ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Puppet

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus8.9Visit Puppet8.8Visit

Higher score ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus #5 in Enterprise IT Management Software 8.9/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 6 features Visit ManageEngine

vs

Puppet #6 in Enterprise IT Management Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 6 features Visit Puppet

• ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus fits best

  IT teams needing affordable service-desk foundations

• Puppet fits best

  Enterprises automating infrastructure configuration

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Side by side

Feature	ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Puppet 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#5 in Enterprise IT Management Software	#6 in Enterprise IT Management Software
Best for	IT teams needing affordable service-desk foundations	Enterprises automating infrastructure configuration
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$13/user/mo	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Mobile	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Phone, Email	Docs
Integrations	15 integrations	11 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Enterprise
Features ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus 0/6 · Puppet 1/6
Endpoint management	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Patch management	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Asset discovery	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Service desk	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Identity and access	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Automation workflows	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free Standard edition supports up to five technicians. Incident handling, self-service, knowledge base, SLAs, and approvals. Professional and Enterprise add asset management and broader service features.	Enforces desired state and detects and remediates configuration drift Combines patch workflows with policy-as-code and compliance reporting Offers both agent-based and agentless automation across supported operating systems
Cons	Asset management starts with Professional at $27 per technician monthly. Change management and projects require Enterprise at $67 per technician monthly. No 24/7 support; support channels are phone and email.	Deployment is self-hosted The free Developer plan is limited to fewer than 25 nodes Commercial plan pricing is custom or handled through sales
Our verdict	ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus brings incident and request management, self-service, knowledge base, SLA handling, approvals, and reporting into a service desk for IT teams and departments such as HR, facilities, and finance. It is aimed at… Read the review →	Puppet is infrastructure configuration management and automation software for infrastructure and platform teams, particularly enterprises that need to define system state as code and apply it across servers and other infrastructure. It can… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus — where it wins

  • Free Standard edition supports up to five technicians.
  • Incident handling, self-service, knowledge base, SLAs, and approvals.
  • Professional and Enterprise add asset management and broader service features.

  Where it doesn't

  • Asset management starts with Professional at $27 per technician monthly.
  • Change management and projects require Enterprise at $67 per technician monthly.
  • No 24/7 support; support channels are phone and email.

• Puppet — where it wins

  • Enforces desired state and detects and remediates configuration drift
  • Combines patch workflows with policy-as-code and compliance reporting
  • Offers both agent-based and agentless automation across supported operating systems

  Where it doesn't

  • Deployment is self-hosted
  • The free Developer plan is limited to fewer than 25 nodes
  • Commercial plan pricing is custom or handled through sales

• ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus8.9/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  An affordable service desk with a free edition and paid tiers that add asset and change management.

  Visit ManageEngineFull verdict →
• Puppet8.8/10 · Free plan

  Puppet enforces desired state, remediates drift, and supports compliance across infrastructure.

  Visit PuppetFull verdict →