BMC FootPrints Service Core vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus comparison

BMC Helix and ManageEngine are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. BMC Helix is ranked #30, while ManageEngine is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. Additionally, 90% of BMC Helix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of ManageEngine users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

BMC FootPrints Service Core and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus are both key players in the IT service management category. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and scalability, making it more adaptable to wider organizational needs.

Features: BMC FootPrints Service Core is praised for its customizable workflows, integration capabilities, and the ability to create custom home views for different teams. It also allows multiple administrators across various workspaces, enhancing flexibility. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus excels with its comprehensive ITIL-ready components, asset management features, and seamless integration with other modules like Active Directory Audit and Project Management. It provides automation in ticket routing and offers a robust solutions module for knowledge management.

Room for Improvement: BMC FootPrints Service Core could enhance its reporting capabilities and expand the number of supported integrations to match current industry standards. There is also a need for better automation features and a more intuitive user interface. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus could improve its customization options to suit specific business environments, develop advanced reporting functions, and offer deeper integration with external development tools like Jira.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: BMC FootPrints Service Core offers flexible deployment options with commendable customer service support, ensuring a hassle-free rollout. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus provides straightforward cloud and on-premise deployment strategies, coupled with proactive support services. Its easy deployment and responsive customer service give it a significant advantage in user experience.

Pricing and ROI: BMC FootPrints Service Core is cost-effective for initial setup, focusing on quick ROI by minimizing upfront costs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus may have higher initial pricing but offers a strong ROI through extensive functionality and scalability. This justifies its cost, providing long-term value by catering to comprehensive IT management needs.

To learn more, read our detailed BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Report (Updated: August 2026).

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

August 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 908,858 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Automation Anywhere

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash

Management Consultant at Accenture

Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions

Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.

Read full review

reviewer1765752

System Engineer at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees

A flexible, comprehensive, integrated IT service and asset management platform with good technical support

We use BMC FootPrints Service Core to manage network issues, infrastructure issues, software issues, and ERP. We also use it to manage our facility. So, we do some work orders and also use it as an extra ticketing system Technical support is good. It would be better if it were more…

Read full review

Mostafiz Miah

Sr. Presales & Technical Lead at Elitbuzz Technologies Ltd

Automation has transformed daily request handling and now tracks every customer interaction

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus helps my team manage and resolve requests compared to previous methods as we previously managed things through paperwork and diaries. After deploying ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, whenever any customer request comes, we provide the customer a product demo if they ask about the products. We then convert that request to a lead, which is converted to a demo, and then to the product POC, allowing us to follow up every stage of the requests. Everything can be tracked from ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, whether at the closing stage or the initial stage. I use ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus daily in a unique way because previously everyone managed their own tracking system through their diary, but now everyone inputs data into this solution so that at the end of the day, we can get reports on how many leads we have taken care of and when they need to be taken care of. This information is visible from the ServiceDesk tool, and using the dashboard, we can easily identify it, providing an at-a-glance view. The best features ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers for my team include automating manual tasks, which allows whatever tasks we previously did manually to be converted into automatic tasks. Currently, they have also introduced Zia, a very helpful solution for us. Using Zia, we can search for anything, not only inside the tool but also outside, integrating it with ChatGPT and Teams, and it can integrate with other ManageEngine solutions as well as solutions such as Jira and ServiceNow. When we integrate our network monitoring solutions with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, it automatically raises an incident ticket and assigns it to the right team whenever any incident has occurred, which saves us time and reduces manual tasks. Previously, we had to communicate to the right people through mail or phone calls after an incident, but now the incidents are automatically converted and assigned to the relevant support groups along with the SLA. The integration with Teams allows us to raise tickets without logging into the portal, and we can see the ticket status and add comments through Teams, which is very helpful. Additionally, mail integration can automatically convert emails into tickets, adding further efficiency. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus has positively impacted our organization, particularly in customer satisfaction. Previously, customers managed service requests, incidents, changes, and problems manually, but after integration, most of these processes are automated. This includes change requests that now follow a workflow based on organizational needs and ITIL best practices, making tracking incidents and requests much easier for end customers through scheduled reports.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The application replaced about three employees for the OFAC verification processes, thus eliminating the need to hire more people for those tasks."

"Many tasks take a long time for a person to do them. Automation Anywhere enables us to do those jobs in less time."

"The advantage of Automation Anywhere is that you don't necessarily have to come from a programming background."

"The thing I appreciate most about Automation Anywhere is how integrated the aspects of it are."

"We reduce the time that scientists spend on manual tasks and put them on more value-added work."

"TestingAnywhere is a scriptless automation tool which is easy to learn and implement, with many effective features such as creating test cases using web recording, object recording, image recognition, Smart recording, or an editor."

"The error handling and troubleshooting are very good, and it is easy for a developer to know what happened in any particular line of code."

"This RPA tool is a leader in the market, and I have had a very good experience working with Automation Anywhere."

More Automation Anywhere pros

"This is certainly a solution that I recommend for big enterprise."

"I feel confident in saying that BMC FootPrints Service Core is definitely one of the best products in the market."

"We use BMC FootPrints Service Core to manage network issues, infrastructure issues, software issues, ERP, and our facility, using it for work orders and as an extra ticketing system."

"We have found the reports and the lockdown on a ticket valuable, so only one person can update issues."

"Ability to auto-generate email messages, process email messages, and approvals."

"Now all IT related issues, problems, changes and even projects are more controlled using Footprints."

"This product solidly handles incident management, problem management, and change management."

"It has helped the help desk team. We get our tickets in and are able to support our customers, the end-users, with this solution."

More BMC FootPrints Service Core pros

"Subscription licensing includes technical support and all the features at no additional cost, and Perpetual licensing requires annual maintenance of about 15% of the initial cost."

"I like the catalog features and workflow, and I also like the knowledge space."

"Our experience with the product is as follows: Initial deployment and additional customization with logical application: Reliable."

"The GUI is very good."

"The solution is user-friendly and has all the features we need; it is very effective in its operation."

"It is good, and it meets our needs."

"The ticketing function is very straightforward and easy to use."

"ManageEngine is flexible and user friendly. Creating a ticket is quite easy. So is configuring SLA's and generating reports. It is straightforward to use."

More ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pros

Cons

"Additional features should involve the Cognitive Section where we need more Advance solutions involving ML & AI."

"Automation Anywhere is not as flexible as Process Studio."

"There should be more organized training sessions. I prefer interactive classes to one-on-one training. You can create super users and organize conferences or workshops where users can learn from experts. Maybe you only have a few of these super users in your organization, so that's why you need to have workshops on a weekly basis."

"Automation Anywhere could improve by better integrating with DevOps. Currently, it cannot be integrated 100% with DevOps methodology, which many companies are requiring."

"The bot creation process is tedious. The solution has a lot of features, but since you have to drag down a lot of the commands, it can get tedious to use it. You end up having to use the mouse a lot more."

"In the learning track, I was looking at the latest feature which is coming in A2019, which is very nice, because it is a web-based. So, we can do our development while sitting from anywhere. We don't need any type of installation. It's a web-based. Nowadays, everyone has the Internet."

"I would like to see improvement in its scalability."

"Compared to other RPA tools, the UI of Automation Anywhere is not that great and is not that easy to pick up for people, which takes more time for a newbie."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"It is pretty clunky and not very intuitive. Even though I have used it for many years, I don't think it is a very good ITSM platform in general."

"It would be nice if they added the ability to go directly to a form via a deep link URL."

"It is pretty clunky and not very intuitive. Even though I have used it for many years, I don't think it is a very good ITSM platform in general. In the telecom space, a lot of telco providers use this solution, but from my perspective, it is not very user friendly. It is a bit more laborious. There are still too many human touchpoints. There can be a little bit more automation. It would also be good to integrate it with other tools. Integration is quite difficult, especially in the telco space."

"To improve the product for our usage, the pricing maybe could be a bit lower."

"The pricing could be a little lower and the product should cover more iTel versions."

"There are still a few odd issues in FootPrints 12.x, which are frustrating."

"It would be better if it were more user-friendly. The reporting part in the version we have is a little complicated. It takes too long to build and report. It would also be better if there were another way to manage notifications."

"Sometimes it is difficult to make the application do exactly what you need."

More BMC FootPrints Service Core cons

"We'd like to have more integration into other platforms."

"There is a limitation when assigning an approval; it has to be a single user. It would be beneficial to have an option to assign approvals to a user group or a variable."

"As a partner, their technical support can respond better to the tickets. We provide deployment services and also support products as a partner. We get a lot of tickets from clients complaining about certain issues related to the system, but when we send or escalate an issue to the agent, sometimes, there is a delay. That's something that they could improve on. Because we are a local partner, we are able to copy to some employees who can try to push a ticket to close, but it would be best if they can respond a bit quicker."

"A 360-degree view of the asset life cycle should be integrated with the service desk to provide better understanding and asset management."

"We had issues wherein the software stopped working. We had to re-install the software and configure again. We were unable to import the old data into the new installation."

"The biggest friction point or frustration I have run into with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the upgrade risk and manual patching, along with the rigid reporting engine and clunky analytics."

"For ITIL functions, it should be more complex, including financial functions. We are expecting it to be easier for customization within workflows and templates."

"I would like to see a clearer distinction between ManageEngine Cloud, ServiceDesk Plus, and ManageEngine Enterprise. That way, choosing the best one is better informed. Initially, I struggled to understand the difference, but I figured it out later."

More ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not too expensive, but there are many tools available in the market that can provide the same functionality at a cheaper price."

"We have purchased licenses, but are trying to obtain more bot programmer licenses."

"Automation Anywhere's pricing falls within the mid-range, but the long-term benefits outweigh the initial investment."

"It is expensive. I would rate Automation Anywhere an eight out of ten in terms of pricing."

"If you are looking into Automation Anywhere, get the Community Edition and play with it."

"I am not responsible for the pricing part, but I know the pricing is competitive compared to other tools."

"The product starts at $10,000 and then it's up to you regarding how much you can consume."

"We purchase on a bot basis. Our costs are approximately $5,000."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"Cost was on par with other service desk products, and well below Remedy, while still being a BMC product."

"Our costs are well over $250,000."

"This solution has good pricing."

"The licensing for FootPrints is a perpetual license with an annual support fee."

"For 90 service agents and our need for a cloud solution with incident management and service request management, it annually costs around 12,000. If you need additional development or deployment support from the vendor, there might be an additional cost."

"The cost of licensing is approximately ten dollars per suite, per month. When scaling up, there are a lot of other expenses such as infrastructure, the telecommunication companies, etc."

"The licensing is around $10,000 per year."

"It is cheaper than its competitors."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."

"The prices are attractive. Customer can use a subscription if they do not have enough budget."

"The platform has good pricing."

"The only issue for us is the pricing, which is quite high in comparison with the competition."

More ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Help Desk Software solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Construction Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

10%

Construction Company

21%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	157
Midsize Enterprise	81
Large Enterprise	558

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	33
Midsize Enterprise	24
Large Enterprise	20

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...

See all answers

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...

See all answers

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?

It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.

See all answers

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

Regarding pricing, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers three editions: Standard edition, Professional, and Enterpris...

See all answers

What needs improvement with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

The biggest friction point or frustration I have run into with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is the upgrade risk and ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

My main use case for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is that we are receiving tickets from multiple users regarding iss...

See all answers

Comparisons

UiPath Platform vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 12% of the time

Microsoft Power Automate vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 9% of the time

Blue Prism vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 6% of the time

AutomationEdge vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

WorkFusion vs Automation Anywhere

Compared 2% of the time

More Automation Anywhere Competitors

ServiceNow vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 18% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 16% of the time

Rezolve.ai vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 14% of the time

Zendesk vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 4% of the time

Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 4% of the time

More BMC FootPrints Service Core Competitors

ServiceNow vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Compared 12% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Compared 6% of the time

SCSM vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Compared 5% of the time

SysAid vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Compared 5% of the time

LiveChat vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Compared 5% of the time

More ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

August 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

July 2026

Download BMC FootPrints Service Core product report

Buyer's Guide

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

July 2026

Download ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus product report

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)

FootPrints Service Core

No data available

Interactive Demo

Automation Anywhere

Demo not available

BMC Helix

Demo not available

ManageEngine

Overview

Automation Anywhere offers ease of use, robust system connectivity, and GenAI-driven document automation through a cloud-native platform, significantly enhancing productivity across multiple industries with advanced AI features.

Delivering a comprehensive suite of tools designed for easy integration and rapid deployment, Automation Anywhere drives efficiency by reducing costs and automating repetitive tasks. Its cloud-native platform supports broad industry adoption, including advanced AI features like process automation and Co-Pilot, streamlining complex workflows with minimal technical skills required. Users benefit from robust integration capabilities, which facilitate seamless interaction with multiple systems. However, there is room for improvement in areas such as user-friendliness for beginners, stability, flexible licensing, and enhanced OCR functionality. Organizations in sectors such as banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare gain from the improved operational efficiency and ROI Automation Anywhere offers.

What are the important features of Automation Anywhere?

Ease of Use: Simplifies automation tasks with a user-centric interface.
Robust Connectivity: Provides seamless integration with multiple systems.
GenAI-Driven Document Automation: Leverages AI to automate document management.
Process Automation & Co-Pilot: Enhances workflow automation with advanced AI.
Cloud-Native Platform: Enables rapid deployment and integration.

What benefits should be evaluated in reviews?

Time Savings: Automation drastically reduces manual processing time.
Cost Efficiency: Decreases overall operational costs by automating tasks.
Productivity Enhancement: Streamlines workflows with AI-driven tools.
Improved Integration: Enhances ability to work with multiple systems.
Scalability: Supports growth with a flexible cloud-native architecture.

In the insurance industry, Automation Anywhere is utilized for automating processes such as enrollment management and compliance checks. Its applications extend to supply chain management, financial transactions, and business performance monitoring across sectors like banking, finance, manufacturing, and healthcare, helping organizations to automate routine tasks, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.

Automation Anywhere

BMC FootPrints Service Core is a comprehensive tool that aids in incident, problem, and change management while offering customizable views and integration options.

Valued for its customizable home views and flexible database relations, BMC FootPrints Service Core excels in stability and responsive technical support. With capabilities for email automation, survey integration, and report creation, it enhances IT service management and business process efficiency. The solution supports ticket status updates with minimal downtime and accommodates multiple administrators across workspaces. Pink Elephant certification and smart IT features broaden its appeal for IT departments.

What are the key features of BMC FootPrints Service Core?

Incident Management: Tracks and resolves service desk tickets efficiently.
Problem Management: Identifies and mitigates underlying issues to prevent recurrence.
Change Management: Helps assess and handle changes seamlessly in the environment.
Customizable Views: Offers tailored dashboards for user-specific information.
Email Automation: Facilitates swift communication and response handling.

What benefits or ROI should users look for in reviews?

Stable Performance: Ensures reliable operation for consistent IT services.
Responsive Support: Provides timely technical assistance to resolve issues.
Administrative Flexibility: Allows versatile control across different workspaces.

In industries like IT services and HR, BMC FootPrints Service Core supports managing service desk tickets, tracking assets, and resolving issues in network, infrastructure, and software areas. Its functionalities also extend to HR issue tracking, service requests, and contract management, facilitating both on-premises deployments and ITIL process implementations such as Service Request and Service Catalog Management.

BMC Helix

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an ITIL-compliant tool designed for IT help desk and incident management. It offers user-friendly ticketing, automation, and integration features, assisting businesses in effective IT service management.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus provides comprehensive solutions for ticketing, automation, and integration with third-party tools. Its features include project, change, and asset management, which are essential for streamlining IT operations. The intuitive interface supports both technical and non-technical users. The platform's reporting, SLA management, and CMDB functions significantly enhance business operations. Despite its strengths, there are areas for improvement, such as customization and integration capabilities. Users often seek better automation for active and asset management, enhanced search functionality, and improved security.

What are the key features of ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

Ticketing System: Facilitates efficient issue tracking and resolution.
Automation: Allows the creation of automated workflows to reduce manual effort.
Customizability: Enables tailoring of the platform to fit specific business needs.
Integration: Seamless connectivity with third-party tools for enhanced functionality.
Project Management: Supports planning and execution of IT projects.
Change Management: Helps in managing IT service changes systematically.
Asset Management: Tracks and manages IT assets effectively.

What benefits and ROI should users expect from ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlined workflows and processes save time and resources.
Enhanced Communication: Facilitates better interaction within IT departments.
Operational Visibility: Reporting and metrics provide insights into IT operations.
Flexibility: Customization options help tailor the system to specific requirements.
Security Enhancement: Regular updates enhance system security and data protection.

Industries implement ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus to address specific challenges such as IT help desk management and asset tracking. Companies use the platform to log incidents, automate workflows, and ensure compliance with ITIL standards, supporting effective management of daily operations, system auditing, and improved client interaction.

ManageEngine

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics

Cast & Crew

Tranter IT Infrastructure Services Limited, Sterlite Technologies, averda, Radiology Associates

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

August 2026

Free Report: BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Find out what your peers are saying about BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus report.

See our list of best Help Desk Software vendors and best IT Service Management (ITSM) vendors.

We monitor all Help Desk Software reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.