026, per agent or technician per month, in the currency each vendor shows. HaloITSM and TOPdesk list GBP by default; USD is available in their currency selector. Jira Service Management: per-agent price varies with team size.
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
How we compared and scored
An ITSM tool is sold at its entry price and paid for at the price of the plan that includes change management. We read each vendor's official pricing, feature and hosting pages, then what admins say on forums and review sites, to find what pushes the bill up after you sign.
ITIL processes weigh the most. A tool that handles incidents but not problems or changes is a ticketing tool. Then come value at equal scope, the CMDB and asset management, setup effort, and data hosting.
- ITIL processesIncidents, problems, changes, service catalog.30%
- Value for moneyPrice with changes included, add-ons on top.25%
- CMDB and assetsInventory, configuration database, object limits.20%
- Setup effortConfiguration, onboarding, learning curve.15%
- Data and hostingHosting region, on-premise option.10%
Our ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
GLPI Network Cloud (Teclib')
GLPI is the open source IT ticketing system that thousands of European IT teams run on an internal server. Teclib', the French company behind it, also sells a hosted version called GLPI Network Cloud. For €19 per IT agent per month you get incidents, requests, problems and changes, native asset inventory, financial tracking, projects and a knowledge base. End users who submit tickets are free.
Why it ranks first: no other tool on this list gives you change management and a CMDB (the database that maps your devices, servers and software, and how they connect) at this price. Ten agents cost €2,280 a year. Data sits with OVHcloud, with backups in France. Teclib' migrates an existing self-hosted GLPI instance for free.
The catch is setup. Admins on IT forums describe a long initial configuration, then a stable tool. They also call the English documentation confusing (the French docs are clearer). Plan to connect LDAP and roll out the GLPI agent on every machine for automatic inventory.
- Problems and changes in the entry price
- Automatic inventory with the GLPI agent
- Hosted on OVHcloud, backups in France
- ✓€19 per agent, requesters free
- ✓Free migration from self-hosted GLPI
- ✓No long commitment, unlimited vendor support
- ✗Long initial configuration
- ✗Dated interface next to Freshservice
- ✗Premium plugins cost extra
The cheapest way to get full ITIL in the cloud. Use the 45-day trial to configure LDAP and inventory before you open the portal to employees.
Freshservice (Freshworks)
Freshservice is the ITSM product from Freshworks, the company behind Freshdesk. It is the most pleasant tool on this list to use: a clean employee portal, automation rules you can set without code, and a solid mobile app. Incidents come with Starter, the service catalog with Growth.
The trap is in the plan grid. Problem, change and release management only come with Pro at $99 per agent per month. So a "$19 ITSM" is really a ticketing tool. For 10 agents, full ITIL costs $11,880 a year here, against €2,280 with GLPI Network Cloud.
Assets are the second trap. They are billed in packs of 500 "asset units". Customers on the Freshworks community describe bills that jumped at renewal after a change in how manually added assets were counted. Get the exact asset count in writing before you sign, and have your hosting region written into the contract if it matters to you.
- Employee portal and catalog from Growth
- Freddy AI Copilot on Pro and Enterprise
- Incidents from Starter, 14-day trial
- ✓Fastest tool to learn
- ✓No-code automation rules
- ✓Public price list
- ✗Changes and problems locked to Pro ($99)
- ✗Assets billed in packs of 500
- ✗AI is a paid add-on
The comfortable pick if your budget covers Pro. At $19 or $49 you buy ticketing, not ITSM: always compare on the Pro price.
Jira Service Management (Atlassian)
Jira Service Management is Atlassian's service desk, built on top of Jira. Requesters are unlimited and free. Change management is listed from Standard, and the CMDB, called Assets, is included: 5,000 objects on Standard, 50,000 on Premium, then $0.02 per object per month beyond that.
Its edge is the link to engineering. A production incident becomes a Jira issue in the developers' backlog, with no copy-paste. The free plan for 3 agents is enough to start a small IT desk.
Reviewers agree on the downside: setting up approval flows, SLAs and permissions takes time. Some also report accounts added automatically and then billed. Audit your active agent list every month.
- Assets CMDB included, 5,000 objects on Standard
- Data residency in several regions on higher plans
- Native link to developer tickets
- ✓Free for up to 3 agents
- ✓Unlimited free requesters
- ✓Huge Atlassian app ecosystem
- ✗Per-agent price shifts with volume
- ✗Heavy setup for non-technical IT teams
- ✗Auto-added accounts can end up billed
Unbeatable if your company already lives in Jira. For an IT team supporting employees with no developers in the loop, GLPI or Freshservice need less tuning.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Zoho Corp.)
ServiceDesk Plus is the ITSM tool from ManageEngine, the IT management division of Zoho Corp. It still ships both cloud and on-premise editions, which is rare now. Enterprise bundles problems, changes, releases, a CMDB and the service catalog. AI features are included in every edition.
If your users are in Europe, ManageEngine runs ISO 27001 data centers in Amsterdam and Dublin, and you pick the region at signup. Some features vary by data center, so check the comparison page first.
Reviews call it complete but clunky: occasional slowness, customization that often needs scripting, and a UI redesign to relearn. People like the price and the mobile app. The real trap: on Standard, ITIL modules add up fast. Changes plus problems cost $3,590 a year on-premise.
- Cloud or on-premise
- EU data centers in Amsterdam and Dublin
- AI included in all editions
- ✓Free up to 5 technicians
- ✓Low entry price
- ✓On-premise edition still sold
- ✗ITIL modules extra below Enterprise
- ✗Interface feels heavy
- ✗Customization often needs code
The right call if you want ITIL on your own servers. Go straight to Enterprise: stacking modules on Standard often ends up costing more.
HaloITSM (Halo)
HaloITSM comes from Halo, a UK company. Its pitch fits on one line: one price, £66 per agent per month, with every feature, module and integration. No tiers, no ITIL add-ons. Incidents, changes and the CMDB are all on the pricing page.
Halo itself quotes £4,620 a month for 70 agents. For 10 agents, that is £7,920 a year. Pricier than Freshservice Starter, in the same range as Freshservice Pro, with no renewal surprises.
Two caveats. Onboarding is mandatory and priced case by case, so get that number before you compare. Reviewers praise "the flexibility of a high-end tool at a far more reasonable cost", but some must ask the Halo admin for reports.
- One price, all modules
- Incidents, changes and CMDB included
- Public price with a 70-agent example
- ✓No ITIL module to buy later
- ✓Highly configurable
- ✓Predictable cost year over year
- ✗Mandatory paid onboarding
- ✗Price list shown in GBP by default
- ✗Some reports need vendor help
The clearest of the full-ITIL tools. Get onboarding quoted in writing: it decides what year one really costs.
TOPdesk
TOPdesk is a Dutch vendor with deep roots in the public sector and education. Its site states that, designed and run in Europe, TOPdesk guarantees EU data residency by design. It also offers a virtual appliance option on your own servers.
The CMDB and the service catalog are in every plan, which is rare. Changes, problems and SLAs come with Engaged at £72 per agent per month. For 10 agents, that plan comes to £8,640 a year.
The downside: implementation consulting is billed on top. Ask for a quote that splits license and services clearly.
- EU data residency by design
- CMDB and catalog in every plan
- Virtual appliance option
- ✓European vendor
- ✓Implementation support available
- ✓Service catalog from Essential
- ✗Changes only from Engaged (£72)
- ✗Consulting billed separately
- ✗Contact sales above 50 agents
The safe pick for public buyers or anyone who needs EU data. Pricier than GLPI, but implementation help is part of the deal.
iTop Community (Combodo)
iTop is built by Combodo, a French company near Grenoble. Where GLPI starts from inventory, iTop starts from the CMDB: every incident, problem and change is tied to the configuration items it touches, and the service catalog is linked to that model.
Community is free for up to 10 agents on your own server. Long-time users describe it as the open source tool closest to ITIL, with GLPI stronger on desktop inventory. A tip still worth knowing: after creating a change, click "modify" before adding tasks.
The flip side: installation, updates and security are on your team. Past 10 agents, you have to contact Combodo for a price.
- CMDB at the center of every process
- Incidents, problems, changes and catalog
- Self-hosted, your data stays in-house
- ✓Free up to 10 agents
- ✓Very rich data model
- ✓No third party holds your data
- ✗You run installs and updates
- ✗Steep learning curve
- ✗No public price above 10 agents
The best free starting point if mapping your infrastructure is the priority. For plain ticketing, it is too much work.
SolarWinds Service Desk
SolarWinds Service Desk is the cloud ITSM tool from SolarWinds, best known for network monitoring. Incidents, changes, the CMDB and the service catalog are all in Essentials at $39 per technician. The visual CMDB and dependency mapping come with Premier at $124.
On paper, that is the best feature set for the entry price. In practice, asset pricing is on request only, and problem management is not tied to any plan on the pricing page. For 10 technicians on Essentials, expect $4,680 a year before assets.
It sits lower in our ranking because the real price with assets and the hosting region are not spelled out. A strong candidate if your network team already lives in SolarWinds.
- Changes and CMDB from Essentials
- Dependency mapping on Premier
- 30-day trial on the top plan
- ✓Core ITIL from $39
- ✓Trial includes Premier
- ✓Service catalog included
- ✗Asset pricing on request
- ✗Problem management unclear by plan
- ✗Hosting region to confirm
Well-equipped core ITIL from $39. Get assets priced and the hosting region confirmed before you sign.
What most ITSM roundups never calculate
Most top-ranking ITSM lists are written by vendors who put themselves first. They compare prices on different bases and skip the cost of full ITIL for a real team.
Help desk or ITSM: pick the right level
A help desk takes requests and tracks them. ITSM adds problem management (the root cause behind repeat incidents), approved changes before anything hits production, and a CMDB. Below about 20 employees to support, an ITSM suite is usually overkill. Above that, or the first time a server dies after an unplanned update, it pays for itself.
Real annual cost with changes included
At equal scope, for 3, 10 and 30 agents a year: GLPI Network Cloud €684, €2,280 and €6,840. Freshservice Pro $3,564, $11,880 and $35,640. HaloITSM £2,376, £7,920 and £23,760, plus onboarding. TOPdesk Engaged £2,592, £8,640 and £25,920. ServiceDesk Plus Enterprise $2,412, $8,040 and $24,120. SolarWinds Essentials $1,404, $4,680 and $14,040. Jira Service Management is free for 3 agents, then the per-agent price varies with volume.
Where your data lives
Three vendors state European hosting on official pages: GLPI Network Cloud (OVHcloud, backups in France), TOPdesk (EU residency by design) and ServiceDesk Plus (Amsterdam and Dublin). Jira Service Management offers data residency on higher plans. For the others, get the hosting region written into your contract.
Customer support is a different category
Zendesk, Freshdesk and HubSpot Service Hub serve your customers, not your employees. Zendesk lists neither change management nor a CMDB on its pricing page. It scores 3.6/5 in our review, from $19 per agent. If customer support is the job, our help desk ranking is the better read.
- Does the quoted plan include problems and changes?
- How many assets or CMDB objects are included, and the price beyond?
- Is onboarding included or billed?
- Is the hosting region written into the contract?
- Are requesters free?
- Is AI included or an add-on?
Six traps that inflate your ITSM bill
Each one comes from an official price list or from admins who got caught. Vendor-written roundups leave them out.
The entry plan without change management
FreshserviceOn Freshservice, Starter ($19) and Growth ($49) include neither problems nor changes. You need Pro at $99. Always compare tools on the plan that holds the processes you need, never on the headline price.
- Gap
- $19 vs $99 per agent
ITIL modules sold separately
ServiceDesk PlusOn-premise, on Standard or Professional, ServiceDesk Plus sells problems at $1,195 a year and changes at $2,395 a year. The CMDB costs $1,195 a year, Professional only, and the service catalog another $1,195 a year. Enterprise includes all of it, so run the numbers first.
- Add-ons
- Up to $5,980 a year
How assets get counted
TipFreshservice bills assets in packs of 500 units. Customers have seen renewals jump after a change in how manually added assets were counted. Clean your inventory before each renewal and ask for the count in writing.
- Unit
- Packs of 500 assets
Ghost licenses
Jira SMIn Jira Service Management, accounts added automatically can become billed agents. A monthly review of the agent list stops you paying for people who never log in. Past 5,000 Assets objects on Standard, each object also costs $0.02 a month.
- Check
- Once a month
Mandatory onboarding fees
Halo, TOPdeskHaloITSM makes guided onboarding mandatory and prices it per project. TOPdesk bills implementation consulting separately. Get both numbers before you compare: year one can cost far more than the license.
- Ask for
- A separate quote
Self-hosted GLPI left unpatched
GLPIGLPI is free on your own server, but France's CERT-FR issued a 2026 advisory on two GLPI flaws. A forgotten instance becomes an entry point. If nobody can patch monthly, GLPI Network Cloud at €19 per agent costs less than a breach.
- Alternative
- Cloud from €19
Where to go next
These pages pick up where this one stops.
Our customer support ranking.
You want to replace ZendeskZendesk alternativesYour options to leave Zendesk.
You are weighing ZendeskOur Zendesk reviewScores and pricing in detail.
You want out of ServiceNowSwitch from ServiceNowAlternatives and migration.
You automate with n8nServiceNow in n8nConnect tickets to your other tools.
You automate with MakeSolarWinds Service Desk in MakeCreate tickets from your scenarios.
ITSM software FAQ
Is there a free ITSM tool that is actually usable?
Yes, four. GLPI on your own server with no agent limit, iTop Community up to 10 agents, Jira Service Management up to 3 agents, and ServiceDesk Plus Standard up to 5 technicians. The first two need a server and someone to patch it. The last two are hosted, but their free tiers cap out fast.
Which ITSM tool fits a 100 to 500 person company?
Freshservice or GLPI Network Cloud, depending on budget and comfort. Freshservice Pro costs $3,564 a year for 3 agents and is quick to learn. GLPI gives you the same ITIL scope for €684 a year, with more setup. If you already pay for Atlassian, start with Jira Service Management.
How should I run an ITSM rollout?
Plan it around the free trial, which doubles as your pilot: 14 days on Freshservice, 30 days on ServiceDesk Plus and SolarWinds, 45 days on GLPI Network Cloud. Keep phase one to incidents and requests with a handful of agents. Add changes and the CMDB once the team trusts the tool, not before.
Do I really need a CMDB?
Yes, once you manage changes. A CMDB tells you which services depend on a server before you reboot it. To start, automatic device inventory like GLPI's covers most needs. A full CMDB, as in iTop or Jira Assets, earns its keep past a few hundred items.
Which ITSM tools keep data in the EU?
GLPI Network Cloud hosts with OVHcloud and backs up in France. TOPdesk guarantees EU data residency. ServiceDesk Plus offers Amsterdam and Dublin, chosen at signup. Zendesk, a customer support tool, sells data locality as an add-on on Suite Professional only.
Is Jira Service Management good for IT teams without developers?
It works, but expect setup time. Users report that approval flows, SLAs and permissions take a while to configure. Its best feature, linking incidents to developer issues, is wasted without an engineering team. In that case Freshservice or GLPI need less tuning.
Can Zendesk work as an ITSM tool?
Not really. Zendesk is built for customer support, and its pricing page lists neither change management nor a CMDB. It scores 3.6/5 in our review, with Support Team at $19, Suite Team at $55 and Suite Professional at $115 per agent per month billed annually. For an internal service desk, pick from this ranking.
What about ServiceNow, Ivanti or BMC Helix?
These suites target large enterprises and do not publish a readable price list, so we did not rank them: we could not compare their cost. If you already run ServiceNow and the bill hurts, our ServiceNow switching guide covers the alternatives and the migration.