Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

BMC Helix ITSM vs Freshservice vs N-able MSP Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of BMC Helix ITSM is 8.6%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Freshservice is 4.6%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of N-able MSP Manager is 1.0%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Help Desk Software
 

Featured Reviews

Ameet Darole - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for user ticket management, incident management, and event management
We had a manual event management process and a separate monitoring tool called Dynatrace. The alerts generated did not flow to the ITSM tool. With BMC Helix ITSM, the alerts flow and auto-route to respective technical support. If the alerts are resolved, the ticket will be automatically closed. So, the workload and automation are much better now. BMC Helix ITSM is a fast platform, so it is quite manageable. I would recommend BMC Helix ITSM to other users because it is a good solution. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Trilochana Gouda - PeerSpot reviewer
Smooth incident management and easy to use while needing better escalation management
We are using Freshservice for the IT ticketing system for business users We use the ticketing system primarily, which is very easy to use for all users. Freshservice is helpful, especially in incident management. Incident management is very helpful, and the system is straightforward, making it…
Yazan Albaw - PeerSpot reviewer
N-able MSP Manager centralizes service management, automates ticketing, and enhances client communication for streamlined IT operations.
For improvement, there's a feature I've already requested from N-able that I'd love to see in future releases. When adding a client, there should be a way to add multiple contacts under each client. Currently, we have to manually enter each contact’s details one by one, including their name, last name, password, and other information. It would be much more efficient if we could import contacts in bulk, perhaps using an Excel sheet or another import method. Additionally, it would be highly beneficial if MSP Manager could integrate with multiple RMM solutions. At the moment, we're limited to integrating with just one RMM, Expanding this capability would greatly enhance the versatility and value of MSP Manager.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We reduced many paper processes to electronic driven forms. It helps us a lot in tracking and managing."
"It provides a good user experience."
"In general, for incident management, it's okay."
"It's a very integrated solution."
"The standards and the framework that it follows are most valuable. It has an ITIL and out-of-the-box framework."
"The product's initial setup phase was easy."
"It has been instrumental in aligning our service desk with the ITIL fundamentals and continuously improving the operating metrics of that area."
"The Helix chatbot is helpful, and we can use its workflow features to automate some of the use cases for our clients."
"One of the things I liked about Freshservice was how easy it was to implement. While it doesn't have extensive customization capabilities, the available options are sufficient for certain sizes of companies. You don't need to customize your ticketing system much. Freshservice is a great solution because you can implement it very quickly. You can upload your catalog, and you're done in maybe a week or two."
"You can just register and within five to minute minutes, you are ready to go."
"Its ease of use is fantastic. It is just above and beyond, especially when you compare it to something like Cherwell, Salesforce, or anything like that. It is on its own level. It is so easy to administer. The way everything is organized and the way it builds its own documentation is very good."
"We use the ticketing system primarily, which is very easy to use for all users."
"It has a very easy, flexible model. You can open up a particular module and work on the next. That's what we did. Overall, it provides a simple way of getting your support teams up and running. That was one thing that I thought was quite easy to do."
"The most valuable feature is the sandbox, which allows me to test new configurations, automations, and workflows before taking them live on the production system."
"With Freshservice in place, we have reversed the trend of creating tickets."
"The solution has been stable."
"The best advantage for us, since we use all N-able products, is that the MSP portal centralizes everything."
"This is a premier product and it has been around for a long time."
"I am impressed with the tool's integration with our mail system."
"I like that you can do all the things with it. You can patch, and you can run the scheduled tasks. You can remote in, upload files, and download files. You can log onto a computer PowerShell, or command prompt, without having to log into RDP. I also like its ease of use."
 

Cons

"It needs to be more comfortable for the end-user."
"Whenever you start exploring some new product features, you run into defects. It has been like this for the last six years."
"BMC Helix ITSM should improve its price."
"I would like to see the BMC add advanced DWP features and customization to the standard package. Furthermore, BMC does not have any leverage for non-IT services, so it would be nice if BMC could integrate something like HR Change Management into ITSM itself."
"BMC Helix ITSM could improve by having a cloud version. They are working on it which is a good thing because their competitors, such as ServiceNow, already provide cloud services."
"Some parts of the solutions are using the old interface."
"Support could be better."
"Maybe it could be more simplified and easier to change the reporting point of view, like from a different vendor to another."
"I think it would be great if the tool had another version that is more customizable. From what I remember, there were some limitations regarding the number of assets you could track. In a more robust version, the number of assets increases, but I think it would be better to have something more customizable for all versions, especially the most robust version. This would be great for larger customers."
"Asset management can definitely be improved because it doesn't pick up every single device on the network or every single piece of information. Some manual information still needs to be entered."
"Some of the ways that tasks are reported on and shown can be better. You can't see tasks in your regular ticket list view. You can't see a combo view of tasks and tickets. It is a little bit difficult to get a solid overview of your list of things to do. You can only see them in separate views, instead of one single view."
"A chat bot needs to be added to the portal."
"I am not too happy with the page layout or screen layout since it always looks messy."
"We'd like to see a CMDB, a Configuration Management Database, in the future."
"Freshservice's technical support has issues with delays and translations."
"The product should look at BCM or ServiceNow and see if there are features that would make nice additions. It would help them stay competitive."
"What I would like to see is a simplified solution that is packaged better, where you can easily implement or turn on the functionality that you need."
"I'd like to see a way to import contacts in bulk using an Excel sheet or another import method."
"The tool needs to improve its customization of the user interface."
"Its reporting is lousy and bad. It is not as good as it should be. There is too much work involved to get what you want. Most times, you have to call them to customize some stuff. I just don't like that part. They need to work on their reporting. They have a way to go."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of BMC Helix ITSM is expensive."
"The price of BMC Helix ITSM could improve their price."
"While purchasing, try to negotiate on per user licensing costs, associated maintenance, and purchase 20% more then what you think you should have. Bulk is always cheaper."
"I rate the product price an eight on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive. The solution is expensive."
"If you are looking for some kind of professional services form the OEM then you would have to purchase that."
"It is costly, but it is well worth it."
"We did not compare the price of BMC Helix ITSM to other vendors. However, it has a mid-range price."
"BMC Helix ITSM is a very cost-effective solution."
"The price of Freshservice could improve, it is expensive."
"The pricing information is on their website. It's my understanding that their Pro Plan, for example, is around $89/month."
"The solution may be around 20,000 euros a year."
"I can't recall exactly how much we pay, but it is somewhere in the middle compared to the rest of the market. The more we purchase, the cheaper it becomes, and I think the solution offers good value for money."
"Freshservice is a fairly cheap solution. Though monthly payments can be made towards the licensing costs of the solution, my company prefers to make annual payments."
"Freshservice price is competitive, it is not more than other solutions on the market."
"Compared to other tools, Freshservice is affordable."
"It is $34 per license, per agent. Currently, we don't see any add-ons at extra fees."
"Don't get scared of the price tag because it's definitely worth it."
"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten since it's not the cheapest one in the market."
"I don't know the exact cost, but I know it's reasonable. Its cost of entry is not bad. I've had other organizations sign up for it. I don't know how much they paid, but it wasn't bad. You charge for every object. You charge for AV, and you charge for servers. There is a charge for everything or every object in that. I know we make money from it, but I don't know what it is."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Help Desk Software solutions are best for your needs.
865,829 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
20%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
University
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about BMC Helix ITSM?
If we consider major players like Ford or BMW, their core focus is manufacturing products like cars. To ensure smooth...
What needs improvement with BMC Helix ITSM?
Currently, we are not utilizing the AI functionality in BMC Helix ITSM as we are still in the roadmap and development...
What is your primary use case for BMC Helix ITSM?
We use BMC Helix ITSM for the complete end-to-end ITSM suite, mainly for ticketing and service management. BMC Helix ...
What do you like most about Freshservice?
The solution has been very helpful engineering insights into the client's environment. We have been able to manage c...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Freshservice?
The solution offers flat licensing and appears to be cost-effective.
What needs improvement with Freshservice?
There is a need for improvement in terms of automatic escalation to the next level if an issue is not resolved. It sh...
What needs improvement with N-able MSP Manager?
For improvement, there's a feature I've already requested from N-able that I'd love to see in future releases. When a...
What is your primary use case for N-able MSP Manager?
At We Cybers, we utilize multiple N-able products, including RMM, EDR, and Passportal. N-able MSP Manager seamlessly ...
What advice do you have for others considering N-able MSP Manager?
N-able MSP Manager also shines with its robust automation and workflow capabilities, which I find truly impressive. U...
 

Also Known As

Remedy ITSM, Remedy, Helix Remedy
Flint
SolarWinds LOGICnow, SolarWinds MSP Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Brookfield, HealthSouth Corporation, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Mercator, SAP, Stanford University
Sinclair Broadcast Group, Western Carriers, Judson University, Golf Canada, Travix, Proxama, Paymentez, Ready Auto Transport
Longleaf Systems, ITproMedia, Choice Technology, Halski Systems, Allixo Technologies, Nettech, Concept Technology
Find out what your peers are saying about ServiceNow, Atlassian, ManageEngine and others in Help Desk Software. Updated: August 2025.
865,829 professionals have used our research since 2012.