GLPI dominates open-source service desk with ticketing, asset management, change management, and a self-service portal. Zammad is a modern alternative focused on multi-channel ticketing (email, chat, phone). For organizations that need full ITSM on open source, GLPI with its extensive plugin ecosystem is the most complete option.
1 of 15 products in this category match the open source filter and are highlighted below.
Open source · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial
GLPI is the most capable open-source ITSM and asset management platform available. Free self-hosted with full ITIL coverage, but the real cost is the labor required to deploy, configure, and maintain it without vendor support.
Best for: IT teams with Linux/LAMP administration skills that need ITSM and asset management without per-agent licensing costs, particularly public sector organizations, educational institutions, and budget-con
The rest of the service desk software category, listed because the open source filter above did not select them. Worth reading when the highlighted options do not fit.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
Freshservice is the mid-market ITSM platform that gets IT teams operational fastest: ITIL-aligned incident, problem, and change management with a UI clean enough that agents need minimal training, deployed in weeks rather than the months ServiceNow or BMC require.
Custom quote · Cloud
Deep process automation, AI-based ticket routing and integration across BMC's broader IT operations portfolio define this enterprise service desk software, delivered from the cloud under a custom quote. It fits large organizations with dedicated ITSM administrators and formal ITIL processes complex enough to justify the configuration overhead that initial deployment carries.
Custom quote · Cloud / On-prem
Process and data model customization happens without writing code, a frequent reason mid-market teams pick Cherwell over more opinionated platforms. That flexibility cuts both ways. Implementations can run expensive when the configuration scope is underestimated before the project begins. Deployment is available in cloud or on-prem form under a custom quote.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
Freshdesk is the fastest path from zero to structured multichannel ticketing, a free tier that validates workflows before spending, automation depth available at the Growth tier rather than locked behind enterprise pricing, and a 1,000+ integration marketplace.
Custom quote · Cloud
HaloITSM covers incident, problem, change and asset management with close ITIL alignment, all in one interface. The teams that look at it have usually outgrown basic help desk software but found ServiceNow or BMC disproportionately complex for what they actually run. Freshservice and SolarWinds Service Desk are the other two names on that list.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
Help Scout is the fastest path to a clean, functional service desk for email-first teams: unlimited users on every plan, a shared inbox that agents learn in a day, and a knowledge base that powers self-service deflection through the embeddable Beacon widget.
Agent-based · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial
InvGate Service Management is a well-executed mid-market ITSM platform that stays in contention through fast implementation, a genuinely intuitive no-code workflow builder, and published pricing that makes commercial comparison straightforward before engaging vendor sales.
Agent-based · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial
Jira Service Management is the strongest service desk choice for organizations already running Jira Software and Confluence. The native Atlassian integration eliminates the ticket-to-code gap that plagues separate ITSM and development tools.
Custom quote · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the strongest choice when a mid-market IT team needs on-premises or cloud ITSM with built-in asset management, CMDB, and project management in a single product, at a price point well below ServiceNow or BMC.
Custom quote · Cloud
Configurability at scale is what ServiceNow is bought for: process automation, AI-assisted routing and tight connections into configuration management and asset data. Getting there takes dedicated administrators. It also takes meaningful configuration investment before the platform fits the process. Smaller IT organizations rarely find that cost justified for the service desk software they actually need.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
SolarWinds Service Desk is the clearest mid-market ITSM choice when a team needs ITIL-aligned workflows with built-in asset management and a service catalog, deployed in weeks, at a price point that stays predictable because ticket submitters are unlimited at every tier.
Custom quote · Cloud / On-prem · Free trial
SysAid is a solid mid-market ITSM platform whose strongest argument is the native integration of asset management and CMDB directly into the service desk, plus cloud and on-premises deployment flexibility that most competitors have dropped.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
Zendesk is the default enterprise-grade service desk for teams that prioritize omnichannel maturity, a 1,500+ integration marketplace, and the Sunshine customization platform over ITSM-specific depth, but the true all-in cost is significantly higher than the published per-agent rates.
Agent-based · Cloud · Free trial
Zoho Desk delivers the best price-to-feature ratio in the service desk category (undercutting Zendesk and Freshdesk by 20-40% at equivalent tiers) and becomes strongest when the organization already uses Zoho CRM or other Zoho products for native ecosystem integration.
GLPI covers more ground: ticketing, asset management, change management, and 2,000+ plugins. Zammad is more modern with better multi-channel support (email, chat, phone, social). Choose GLPI for ITAM+ITSM, Zammad for pure ticketing with modern UX.
GLPI runs in thousands of production environments including enterprises and government agencies. The software is mature. The risk is operational: self-hosted means you own uptime, backup, upgrades, and security patches.
FusionInventory (agent-based discovery), FormCreator (custom request forms), Escalade (ticket routing rules), and Satisfaction (CSAT surveys). The core handles basic ticketing; plugins fill the feature gaps vs commercial alternatives.
