BMC FootPrints Service Core vs ServiceNow comparison

BMC Helix and ServiceNow are both solutions in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category. BMC Helix is ranked #27, while ServiceNow is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.5. Additionally, 90% of BMC Helix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 92% of ServiceNow users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

ServiceNow and BMC FootPrints Service Core are competing products in the IT service management solutions space, with ServiceNow having the upper hand in pricing and support, while BMC FootPrints Service Core stands out for its comprehensive feature set, appealing to those seeking feature-rich solutions.

Features: ServiceNow offers a scalable cloud-based platform with strong workflow automation and robust customization capabilities, making it suitable for enterprises needing extensive process integration. BMC FootPrints Service Core features an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, customizable dashboards, and extensive reporting tools, which make it attractive for businesses focusing on adaptability and user-driven customization.

Room for Improvement: ServiceNow could improve by reducing its high initial setup costs, expanding flexible deployment options, and enhancing manual integration processes for businesses not prioritizing automation. BMC FootPrints Service Core may need to boost its cloud capabilities, streamline automation functionalities, and provide more comprehensive support options to compete effectively with its counterpart's automation and integration offerings.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ServiceNow offers a cloud deployment model known for swift implementation and consistent support, reducing infrastructure burdens. BMC FootPrints Service Core provides both on-premises and cloud options, offering flexibility in deployment and satisfactory customer service. ServiceNow facilitates a smoother setup process with significant support, whereas BMC’s versatile deployment options offer adaptability for varied infrastructure scenarios.

Pricing and ROI: ServiceNow typically involves higher initial setup costs but focuses on automation and integration that can lead to substantial ROI over time through reduced operational inefficiencies. BMC FootPrints Service Core presents more affordable upfront costs with ROI driven by its customizable features and adaptability. The primary pricing distinction lies in ServiceNow's long-term efficiency gains versus BMC's cost-effectiveness and feature-driven ROI outlook.

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

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ServiceNow

August 2026

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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.

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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…

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Hemanthreddy Vakiti

Data engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Structured workflows have improved SLA compliance and now support prioritized incident handling

I think the licensing and pricing of ServiceNow is quite expensive compared to other tools. For large organizations, it is acceptable, but specifically for small and medium organizations to track incidents or change requests, ServiceNow is quite expensive. Sometimes performance can be slow when workflows and integrations are configured for complex tasks. For advanced customizations or advanced features which we rarely use, the documentation is not up to standard. The documentation needs to be improved for advanced customization features. However, the platform is stable overall and the features are quite good. The user experience and performance concerns I mentioned are areas I want to be improved. When many workflows and interactions are configured, performance is slow. For the features it is providing, it is quite expensive. If these performance features are improved, we can easily pay that price and get the return on investment.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Automation Anywhere has helped us save on both time and cost."

"Overall, we've saved a lot of time, as there's a recent process that we automated which saves around 200 to 300 hours each month, depending on the number of accounts that come in."

"We are able to create robotic tasks in a short time."

"This is the right platform and choice, as every business needs to be at this pace and cannot ignore automation if you really want your company to get to the next level and be at par with competitors."

"Bot creation is a cool feature. It allows the developer to do complex things."

"Automation Anywhere uses a single dashboard that you can access anywhere, and it also provides more insights versus other products, which is an advantage of using Automation Anywhere."

"Automation Anywhere has helped in automating business processes for simple to complex business cases and also helped in understanding, learning, and discovering new automation ideas."

"Using Automation Anywhere has improved our company significantly, as we are doing over eight to 10,000 invoices a month, which people had to do before, while now the automated process is doing that without too much human intervention, saving probably about at least two to possibly three FTEs per week."

More Automation Anywhere pros

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

"I have used Tier II BMC support a few times. They were very responsive and recreated my environment in their lab to support me."

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

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

"I like the fact that FootPrints is a relational database, so every item in the database can be linked to another. This helps create history and audit trails for each CI."

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

"I think the most important feature is the ability to receive valuable ticket status support in a timely manner with little to no downtime interruptions."

"Having a one stop shop for linked assets and tickets has improved end user adoption and led to a reduction in phone/email tickets."

More BMC FootPrints Service Core pros

"The flow designer feature of ServiceNow has had the biggest impact on our productivity because it has helped me reduce manual efforts by creating automation and robotics."

"ServiceNow reduces drastically the time to value and it is possible to completely get rid of flat files such as spreadsheets and powerpoints in less than a month for any Organizational process."

"The look and feel is a valuable benefit for adoption."

"You can put information in or export it out quickly, which is very useful when you have weekly or monthly reports."

"Improved the globalization of processes and around the clock service delivery to our customers Automated repetitive tasks and shifted left simple tasks to the service desk"

"I have seen ROI from ServiceNow, as the client I mentioned earlier is achieving ROI for adopting this cloud-based technology."

"We have found change management and CMDB to be very useful."

"Go for it."

More ServiceNow pros

Cons

"When you are implementing it initially, it's challenging as there's a lot of change management."

"The main disadvantage of Automation Anywhere is its high cost."

"Logging into Automation Anywhere takes some time. I use it frequently, and each login currently takes some time. A reduction in this time would be helpful."

"Automation Anywhere should add a couple of commands which will help most developers not to always use a script, a good example is in String operations."

"When it comes to stability, complex bots always have issues."

"I don't use the technical support a lot. It feels like a lot of time that they will ask us to check the user manual."

"The product falls behind in working with webhooks."

"In Automation Anywhere, the logging process is manual. We have to manually log each instance where the bot fails or the progress of a task. Automating this through a new feature would help developers simplify their development process."

More Automation Anywhere cons

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

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

"We need more customizable reporting functionality."

"Reporting could be improved along with the option to create more fine tuned reports and to create specific fields for each type of ticket."

"The mobile version of this product does not support asset management."

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

"We need more customizable reporting functionality. We could also use more collaboration of service desk tickets. This will allow for two departments to share the same information, track the progress of the total task scope no matter how complex the request is."

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

More BMC FootPrints Service Core cons

"We have customized so much, so I think that might have contributed to the learning curve for me, just figuring out where the organization had put things and what terminology they use and where to look for certain things."

"ServiceNow doesn't cater to the Middle Eastern market."

"One of the things that we're trying to figure out is how ServiceNow can be more of a platform to be used as a backend."

"I find the way you need to attach things like screenshots and stuff is a bit gimmicky."

"It has a higher cost compared to local/regional solutions."

"I feel like there should be perhaps more unit testing before patches are rolled out because every patch has broken our entire catalog."

"For healthcare, which is a pretty audited environment, there are no concrete solutions for digital signatures, apart from our license with Adobe, so it requires orchestration."

"The interface is not user-friendly."

More ServiceNow cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The licensing cost is approximately $4,000 USD, which is a seed license."

"We would like to use Citrix going forward. We use Bot Runners to scale up, and it gets to be expensive. Using Citrix, it can mitigate costs."

"The setup cost for this is onetime and licensing is based on your choice of product."

"Costs savings have been seen by employing bots for multiple shifts instead of people."

"We are restricted to use one license on one PC. However, if my license is not working, I want to be able to use it somewhere else. This would be a nice improvement to the licensing, as other competitors in the market have better licensing terms."

"If you look at the capital expenditure, Automation Anywhere is number two to UiPath. But if you take a long-term view, on a scalable model of a large number of bots coming out, it slowly goes on to become the costliest tool. There is something they can do about that. The capital expenditure goes out right at the point of buying the tool. For Automation Anywhere, I would need to spend $20,000. UiPath can give me something for $6,000, while Blue Prism will come in at $300,000."

"It's justified because we have saved quite a bit of money at the company and many manual hours. Overall, it justifies the cost."

"Automation Anywhere is competitive... Pega is somewhat comparable, but Pega also requires a lot more infrastructure and a lot more experience to get up and running."

More Automation Anywhere pricing and cost advice

"This solution has good pricing."

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

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

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

"For the modules we use, we found it competitive. I can't think of any costs in addition to the licensing fees."

"The mandatory minimum is US$ 20,000 for licensing."

"The solution is expensive."

"The cost is quite high."

"Initially, the licensing model ServiceNow came up with was very good. But now, from a licensing perspective, they are changing their model day by day. It is becoming a bit expensive for customers."

"The CapEx version is great."

"The licensing cost is based on your partnership with ServiceNow and what you have selected for implementation. There is an annual license cost which is calculated based on your number of devices."

"ServiceNow's pricing is comparatively higher than Helix's."

More ServiceNow pricing and cost advice

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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

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

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	57
Midsize Enterprise	35
Large Enterprise	179

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...

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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...

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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.

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Which solution is better for developing non-ITSM applications: OutSystems or Service Now?

The short answer is that OutSystems is far better for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with Service Now you are locked into t...

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Would you choose ServiceNow over Microsoft PowerApps?

Hi Netanya, I will choose ServiceNow because ServiceNow is a very good tool compared to Microsoft PowerApp. Because ...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow?

ServiceNow operates on a subscription-based pricing model with custom pricing based on modules, users, and business r...

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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

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

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 4% of the time

TOPdesk vs BMC FootPrints Service Core

Compared 4% of the time

More BMC FootPrints Service Core Competitors

IBM Maximo Application Suite vs ServiceNow

Compared 7% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs ServiceNow

Compared 4% of the time

Zendesk vs ServiceNow

Compared 4% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs ServiceNow

Compared 4% of the time

Freshservice vs ServiceNow

Compared 3% of the time

More ServiceNow 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

ServiceNow

July 2026

Download ServiceNow 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

ServiceNow

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

ServiceNow offers customizability and cloud-based integration that sustains operational efficiency. Enabling change and incident management, it accelerates workflow automation and project management without downtime issues, serving deployment needs for IT service and productivity enhancements.

ServiceNow stands out with its adaptable workflows and cloud-native infrastructure, boosting IT service, project, and asset management. Known for its robust incident and change management, the platform addresses business needs through its user-centric design and extensive integration options. By facilitating seamless IT operations and automation, ServiceNow empowers businesses to enhance productivity and efficiency. Regular updates ensure users benefit from the latest features without service interruptions, although pricing and licensing complexities demand attention. Users seek improved reporting tools and a more intuitive design while expressing interest in refined mobile functionality and better documentation.

What are the key features of ServiceNow?

Customizability: Enables tailored workflows to align with business processes.
Cloud-Based Integration: Allows seamless updates and operational sustainability.
Incident and Change Management: Supports efficient handling of IT-related issues.
Automation Capabilities: Automates repetitive tasks, enhancing productivity.
User-Friendly Design: Simplifies navigation and improves user interaction.
Comprehensive Reporting: Provides detailed insights for better decision-making.

What benefits and ROI should users anticipate from ServiceNow?

Improved Efficiency: Streamlines processes and reduces manual efforts.
Enhanced Productivity: Automates tasks, enabling focus on strategic initiatives.
Seamless Operations: Integrates across departments for unified management.
Effective IT Management: Smooth incident, change, and problem resolution.
Cost and Time Savings: Reduces operational costs through efficient workflow management.

ServiceNow finds implementation across industries like IT, HR, asset management, and help desks, addressing ticketing and configuration needs. Businesses use its dashboard for tracking performance metrics, enhancing decision-making in departments like HR service delivery. Its adaptability also makes it suitable for industries requiring robust operational management and process automation, driving efficiency and growth.

ServiceNow

Sample Customers

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

Cast & Crew

AAA, AstraZeneca, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Broadcom, Christus Health, Epicor, Equinix, GE Capital, Intuit, KPMG, Loyola Marymount University, OshKosh, Quantas, RedHat, Royal Bank of Scotland, Swiss Re, U.S. Department of Energy, Safeway, Yale University, and Zillow

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ServiceNow

August 2026

Free Report: BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. ServiceNow

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

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