HaloITSM vs Freshservice is a choice between two mature ITSM tools with different strengths. SMC Consulting works with both and recommends HaloITSM most often, so this page sticks to facts: the same dated, sourced data as our comparison of 10 ITSM tools, side by side, with who each tool fits.
Reviewed by Emmanuel Yazbeck, CEO · facts checked 2 October 2026
These lines come from our comparison of the 10 best ITSM tools, where both tools are scored on the same criteria. For a weighted scoring grid and the 3-year cost of each, read our detailed HaloITSM vs Freshservice guide. Why HaloITSM is our pick for governed ITIL processes is explained on our HaloITSM page.
The same facts as our comparison of 10 ITSM tools, taken from each vendor's own pages, register entries and review sites. Each line links to its source and gives the date it was checked.
| Point | HaloITSM | Freshservice | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Per agent (named or concurrent), all modules included, unlimited end users and portal users. | Per named agent, tiered by plan (Starter/Growth/Pro/Enterprise); higher tiers bundle more modules; only agents are billed, not end users or portal visitors. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Deployment | Multiple deployment models are offered: Halo Cloud (SaaS), Private Cloud, and a fully self-hosted On-Premise edition. | SaaS only; Freshworks lets customers choose a data-hosting region at signup from the US, EEA, UAE, India and Australia. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| EU data hosting | Yes, in the AWS Frankfurt region (Germany). London is also offered, but the United Kingdom is outside the EU: data there relies on the EU adequacy decision. On-premise deployments keep the data on the customer's own infrastructure. | Customers can choose the EEA region for data hosting at signup, covering ticket, contact and knowledge-base data; a separate sub-processor list is published. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| ITIL 4 certification | Listed in PeopleCert's ITIL 4 register as HaloITSM v2.132, Bronze level, 11 practices certified, including change enablement, incident and problem management (PeopleCert, checked 6 September 2026). | Listed in PeopleCert's ITIL 4 register as Freshservice 2022.R02L.01, Gold level, 14 practices certified, from incident to service configuration management (PeopleCert, checked 6 September 2026). | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Change enablement | Standard, normal and emergency changes with CAB reviews, risk checks, change calendars, implementation plans and rollback steps, linked to incidents and assets. | Change Advisory Board workflow with change calendars, rollout/backout plans and business-impact assessment, available from the Pro tier. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| CMDB | CI relationships connect servers, applications, services and users; impact analysis for incidents and changes draws instantly on these live relationship maps. | CI classes and relationships are populated by the native Discovery Agent and network probe, covering hardware/software inventory rather than a dedicated dependency-mapping module. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Discovery | No native discovery agent; HaloITSM integrates with Lansweeper's Data API, and webhooks push asset updates to Halo's API immediately when devices change. | Native Discovery Agent for Windows, macOS and Linux plus a network probe for unmanaged devices; both are Freshworks-built, not third-party add-ons. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Enterprise service management | One unified platform covers HR-style onboarding/offboarding requests plus facilities and finance-adjacent workflows, 'included as standard' with no separate ESM licence. | Dedicated HR, Facilities, Finance and Legal workspaces with complete data segregation on a single Freshservice instance, marketed as Freshservice for Business Teams. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| AI for agents | Halo AI performs ticket triage, categorisation, summarisation, sentiment analysis, suggested replies and knowledge suggestions via a built-in OpenAI connection or the customer's own AI provider key. | Freddy AI Copilot summarises tickets, drafts replies and suggests categorisation; a €29/agent/month add-on on Growth, Pro and Enterprise alike, never bundled free. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 17 Sept 2026 |
| Microsoft Entra ID | Integrates with Microsoft Entra for single sign-on, with enforced MFA and conditional-access policies delegated to the customer's identity provider; Power Platform and Power BI depth aren't detailed here. | SAML SSO and automatic SCIM user provisioning with Microsoft Entra ID are both documented; no native Intune device-sync or Power Platform connector was found. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial with all features, no credit card required. SMC Consulting adds 15 days of guided evaluation on request. | 14-day free trial on every paid plan, with free unrestricted access to the plan's features for that period. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
| Review scores | G2: 4.8/5 (22 reviews). Gartner Peer Insights: 4.6/5 (192 reviews) in the IT Service Management Platforms market, captured Sep 2026. | G2: 4.6/5 from over 1,300 reviews. Gartner Peer Insights: roughly 4.4/5 from about 900 reviews. Both captured September 2026. | HaloITSM, 6 Sept 2026 Freshservice, 6 Sept 2026 |
The two vendors price differently. Freshservice sells per named agent in tiers, and higher tiers add modules. HaloITSM sells one all-inclusive tier per agent, and the price steps down with volume.
List prices, billed annually, excluding VAT, as published by each vendor and checked in September 2026. A fair comparison uses the tier that covers the modules you need, the AI options, your number of assets and the implementation effort. Our 3-year ITSM cost guide does that arithmetic; the HaloITSM bands and the onboarding are on the HaloITSM pricing page.
Our advice is independent. If you choose HaloITSM, we can also supply the licences as its certified partner, and we tell you so up front.
Change, problem and CMDB depth in one platform, for teams where strict SLAs, a CAB and audit trails reduce risk.
One all-inclusive price per agent, unlimited assets, and a choice of SaaS, private cloud or self-hosted.
Reviewers praise a clean interface new agents learn quickly, and a service desk configured without a developer.
ITIL 4 Gold level across 14 practices, a native discovery agent and network probe, and Freddy AI options.
Bring two or three of your real tickets to a HaloITSM demo, or start a free trial: 30 days, 15 of them guided by SMC Consulting.
HaloITSM is not the only one. Depending on what you need, another tool may fit better; we work on ten ITSM platforms and say so when it does.
Mid-market IT teams needing full ITIL 4 depth, CMDB, and change and problem governance in one all-inclusive licence.
Software and IT teams already running Jira Software or Confluence who want service management in the same ecosystem without a new platform to learn.
Mid-to-large organisations that want IT, facilities and HR requests handled on one shared service desk without buying separate ESM licences.
A move from Freshservice to HaloITSM follows four phases, each closed by a validation milestone. The details, the field mapping and the risk controls are on our Freshservice to HaloITSM migration page.
Your Freshservice configuration inventoried and the HaloITSM design agreed.
HaloITSM configured and the integrations your service desk depends on reconnected.
Tickets, users, knowledge and assets moved, then reconciled against the source.
A planned switch, often with a short parallel run, then close support in the first weeks.
Who want to check, with facts, whether staying or moving is the better option.
Who want an independent shortlist across the platforms that fit their size and processes.
Who want to see it on their own scenarios before deciding.
It depends on the tier you compare. Per agent, Freshservice Starter (€15) and Growth (€40) list below HaloITSM (€75 down to €59 with volume); Pro, the first Freshservice tier with problem and change management, lists at €84. HaloITSM includes every module and Halo AI in its price, while Freddy AI Copilot is a €29 add-on. See the pricing section above and our 3-year cost guide. Our advice is independent. If you choose HaloITSM, we can also supply the licences as its certified partner, and we tell you so up front.
In our comparison of 10 ITSM tools, HaloITSM scores 4 out of 5 and Freshservice 3 out of 5 on the CMDB. HaloITSM's relationship maps feed impact analysis for incidents and changes, but it relies on Lansweeper or Intune for discovery; Freshservice has its own discovery agent and network probe, without a dedicated dependency-mapping module.
Yes. In PeopleCert's ITIL 4 register, checked on 6 September 2026, Freshservice is listed at Gold level with 14 practices and HaloITSM at Bronze level with 11 practices, including incident, problem and change.
Yes. Freshservice is SaaS only and lets you choose the EEA region at signup. HaloITSM offers SaaS in the AWS Frankfurt region, a private cloud, or a self-hosted edition on your own servers.
Our comparison guide gives 8 to 16 weeks for a mid-market ITIL scope, depending on data, workflows and integrations. We give you a schedule once the scope is agreed; see Freshservice to HaloITSM migration.
Both are well rated. On G2, Freshservice scores 4.6/5 from over 1,300 reviews, with a clean interface new agents learn quickly; HaloITSM scores 4.8/5 from 22 reviews, with ease of use singled out and a broader setup surface. The best test is your own: Freshservice offers a 14-day trial, HaloITSM 30 days, 15 of them guided by SMC Consulting.
Book a live demo on your own scenarios. You can also start a free trial: 30 days, 15 of them guided by SMC Consulting.
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