In 2026, why choose Startly over ServiceNow? Both are top-performing IT service management platforms. Both have been chosen by experienced IT directors.
Startly is today’s ITSM
Sometimes, what’s newer is better. Startly is a fully integrated enterprise-level IT management software for $15 per user per month. Built by IT professionals who operate with lean teams, it’s intuitive—no developer required.
Fast migration and adoption
Including data migration, you’ll be up and running on Startly in 10 days or less. Your team can start creating tickets in three steps in the first hour of your free trial.
For lean teams
Startly users say that we’re the right choice for smart IT directors who want easy-to-learn ticketing and helpdesk software, real-time visibility, and powerful performance analytics. It’s perfect for small to mid-sized IT teams who want automated processes and fast adoption.
What is ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a traditional IT service management platform. It’s a complex tool that’s specifically designed for large enterprises with correspondingly large budgets and teams of in-house developers.
ServiceNow offers many features and add-ons. It’s a good choice for corporations with mature ITIL processes that want significant customization across numerous departments and who can stomach long implementation times. You’ll need a deep bench of experienced IT pros who have used it before.
If you’re running a lean team and looking for ease of use, Startly is the better choice, giving you enterprise-level control without the complexity and cost of ServiceNow.
ServiceNow pricing vs. Startly pricing
ServiceNow pricing is $135 per user per month. However, many modules require add-ons or upgrades. Compare this to Startly’s fully integrated IT service management platform—all modules included—for $15 per user per month.
Where Startly shines is in the total cost of ownership. Our pricing is transparent: $15 per user per month. Every module is fully integrated and included. No contract required.
With ServiceNow, expect to pay for consultants and developers as you migrate data and onboard users. Additional modules can be expensive. You’ll need to budget for developers, training, and onboarding every year. And, you’ll be locked into a multi-year contract.
Startly is fast, lean, and cost-effective, with a significantly lower total cost of ownership.
ServiceNow CMDB vs. Startly CMDB
A configuration management database module (CMDB) is the single source of truth that contains all details about your IT hardware, software, and services.
ServiceNow and Startly both offer a CMDB. The difference is in how they’re designed.
ServiceNow CMDB
ServiceNow’s CMDB was built for large enterprises with multiple business units and dedicated platform administrators who want extensive customization. That means a heavy investment in configuring the platform and ongoing investment to ensure every element is up-to-date. You’ll need to staff with experienced IT professionals to manage relationships and integrations and to prevent data sprawl.
If you don’t have dedicated staff to manage the CMDB, Startly’s CMDB is a better option.
Startly CMDB
Startly’s CMDB is built for teams that need real-time visibility into their IT infrastructure and actionable insights. It’s designed to match your size: a small to mid-size organization.
Startly strips out the complexity, focusing on fast setup and straightforward configuration. You get a birds-eye view of infrastructure dependencies, fully integrated with ticketing, change management, and asset tracking.
Startly’s CMDB provides practical relationship mapping that supports your daily decisions. Because our CMDB is embedded in daily workflows, it naturally stays current and accurate through everyday use.
Which CMDB is right for you
If cost and complexity aren’t factors — and you’re supporting a large enterprise — ServiceNow’s CMDB is a good fit.
For small to mid-sized organizations and lean teams, Startly’s CMDB provides enterprise-grade configuration management that’s faster and easier to use and immediately valuable.
Compare performance analytics
ServiceNow’s performance analytics and Startly’s performance analytics are built for very different users.
If you have the time to invest in configuration and have a distributed team and multiple business units, you already have a team dedicated to performance and reporting. ServiceNow dashboards typically require heavy investment in technical setup and report design.
The Startly dashboard was created for clarity and immediate insights. You get real-time visibility into tickets, SLAs, projects, resources, and financials in Startly’s customizable dashboard. Role-based views ensure each user sees the KPIs that matter most to their job, without noise or complexity.
With pre-built widgets, drill-down reporting, and easy customization, Startly makes performance analytics easy to use and maintain. Our performance analytics are perfect for small to mid-sized IT teams.
Why choose Startly over ServiceNow
The IT service management platform you choose needs to support your unique team and your unique organization.
ServiceNow is a highly customizable platform that’s best for large enterprises with complicated requirements, a dedicated team of developers, and the resources to support a longer implementation process and ongoing upgrades.
Startly is built for lean IT teams and small to mid-size organizations. If you’re an IT director who needs fast adoption, real-time visibility, and enterprise-level control without the complexity or cost, Startly is a smart choice.
Customer: Corporate ITIT for MSPsIT for Schools & UniversitiesIT for Small to Mid-sized Businesses