BMC FootPrints Service Core vs Spiceworks comparison

BMC Helix and Spiceworks are both solutions in the Help Desk Software category. BMC Helix is ranked #30, while Spiceworks is ranked #14 with an average rating of 9.0. Additionally, 90% of BMC Helix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 86% of Spiceworks users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Spiceworks and BMC FootPrints Service Core are both IT service management tools designed to enhance ticket management and infrastructure efficiency. While Spiceworks offers competitive pricing and support options attractive to budget-conscious organizations, BMC FootPrints Service Core provides a comprehensive set of features that appeal to businesses seeking robust capabilities.

Features: Spiceworks is favored for its network monitoring, help desk capabilities, and integrated knowledge base, which are ideal for small to medium enterprises. It offers a simple ticketing system and effective network scanning. BMC FootPrints Service Core stands out with its ITIL compliance, detailed project management tools, and robust automation capabilities, addressing the needs of larger organizations with more intricate requirements.

Room for Improvement: Spiceworks could enhance its inventory accuracy and reporting features, while users note that its user interface could be more intuitive. Integration capabilities with external systems also present an opportunity for improvement. BMC FootPrints Service Core might improve its deployment complexity and provide more straightforward customization options. Additionally, its user interface could benefit from being more streamlined.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Spiceworks is applauded for its easy and rapid deployment, supported by a large, active user community. This setup is advantageous for businesses looking for minimal setup time. BMC FootPrints Service Core, although it involves a more complex installation process, benefits from professional customer service that provides guidance and support during the setup phase.

Pricing and ROI: Spiceworks is notable for being a cost-effective solution, offering significant ROI for smaller businesses with virtually no cost barriers. BMC FootPrints Service Core, despite its higher initial cost, provides extensive ROI through its comprehensive feature set, which is valuable to enterprises prepared to invest in enhanced functionality.

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

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. Spiceworks

June 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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Rohit Samel

Account Manager Enterprise Sales at Navdeep Technologies Pvt.Ltd

Cloud storage with no hardware needed and great comprehensive reports

The software is cloud-based, so I do not need to store any data locally. It is a fully software-based solution, eliminating the need for investment in hardware. We have the capability to create reports as needed. It is good software to use, as there were no incidents where I needed to contact technical support. Additionally, it is free software.

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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

"I really like the Automation Anywhere University website because it has a lot of good documents that you can read to learn about the solution."

"Automation Anywhere can grow alongside our automation needs."

"The ability to create automation itself is a benefit that reduces human error and enhances efficiency. Technical support is unsurpassed."

"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."

"The dashboards are excellent."

"The solution has removed humans making errors while increasing our time savings, and we now have a lot more efficiencies in our process."

"From the second year onward, ROI is achieved, which is a great thing because year-over-year you are accruing those benefits."

"Its ease of use is the most valuable feature. It is easy to train developers and find the right people, then use them to build the tool."

More Automation Anywhere pros

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

"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."

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

"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."

"It's extremely stable; we've got customers who are mobile telecommunication customers, hospitals, power companies, and an airport, and we can handle the volume with no interruptions where instability would really be unacceptable."

"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."

More BMC FootPrints Service Core pros

"The solution is very stable. It's reliable and efficient."

"The documentation is also very helpful in figuring out the product."

"Spiceworks offered everything we needed and more, and has improved response times to staff as well as providing an audit trail and growing database of information that can be referenced when similar problems arise."

"It has increased the productivity of our IT department by speeding up service requests and managing and organizing them."

"The solution is easy to use and easy to manage."

"Considering the fact that this is a free product, all you can get from this software is improvement in the way your organization operates and how your clients perceive you."

"Spiceworks is generic and free."

"We have taken this from a central location and expanded our reach over 8 different companies with around 1000 devices all reporting to one location, and I have had no issues and do not foresee any as we continue to expand and install SpiceWorks at our remaining customers."

More Spiceworks pros

Cons

"Initially, the implementation was tough."

"The price is a little high and could be reduced."

"There should be a meeting between the Automation Anywhere team and the end-users to understand whether the process can be made to work on the first attempt."

"When I change the name of a variable in the Variable Manager, I would really like it to change in the code."

"Cloud was one of the features we wanted to see, because it makes it much easier. The second feature is ease of use in terms of agnostic operating system."

"One key feature we are looking for from Automation Anywhere is the need for a fully evolved CI/CD pipeline approach within our IT organization, given that we manage multiple applications."

"My experience has been that if the person who codes the bot is not very well-trained, then they might create unstable bots. So, it's not the platform. It is just how somebody has coded the bots which can bring lot of instability to them. I recommend that when you are using a coder that the person well-trained and have a good amount of experience already working on bots. They shouldn't be newbie or beginner who comes in to code because that will impact the quality of the code itself."

"They sell every different functionality in too many separate packages, making the procurement process complicated as it requires paying additional licensing for more features."

More Automation Anywhere cons

"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."

"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."

"We need more customizable reporting functionality."

"Hyphens are not allowed in the quick search bar. This has created a problem in our environment where we use hyphens in our asset names."

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

"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 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."

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

More BMC FootPrints Service Core cons

"They've also tried to integrate it with social logins, like Twitter and LinkedIn, and that type of login authentication has no place in a corporate application."

"The social and collaborative tools, such as integration to LYNC, Yammer, or equivalents."

"Yes, too many. We tried it on a VM, but we had to reboot every 2 days."

"I am unable to provide suggestions for improvement at this moment."

"The network mapping could be improved. Putting together an actual bonafide network map would be really nice."

"Having an integrated asset management tool, where I can plug in things that are offline, would be good."

"I was never able to properly get the product to monitor our Exchange server or SQL server."

"It would be nice to have remote access to the solution via a tablet. They also need remote control from a PC. Right now, to complete the technical support process, you have to have a tool to access the PC, and check the problems."

More Spiceworks cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of this solution is a little bit high, but it is worth the price."

"The solution's pricing is pretty decent."

"The initial setup and licensing fees are high, and although it saves costs in the long run, reaching the break-even point can take at least six months."

"Although the initial implementation cost of Automation Anywhere is relatively high compared to other options, its annual subscription cost is lower than UiPath's, which has the opposite pricing structure."

"The setup cost depends on multiple factors, so you need to get details before choosing."

"Additional costs will be for the machines and the number of machines that you are using. You can deploy virtually as well as on physical machines. In both the situations, you do need to allocate a certain budget for securing the machines and where the software will be installed and running. The machines cannot be used for anything else, because only a certain bot can run at a certain time. You need to be very particular about your scheduling of running the bots, and while the bot is running nobody can use the machine. You cannot have an agent working on a machine and the bot running in the background. It has to be completely dedicated. Then there are the network bandwidth requirements and space requirements, which are additional costs apart from the licensing and software costs. The developer is also going to charge you for their coding time too."

"We are not receiving the right information about their features, e.g. Automation Anywhere University, or anything that they are selling. They need to improve their documentation."

"It's cheapest among the competition, although bargaining is a must."

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."

"Seeing that it is a low-cost solution, I would advise you to go ahead with Spiceworks and experiment with it to see if you can get things working properly, especially if you currently don't have any existing service desk software in place."

"The product is free! Get it now."

"It's free."

"It might be about $300 annually for a bigger company. If you pay annually, it's better and cheaper."

"The tool is cheap."

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Comparison Review

it_user174738

IT Developer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

May 31, 2015

Nagios vs. Zabbix vs. PRTG vs. Spiceworks vs. Solarwinds Network Performance Monitor

I have researched a quite a few network monitoring tools which can be used for various monitoring purposes of not only the servers, but the intermediate routers as well. There are majorly three types of these softwares. Ones which are completely open-source, you can do almost anything you want…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Construction Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Construction Company

21%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

15%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	154
Midsize Enterprise	82
Large Enterprise	536

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	14
Large Enterprise	10

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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What needs improvement with Spiceworks?

I am unable to provide suggestions for improvement at this moment, however, I can provide feedback later. Currently, ...

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What is your primary use case for Spiceworks?

If our customers need backup support, we can work with them and provide it. Whatever solution the customer requires, ...

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What advice do you have for others considering Spiceworks?

It performs its intended functions. We may use it, but perhaps not for ourselves, but for our customers, potentially ...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Automation Anywhere

June 2026

Download Automation Anywhere product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

June 2026

Download BMC FootPrints Service Core product report

Buyer's Guide

Spiceworks

June 2026

Download Spiceworks 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

Spiceworks

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

Spiceworks is a freeware IT management tool offering efficient ticketing systems and inventory management with Active Directory integration, making it user-friendly and effective for network monitoring.

Spiceworks supports IT teams with device management and network visibility through strong community backing, ease of use, and comprehensive features like reporting and asset tracking. Its cost-effectiveness is attractive, though users seek improvements such as more customization, better ticketing, enhanced stability, and improved integration capabilities. Security, performance, and scalability are key focuses for enhancement.

What are the key features of Spiceworks?

Ticketing System: Simplifies incident logging and service requests.
Inventory Management: Tracks IT assets efficiently.
Network Monitoring: Offers reliable network oversight.
Active Directory Integration: Seamless integration for user management.
Community Support: Access to troubleshooting and insights.
Reporting: Facilitates in-depth analysis through reports.

What benefits and ROI should users expect?

Cost-Effectiveness: Lowers expenses for IT management.
Ease of Integration: Fits smoothly into existing systems.
Improved IT Support: Enhances incident response and monitoring.
Global Collaboration: Facilitates network management across locations.
Resource Efficiency: Streamlines operational tasks for IT teams.

In many industries, Spiceworks is utilized for managing infrastructure, facilitating network oversight, and documenting IT services. Teams efficiently manage networks globally, monitor devices like routers and switches, and provide IT support without reliance on managed service vendors, making integration straightforward.

Spiceworks

Sample Customers

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

Cast & Crew

Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Symantec, Webroot, EMC, Pertino

Buyer's Guide

BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. Spiceworks

June 2026

Free Report: BMC FootPrints Service Core vs. Spiceworks

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

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