SolarWinds Service Desk vs iTop

SolarWinds Service Desk9.1Visit iTop6.8Visit

Higher score SolarWinds Service Desk #3 in IT Help Desk Software 9.1/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 7 of 7 features Visit SolarWinds

vs

iTop #23 in IT Help Desk Software 6.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 7 features Visit iTop

• SolarWinds Service Desk fits best

  Enterprise ITSM with CMDB depth

• iTop fits best

  Free, self-hosted ITSM with CMDB depth

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Side by side

Feature	SolarWinds Service Desk 9.1/10 Visit ↗	iTop 6.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	6.8
Ranking	#3 in IT Help Desk Software	#23 in IT Help Desk Software
Best for	Enterprise ITSM with CMDB depth	Free, self-hosted ITSM with CMDB depth
Pricing model	Paid	Free
Starting price	$39/seat/mo	Free plan
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	30 days	—
Features SolarWinds Service Desk 7/7 · iTop 6/7
SLA management	✓	✓
Knowledge base	✓	✓
Employee portal	✓	✓
Asset management	✓	✓
Single sign-on	✓	✓
Approval workflows	✓	✓
Mobile apps	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Visual CMDB and dependency mapping connect assets with incidents. Incident, SLA, change, asset, and service-catalog workflows cover core ITSM. Web, mobile, API, and integrations support distributed service operations.	Free Community edition with ticketing, SLAs, portal, and knowledge base Configurable CMDB supports assets, impact analysis, licenses, and warranties SSO, REST API, webhooks, reports, and integrations support larger workflows
Cons	Listed pricing starts at $39 per technician per month with annual billing. There is no free plan for ongoing use. AI incident features are limited to the Premier plan.	Community is recommended for up to 10 agents Platform access centers on web, self-hosted, and API options Paid tiers divide service management by agent scale and operating model
Our verdict	SolarWinds Service Desk is a cloud-based IT service management platform for IT teams and organizations supporting employees. It combines incident, problem, change, and release management with a service catalog, employee self-service… Read the review →	iTop is an open-source IT service management and configuration management platform from Combodo. It is designed for IT teams, service desks, and organizations managing internal or multi-customer IT services. Its scope covers service… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• SolarWinds Service Desk — where it wins

  • Visual CMDB and dependency mapping connect assets with incidents.
  • Incident, SLA, change, asset, and service-catalog workflows cover core ITSM.
  • Web, mobile, API, and integrations support distributed service operations.

  Where it doesn't

  • Listed pricing starts at $39 per technician per month with annual billing.
  • There is no free plan for ongoing use.
  • AI incident features are limited to the Premier plan.

• iTop — where it wins

  • Free Community edition with ticketing, SLAs, portal, and knowledge base
  • Configurable CMDB supports assets, impact analysis, licenses, and warranties
  • SSO, REST API, webhooks, reports, and integrations support larger workflows

  Where it doesn't

  • Community is recommended for up to 10 agents
  • Platform access centers on web, self-hosted, and API options
  • Paid tiers divide service management by agent scale and operating model

• SolarWinds Service Desk9.1/10 · 30-day trial

  A mature ITSM suite for teams that need CMDB, asset, SLA, and change-management depth.

  Visit SolarWindsFull verdict →
• iTop6.8/10 · Free plan

  A free, self-hosted ITSM platform with broad service management and CMDB capabilities.

  Visit iTopFull verdict →