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OpenText Service Management (SMAX) vs SCSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.0
OpenText SMAX offers customizable IT automation value, challenging ROI assessment, with indirect cost impact in overall operations.
Sentiment score
6.0
SCSM offers high ROI by saving time via remote operations, despite reporting issues and limited feature enhancements.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
OpenText Service Management support shows mixed reviews, with positive technical support but room for efficiency improvements.
Sentiment score
6.3
Microsoft's SCSM support is responsive and professional, but users cite inconsistent resolution times and reliance on partners.
Support for OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is better.
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
When we get up to Microsoft, I would rate it an eight or nine.
Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees
Response times are slow, and engineers often lack the necessary product knowledge.
UX Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
OpenText SMAX is scalable for medium to large enterprises, handling up to 1,000 users, but may be costly for small businesses.
Sentiment score
7.2
SCSM is scalable, adaptable, integrates well, but may have issues with slowness and complexity in larger implementations.
From an admin point of view, Intune has more features and is easier to manage.
UX Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Opinions on OpenText SMAX's stability vary, with users noting both reliability and challenges, especially with Kubernetes.
Sentiment score
7.3
SCSM is highly reliable, with improved stability in recent versions and performance rated between eight and ten.
OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has some stability challenges that are crashable and not stable at times.
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
The SCSM is stable.
Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees
 

Room For Improvement

OpenText SMAX faces integration, customization, and navigation challenges, needing improved documentation and enhanced reporting and workflow capabilities.
SCSM's Self-Service portal is criticized for lack of usability, integration, mobile support, and user-friendly features.
The custom reports that were already prepared work fine.
Information Security & IT Governance Manager at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Different scenarios require different workflow configurations.
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
We have to always try to hire some maintenance hours from external companies to fix small things that maybe would be faster if we could get it in-house, but because of the lack of information, we lose a lot of time solving some small problems.
Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees
From an admin point of view, Intune has more features and is easier to manage compared to SCCM.
UX Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

OpenText Service Management offers flexible licensing options and competitive pricing, with discounts available, making it cost-effective for users.
Enterprise buyers find SCSM pricing competitive but complex, influenced by licensing models, integration requirements, and additional support costs.
OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is okay, not expensive and not the cheapest.
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
 

Valuable Features

OpenText SMAX offers multilingual AI support, intuitive configuration, and robust analytics for IT and HR service management.
SCSM is a scalable, user-friendly IT service management platform with integration, reporting, and security features ideal for ITIL processes.
Reporting tools and sophisticated customization options are available with different capabilities.
Information Security & IT Governance Manager at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees
Configuration is available for different scenarios including change request, incident management, and problem management.
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
SCCM provides remote tool functionality, which is not in Intune.
UX Manager at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
If it is correctly configured, you can access and give service quickly to all the end users.
Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees
 

Categories and Ranking

OpenText Service Management...
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
9th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SCSM
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
10th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is 2.3%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCSM is 1.8%, up from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Service Management (ITSM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenText Service Management (SMAX)2.3%
SCSM1.8%
Other95.9%
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

HiteshKumar - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance
Supports seamless ticket routing and team collaboration across departments
Maybe something in OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is not perfect. Some small changes could be done. There could be improvements in workflow changes. When a customer needs to change a workflow issue, we can change the workflow relationship accordingly. A customer might need a workflow where if I accept the permission, then close the ticket, and the escalated ticket is not directly assigned to anyone. Different scenarios require different workflow configurations.
LuisSanchez3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees
Current setup enables smooth problem-solving but lacks comprehensive guidance and local support
More information about setup procedures and a more user-friendly front end would be beneficial. We need more information for setup processes. It is difficult to do the work independently, requiring us to hire external companies for maintenance hours to fix small issues that could be resolved faster in-house if we had better information. We have been looking for an upgrade version, but finding local service has been difficult. It has been challenging trying to get things done. Speaking with the Microsoft office, we found there are no local companies with substantial experience with SCSM. What we have now was installed five or six years ago. It has been difficult to change configurations and look for upgrades, even with all the manuals. Our office is considering moving away from SCSM and getting a service desk solution outside of Microsoft. For me, it has been a good tool to get help and solve internal problems in the office. It is a very good tool, but the difficulty in getting local service or more information is pushing us to look for another tool.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
Government
19%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise3
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is what I refer to when I say SMAX, and it is from OpenText. I work with OpenText Service Management (SMAX) and other tools. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) ca...
What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is effective for all sectors, such as IT and HR. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is good, and I do not see any negative side. It is possible to discuss some ot...
What do you like most about SCSM?
The solution offers good productivity at a low price point.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCSM?
I am not sure about the pricing as I do not have experience with it.
What needs improvement with SCSM?
More information about setup procedures and a more user-friendly front end would be beneficial. We need more information for setup processes. It is difficult to do the work independently, requiring...
 

Also Known As

OpenText Service Manager, Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)
System Center Service Manager
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).
Fibabanka, UMC Health System
Find out what your peers are saying about OpenText Service Management (SMAX) vs. SCSM and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.