11 Modern ServiceNow alternatives to evaluate in 2025

“You can’t get fired for buying ServiceNow.”

— Ancient IT proverb

What started as general IT wisdom has become a convenient excuse to skip market research while buying ITSM software. But in 2025, ITSM as we know it is completely changing. With ServiceNow's recent acquisition of Moveworks, the industry has realized the significance of AI-native, integrated service management platforms, instead of bolt-on AI tools.

Meanwhile, IT teams across industries are also increasingly vocal about their frustrations with ServiceNow's "never-ending complexity, chaotic features, sky-high costs, and a bloated system that needs an entire team just to keep it running."

One Reddit thread even labeled it a "parasitic dinosaur" — a sentiment resonating widely among those managing these systems daily.

Your timing couldn't be better if you want a new ITSM platform in 2025.

The market is evolving toward agentic AI solutions that can transform service management rather than legacy platforms who bolt on AI capabilities onto outdated architectures. Instead of settling for a bloated legacy solution, you now have a chance to evaluate your options based on their approach to service management and how they're leveraging recent technology, particularly AI.

Why look for ServiceNow alternatives at all?

You’re right. ServiceNow is a comprehensive and highly customizable service management solution that covers a wide range of use cases. On paper, it’s the safe choice.

But it’s a safe choice for large enterprises with big budgets and enough time for implementation and customization. Not to mention, access to dev resources or additional budget to hire ServiceNow certified consultants for implementation and ongoing customizations.

Not every business requires (or has the capability to utilize) such an extensive platform or can expect a positive return on the investment.

For nearly two decades, ITSM remained largely unchanged. However, we are now at the cusp of another paradigm shift - the agentic AI movement. While AI has been around for a while, GenAI and agentic AI are now being adopted widely to eliminate process overhead for end-users and IT teams.

Legacy vendors are bolting AI on top of their existing platforms causing both the platform and the cost to bloat up. That's why new solutions are emerging with AI at the core.

This blog will look at such modern alternatives to ServiceNow that support the service management needs for organizations of different sizes.

1. Atomicwork

Atomicwork is an agentic service management solution that delivers core IT and ESM through agentic AI that adapts dynamically to employees, roles, and business functions.

The Atomicwork platform seamlessly integrates with enterprise applications across IT, DevOps, HR, finance, and workplace support teams to deliver context-aware, proactive support, and service management automation on email, browser, collaboration tools like Slack and MS Teams.

With our AI-based approach to service management, organizations can significantly reduce response times, deliver real-time help, and automate core IT processes effortlessly. Apart from automating routine tasks such as password resets and app provisioning, Atomicwork enhances the service desk experience by streamlining request handling, incident management, problem, change, and asset management in one unified platform.

Switching from ServiceNow, Ryder Hampton, Head of Technology at Australia's leading financial technology at PepperMoney, highlights how Atomicwork transformed their global IT operations.

We were able to deploy this new platform and replace a number of incumbent solutions within 6 weeks. We have already seen significant improvements across ticket deflection, self service and most importantly employee experience. Moving across to the Atomicwork solution also reduced our TCO by consolidating 3 different solutions into one platform. Ryder Hampton, Head of Technology at PepperMoney.

Compare how Atomicwork stacks up against ServiceNow in detail here.

2. Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management, with its built-in AI engine, leverages natural language processing and GenAI to enhance IT service management. This automates tier 1 repetitive support issues, thereby accelerating problem resolution and reducing ticket volume.

You can create custom intents or even use the knowledge base to automate tier 1 support workflows. IT support agents can now tackle complex issues that need their expertise. If you’re using the Atlassian suite with Jira, Confluence, etc, getting Jira Service Management would work like a natural extension to your current ecosystem.

3. EasyVista

EasyVista leverages AI to deliver features like automated workflows and intelligent knowledge management, which help streamline service processes and improve efficiency.

EasyVista's acquisition of Coservit, which delivers an AIOps and next-generation monitoring software technology, ServiceNav, enhances its capability with predictive analytics and monitoring, providing a more proactive service management approach.

4. Freshservice

Freshservice offers an AI suite called Freddy to streamline IT service management and boosts employee and IT productivity. It includes a self service solution, a copilot, and provides insights.

The AI-driven virtual agent provides immediate conversational support and efficiently handles incidents and service requests. It enhances agent productivity by automating responses and standardizing service delivery.

5. InvGate

InvGate Service Desk features AI-driven capabilities such as automation of workflows and AI-powered features that suggest ticket recategorization and automate ticket responses, enhancing the efficiency of service operations. Along with its integration capabilities, it can be used for various business workflows.

6. Ivanti

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM leverages AI to streamline operations and improve service delivery across IT environments. Some of its features include intelligent automation for routine tasks, predictive analytics to prevent service disruptions, and advanced knowledge management capabilities that help gather, share, and manage critical information efficiently.

7. Solarwinds

SolarWinds Service Desk incorporates AI and ML technologies to improve efficiency and user experience. These include an AI-powered virtual agent that assists users with common IT issues, allowing IT staff to focus on more complex tasks.

The system also offers AI-generated responses that save time for agents and AI-generated incident summaries that improve collaboration by providing concise overviews of communication threads.

8. HaloITSM

HaloITSM incorporates AI to automate and enhance service delivery. Key AI functionalities in HaloITSM include automated ticket assignment, knowledge base article suggestions, and predictive capabilities to anticipate potential issues before they occur.

This AI integration helps streamline processes, improving agent productivity, and enhancing the overall user experience by enabling more efficient and error-free service management.

9. TOPdesk

TOPdesk incorporates AI capabilities to streamline service operations and improve user experiences through automation and integrated AI functionalities.

These AI-driven features include automated incident management, where incidents are intelligently categorized and routed to the appropriate agents based on the ticket’s content. Furthermore, TOPdesk leverages conversational AI through chatbots to assist users via self-service portals.

10. SysAid

SysAid offers an AI-first IT approach that seamlessly integrates with its service desk capabilities.

SysAid's comprehensive solution includes inventory management, remote control capabilities, software management, network discovery, patch management, and deep service desk integration. Their upcoming AI Agents for Asset Management promises to further streamline IT operations by automating tasks like extracting asset details, generating warranty expiration reports, and managing routine maintenance.

11. Zendesk for IT

Zendesk for IT applies the company's customer service expertise to internal IT service management, offering an AI-powered solution that simplifies employee service across the organization. The platform can be deployed quickly and integrates with popular workplace apps like Slack and Microsoft Teams, meeting employees where they already work.

Zendesk's AI capabilities help IT teams triage requests and automate workflows, enabling faster case resolution with fewer resources. The platform provides comprehensive visibility into all service interactions with automatic ticket scoring, helping teams continuously identify service gaps and improve quality.

In conclusion

As we enter the AI era of ITSM, it's crucial to reassess your organization's needs and explore alternatives, if necessary. When evaluating options, consider your budget, resources, and readiness for AI-driven innovation. The right choice could significantly enhance your IT and business operations, positioning your organization for success in this rapidly evolving tech landscape.

‍Disclaimer: We, at Atomicwork, have built ITSM solutions in the past and understand the challenges that IT leaders and organizations grapple with. With the immense power that AI offers, we were able to build a modern service management solution for 2025 and beyond.

If you’d like a walkthrough of the platform, sign up for a demo.