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ServiceNow vs Zendesk comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

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
6.9
Using ServiceNow boosts efficiency and ROI, overcoming challenges; quick integration and diverse modules enhance productivity and cost savings.
Sentiment score
7.2
Zendesk enhances productivity and cost-efficiency with flexible licensing, valuable features, and significant financial gains for various organizations.
The return on investment is good when implementing for ourselves and for other clients.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
ServiceNow's customer service is efficient, though technical support varies; knowledgeable staff and community resources are valuable.
Sentiment score
7.3
Zendesk support is generally praised for responsiveness and efficiency, though some users prefer more personalized assistance over documentation.
The support is exemplary and deserves a perfect rating.
I have contacted them four to five times over the past two years, and they have been quite helpful.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
ServiceNow is scalable, cloud-based, supports large enterprises, with easy expansion and integration, despite potential rapid scaling challenges.
Sentiment score
7.8
Zendesk is praised for scalability and customization but faces challenges with complex changes; some switch to alternatives like Salesforce.
It is capable of vertical scaling with no issues.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
ServiceNow is generally stable and responsive, with occasional issues resolved efficiently by the support team.
Sentiment score
7.9
Zendesk is largely reliable, though occasional hangs and misclassification issues highlight room for improvement in performance.
ServiceNow is stable enough.
ServiceNow is already a stable tool.
 

Room For Improvement

ServiceNow needs enhanced UX, simpler interfaces, better licensing, improved documentation, integration, and expanded mobile and offline functionality.
Zendesk struggles with performance, integration, customization, communication, mobile app delays, pricing, reporting, and training, affecting overall efficiency.
There is a need for bug or error tracking in ServiceNow.
There are sometimes challenges with the portal being a bit confusing for new users.
 

Setup Cost

ServiceNow's high pricing and complex licensing favor larger enterprises with scalability and functionality, despite deterring smaller businesses.
Enterprise buyers experience varying Zendesk pricing, from $70-$200 per agent, and should negotiate for features and value.
ServiceNow's pricing can be justified if more functionality is required.
 

Valuable Features

ServiceNow offers flexible customization, cloud-based integration, real-time analytics, and automation for efficient business process management across various departments.
Zendesk offers comprehensive ticket management, integrations, analytics, and security, enhancing productivity and providing seamless, multi-channel support for businesses.
ServiceNow provides a wide range of functionality, covering all the necessary modules, unlike Jira which is primarily for IT.
The most valuable features of ServiceNow for me are its ticketing and reporting capabilities.
 

Categories and Ranking

ServiceNow
Ranking in Help Desk Software
1st
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
216
Ranking in other categories
IT Asset Management (1st), Rapid Application Development Software (2nd), No-Code Development Platforms (1st)
Zendesk
Ranking in Help Desk Software
10th
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (5th), CRM (21st), Sales Force Automation (7th), Reporting (13th), Knowledge Management Software (2nd), Community Platforms (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of ServiceNow is 25.3%, down from 26.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Zendesk is 4.3%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Help Desk Software
 

Featured Reviews

Somnath Kand - PeerSpot reviewer
Custom integration and reporting lead to efficient ticket management
There is a need for bug or error tracking in ServiceNow. Although there are child incidents or tickets, tracking primary issues or bugs within enhancements is not present. The reporting features in the new portal could be more user-friendly. While it provides options to minimize chart and image sizes, actual implementation doesn't always reflect these changes.
Ahmed Nassar - PeerSpot reviewer
Stable tool, making it reliable for handling tasks but difficult initial setup
It has a huge problem regarding the price. The price increases every year. Every year, they raise the price of the licenses, which makes a lot of limitations, and you have to pay more. So that's some conditions. Actually, most of the companies that use Zendesk need a customer experience or customer care department. However, Zendesk only works with chatbox or emailing services, but it can also use Genesys, VoIP, or voice sensors. Additionally, Zendesk needs the administration panels to be easier because it's a very complex panel. You need to search for a lot of things to do, like a small job. So you have to do a lot of setup regarding the integration, and it's a little bit challenging to integrate any software in the vendor.
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
27%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
21%
Educational Organization
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

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 that platform for good. The business model is to lock in and then keep pumping th...
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 ServiceNow has a very strong module (Performance Analysis) reporting which will ...
What do you like most about ServiceNow?
The solution has a user-friendly interface.
What do you like most about Zendesk Support?
I found the user experience with vendors on Zendesk to be straightforward, especially when it comes to understanding and searching for specific tickets. The search and navigation tools are easy to ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Zendesk Support?
I am not currently aware of the exact pricing, but since we are still using Zendesk, it appears to be at a reasonable price point.
What needs improvement with Zendesk Support?
Report generation is still slightly tricky and not very customizable as per my inquiries. It would be advantageous to have an AI layer that can analyze incoming requests and generate summaries, as ...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

No data available
Zendesk Support, Zendesk Guide, Zendesk Sell
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

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    
Mailchimp, Tesco, Vimeo, Instacart, Mediaocean, Slack, Uber
Find out what your peers are saying about ServiceNow vs. Zendesk and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,020 professionals have used our research since 2012.