6 ManageEngine Alternatives & Competitors for 2025
Published by Ronan McQuillan, Mar 10, 2025Part of the Zoho suite, ManageEngine is a widely used platform for handling a range of ITSM, ITOps, and related processes. This centers around a feature-rich, modern service management tool called ServiceDesk Plus.
However, this is a crowded space, with several prominent vendors cornering different corners of the market.
Today, we’re taking a deep dive into the top ManageEngine alternatives and competitors.
Along the way, we’ll see some of the most important decision points across the marketing, including functionality, pricing, and non-functional requirements.
Specifically, we’re covering:
- What is ManageEngine?
- Why would you need a ManageEngine alternative
- Top 6 ManageEngine alternatives for 2025
Let’s jump right in.
What is ManageEngine?
ManageEngine is a comprehensive suite of IT management software tools, including solutions for ITSM, ITOM, ITAM, security, endpoint management, and more.
The core of this is ServiceDesk Plus, an ITIL-aligned service management solution with extensive coverage for ITSM workflows, including incident management, asset management, ticketing, problem management, change management, configuration management, and more.
This provides IT teams with a unified experience for managing end-user interactions as well as other aspects of our service portfolio, such as capacity management and resource planning.
ManageEngine is also a popular solution for streamlining tasks under the umbrella of IT management. For instance, utilizing self-service portals or automated workflows for handling common request types.
More recently, it’s introduced a range of AI-driven features to power IT workflows, including virtual agents and predictive analytics.
On the whole, it’s an attractive offering for a range of organizations, with different levels of maturity in their IT department.
So…
Why would you need a ManageEngine alternative?
Like any software procurement decision, we need to have a realistic view of where ManageEngine sits in the market.
As we said earlier, different vendors here target distinct organizations, personas, and use cases. This can play out in a range of ways, including the pricing plans, functionality, and user experiences that each one offers.
With that in mind, here are some of the core clusters of decision points that might make some of ManageEngine’s competitors a more attractive prospect.
Pricing is almost inevitably a more complex question than it might first appear. ManageEngine offers a highly scalable pricing model across three tiers for either the cloud-based or on-prem platform. Feature restrictions apply across these, with the standard tier offering only core service desk functionality. We’ll need an Enterprise license to unlock the full range of capabilities. All tiers are billed on a per technician per month basis, but usage restrictions relating to asset data also apply on the Premium and Standard tiers. Therefore, for teams with large asset estates who need specific subsets of premium features, certain ManageEngine alternatives could work out more cost-effective. Vendors also take different approaches to enabling teams to customize and configure their platforms. While ManageEngine offers extensive scope for us to build our own workflows and even extend functionality, some other platforms might offer us more flexibility here. There’s often a tradeoff between the extent of configuration on offer and how easy it is to roll out a solution. Compared to some competitors, ManageEngine offers an easy implementation but might lack some more advanced configurability. Additionally, there are other tools that might be more easy to extend, or even modify the source code. As such, it’s important to take account of how neatly our requirements fit the off-the-shelf capabilities of different platforms. Lastly, ManageEngine is a closed-source solution. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but some teams do have a preference for open-source tools. There can be a few key reasons for this. One is the need to audit the source code of any tools that will interact with mission critical infrastructure, processes, or data. Depending on the specific license, certain open-source tools also afford us a greater amount of control over extending functionality. Some open-source tools can also be more cost-effective, but we’ll have to pay close attention to specific licenses in this regard. Take a look at our guide to the top open-source low-code platforms.Pricing
Customization
Open-source vs closed source
Top 6 ManageEngine alternatives for 2025
With a clear idea of what ManageEngine is, what it offers, and where it sits in the market, we can start to check out some of the alternative platforms that are available.
We’ve chosen a range of options from different points in the market. These are:
Here’s a summary of what makes each one tick.
 ManageEngine |  Budibase |  ServiceNow |  Jira |  OTRS |  Zammad |  GLPI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Platform Type | ITSM | Low-Code | ITSM | ITSM | ITSM | Ticketing | ITSM |
| Pricing Model | Per-agent | Per-user/creator + Creator-only | Custom | Per-agent | Tiered | Per agent | Tiered |
| Cloud | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SSO | Paid plan | Free | Paid plan | Paid plan | Paid plan | Free | Yes |
| Open-Source | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Query external DBs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| API | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Let’s check them out in detail.
1. Budibase
Budibase is the open-source, low-code platform that empowers IT teams to turn data into action. Our customers choose Budibase to power a huge range of IT workflows, including managing requests, inventories, ticketing, and more.
Features
Budibase is the ideal solution for building internal tools on top of any data. We offer dedicated connectors to query all kinds of RDBMSs, NoSQL tools, API, spreadsheets, and more, alongside our built-in database.
Budibase acts as a proxy, querying external data without storying. We then offer spreadsheet-like interactions, custom RBAC, and autogenerated UIs on top of connected sources.
We also offer a range of capabilities aimed at IT teams that need to streamline workflows. We offer a visual automation builder with complex looping and branching logic, as well as both custom LLM configs and built-in AI functionality.
Use cases
Our users choose Budibase to build a huge range of mission-critical IT workflows, including handling ticketing, service request management, incident reporting, admin functions, asset inventories, and much more.
We offer a visual RBAC editor and custom database views, which are perfect for workflows where different types of users need granular permissions for specific data actions.
Budibase is also the smart choice for IT workflows with heightened security needs. We offer optional self-hosting, air-gapped deployments, free SSO, and much more - putting data in the hands of the exact users who need it.
Start building with our free ticketing system template
Sign up nowPricing
Budibase offers scalable pricing for teams of all sizes. You can build as many free apps as you like for up to five users in the cloud or twenty if you self-host. Unlike some other ManageEngine automations, we don’t place restrictions on connected data for free users.
Paid plans start from $5 per end-user per month and $50 for app creators. This also introduces reusable code snippets, custom app branding, app back-ups, and Budibase AI.
We offer creator-only pricing for enterprise customers, meaning you only need to pay for the colleagues who build applications in Budibase. Enterprise licenses also offer air-gapped deployments, enforceable SSO, and other advanced security tools.
2. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is probably the most ubiquitous name in the IT management software space. It offers a highly configurable platform for enterprise teams to manage the full scope of their IT processes.
You might also like our guide to the top ServiceNow alternatives .
Pros
One of ServiceNow’s biggest strengths is the breadth of capabilities on offer. This centers around a comprehensive set of ITIL-aligned service management tools, including configuration management, change control, asset management, service desk management, and more.
ServiceNow is also one of the most comprehensive solutions for configuration options, including a range of low-code and hard-code-focused tools for building interfaces, workflows, automated processes, and more.
It also provides impressive AI capabilities. For instance, tools for creating virtual agents, integration for a range of NLPs, and highly advanced predictive analytics for monitoring IT service metrics.
Cons
However, configurability can often be a double-edged sword. Compared to some other platforms, ServiceNow can require more up-front resources to roll out, with some reports citing a higher time-to-value than other platforms in this space.
Some teams also report a higher skills barrier for modifying and maintaining workflows, although, to some extent, this is related to its more advanced capabilities.
As such, while it’s a hugely powerful platform for large organizations or complex IT processes, teams with smaller scale or more sporadic use cases might find a different option more suitable.
Pricing
ServiceNow’s pricing isn’t publicly available. Instead, licenses are offered on a custom basis. These are based on user volumes, as well as the specific functionality we require.
For example, specific aspects of the platform such as ITSM, ITOM, field service management, or BPA can be billed separately. This means that contracts can be tailored to the needs of individual organizations that only need specific subset functionality.
However, we may also need to take account of indirect costs. For instance, many teams use a third-party contractor or reseller to purchase ServiceNow, the cost of which would also need to be factored in.
3. Jira Service Management
Next up, we have Jira Service Management. Part of the wide Atlassian ecosystem, this is a flexible, highly collaborative platform for teams that want to streamline IT service management workflows.
Take a look at our guide to the top Jira Service Management alternatives.
Pros
One of the clear upsides of JSM is its close integration with the rest of the Jira platform, as well as related tools like Confluence and BitBucket. This makes it a great option for teams whose IT service are highly grounded in software development or DevOps processes.
As a broader service desk, JSM offers a highly modern, efficient user experience. This includes conversational ticketing, which provides a single point of contact for end users and service agents, including information from SLAs and various communications channels.
It also offers a range of more advanced capabilities for creating custom automation rules, along with a huge library of customizable UI templates.
Cons
One potential drawback of JSM as a ManageEngine alternative is that it’s generally less ITIL-focused than some other platforms, with many of the core ITIL practices being restricted to more expensive license tiers.
Similarly, on-prem usage requires a Jira Data Center license, which will potentially be out of reach of teams that require a self-hosted instance of a smaller-scale solution.
It’s also worth noting that JSM’s close integration with the wider Atlassian suite will be of less use to teams that aren’t already using these tools - although it does still offer a huge range of third-party integration options.
Pricing
Jira Service Management can be used for free for up to three agents, with core service desk functionality. Beyond this, paid licenses bill on a monthly per agent basis, with discounts for larger user volumes.
There are some important feature restrictions across the various pricing tiers. For instance, we’ll need a Premium license for change management, incident management, problem management, or virtual agents.
Enterprise licenses are available with more advanced security features. We’ll also need a Jira Data Center plan to self-host JSM.
4. OTRS
OTRS stands for Open Ticket Request System. As the name suggests, this is a platform for handling ticketing and service request management.
Pros
OTRS is a great option for teams that need a full-featured IT service desk solution. Out of the box, it offers tools for the full spectrum of ITIL processes, making it a strong choice for IT teams in large organizations.
It also offers an impressive range of customization and configuration options, including customizable UIs, a visual workflow builder, and extensive options to connect to external databases.
Notably, OTRS also offers a range of time and resource management tools for service delivery teams, including project boards, shared calendars, and more.
Cons
One potential downside of OTRS compared to some ManageEngine alternatives is a slightly more dated feeling UI, especially when it comes to admin settings or building automations.
It’s also somewhat more lacking in AI capabilities, especially compared to large enterprise competitors such as ServiceNow.
Some users also complain of performance issues when utilizing OTRS at a large scale, including high user volumes or large numbers of simultaneous requests. Additionally, the open-source community edition has reached its EoL and is no longer maintained.
Pricing
Pricing for OTRS is somewhat opaque. It offers both managed and self-hosted solutions, depending on your specific needs.
There are four license tiers based on your support needs and user volumes. However, pricing for these is not provided.
Instead, you’ll need to contact sales to get a quote for specific configuration options.
5. Zammad
Zammad is an open-source helpdesk and ticketing solution that can be leveraged for a range of ITSM processes. It’s also a strong pick for security-focused use cases.
Pros
One of Zammad’s big selling points is its UI. It offers a clean, modern, and intuitive experience for end users and service agents. It also offers strong functionality for collaborative working, including comments and mentions.
It’s also a strong option for its security credentials. For instance, it offers free SSO, along with LDAP support for user and rights management.
Zammad offers extensive customization options, including custom ticketing data objects, triggerable macros, and a powerful API for integrating with external platforms.
Cons
While Zammad is a great option for ticketing and help desk management, it lacks the more extensive scope of ITSM capabilities that some other ManageEngine alternatives can offer. This might mean relying on additional platforms for certain tasks.
For instance, there’s no dedicated solution for asset management or change management.
It also lacks some important features for handling advanced workflows, including a low-code editor for building custom UIs or more complex automation rules.
Pricing
Zammad offers both cloud-based and self-hosted options. If we opt for their managed cloud solution, there are three license tiers, ranging from €5-24 per agent per month. However, there are maximum agent seats across each of these.
However, even the fully featured Plus package is relatively cheap, making this one of the more affordable options we’ve seen.
For self-hosted instances, support packages start from €2,999 billed annually, with increasing costs depending on the level of support we need.
6. GLPI
Lastly, we have GLPI. This is another open-source option, this time covering the wider spectrum of ITSM processes.
Pros
GLPI offers impressive coverage for a wide range of service management processes, including managing helpdesks, ticketing, service financial, assets inventories, configuration data, and projects.
Its CMDB capabilities are particularly impressive and highly suited to complex IT environments, including everything from data center infrastructure to peripherals and consumables, like printer cartridges.
GLPI is also a strong offering in terms of visualizing and interacting with data, including a range of reporting tools as well as interfaces for handling project data, tasks, Kanban boards, and more.
Cons
Some users complain that configuring GLPI for their exact needs can present a relatively high learning curve. For instance, some UI modifications will require us alter PHP files and understand the underlying data structures.
At a more basic level, some reports also state that certain admin options can be hard to find and change. This may introduce additional time and effort to roll out a solution.
There are also reports of performance issues when handling large volumes of data or transactions.
Pricing
GLPI offers both cloud and on-prem options. There’s an open-source version of the platform, which is offered under the GNU license.
Paid self-hosted licenses are offered with different levels of support, agent seats, and restrictions on the number of assets we can process. More expensive tiers also introduce additional plug-in options.
The cloud platform bills from €19 per agent per month, including community plug-ins.
Turn data into action with Budibase
Budibase is the open-source, low-code platform that empowers IT teams to turn data into action. With extensive external data support, autogenerated UIs, powerful automations, free SSO, and more, there’s never been an easier way to ship secure workflow tools.
Take a look at our features overview to learn more.