Freshservice Magic Quadrant

There is no longer a standalone Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM where Freshservice is plotted; today, Freshservice is covered through the Gartner Market Guide for IT Service Management Platforms and the Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in IT Service Management, where Freshworks is positioned as a Niche Player. When you search for the Freshservice Magic Quadrant, you are really looking at a mix of Gartner’s newer AI-focused research plus its ITSM Market Guide, combined with peer insights and independent comparisons that benchmark Freshservice against ServiceNow, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine.​

Is Freshservice in the Gartner Magic Quadrant in 2025?

Freshservice is not in a dedicated “Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM 2025” because that report series has been retired and replaced by the ITSM Market Guide. Instead, Freshworks (via Freddy AI for Freshservice) appears in the Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in IT Service Management as a Niche Player, and Freshservice is also listed as a representative ITSM platform in Gartner’s 2025 Market Guide.​

For IT buyers, this means you cannot rely on a single quadrant chart for Freshservice anymore; you need to read Gartner’s AI ITSM MQ together with the Market Guide and supplement it with peer-review sources to understand strengths, cautions, and fit. This change aligns with the way ITSM is evolving toward AI-assisted workflows, multi-cloud operations, and broader enterprise service management rather than just classic ITIL feature checklists.​

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What Gartner now evaluates: AI applications in ITSM

Gartner introduced a dedicated Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in IT Service Management that evaluates vendors on how their AI layers augment ITSM workflows, not just their core ticketing or ITIL coverage. The scope includes capabilities like AI-driven ticket triage, virtual agents, knowledge automation, and generative AI for summarization and resolution assistance, which are increasingly central to IT service desks.​

In this AI-focused Magic Quadrant, ServiceNow is a Leader and, in the 2025 edition, is cited as the only Leader, signaling its dominance in platform-level AI and ecosystem breadth. Aisera is also recognized in the report as a visionary or leader-type vendor for its agentic AI capabilities, highlighting how third-party AI layers can complement or compete with platform-native AI like Freshservice’s Freddy.​

How is Freshworks’ Freddy AI for Freshservice positioned in Gartner’s AI ITSM MQ?

Freshworks’ AI application for ITSM is centered on Freddy AI, which is tightly integrated with the Freshservice platform to enhance ticket classification, virtual agent experiences, and knowledge management. Gartner’s description notes that this AI stack is designed primarily for Freshservice customers rather than as a broad, standalone AI fabric, giving it strong usability and fast time-to-value in that ecosystem but a narrower strategic reach than some enterprise leaders.​

In the AI Applications in ITSM Magic Quadrant, Freshworks is categorized as a Niche Player, reflecting solid execution for mid-market ITSM and focused use cases rather than a universal AI layer spanning many platforms and complex environments. For many mid-sized organizations, that “niche” status actually means a pragmatic balance: embedded AI that is “good enough” and easy to adopt without the overhead of a heavyweight enterprise platform.​

What strengths does Freshservice offer mid-market ITSM buyers?

Freshservice is repeatedly profiled as a SaaS-native, mid-market ITSM platform that prioritizes ease of use, rapid deployment, and modern UI over extreme configurability. Independent comparisons and vendor benchmarks often highlight Freshservice’s relatively short implementation timelines (often measured in weeks) and lower administrative burden compared with legacy ITSM suites.​

Freddy AI brings concrete benefits: automated ticket categorization, AI-suggested responses, virtual agents for self-service, and generative summaries that reduce agent workload. Freshworks also reports steady growth in AI-powered ticket resolution and self-service adoption, which helps mid-sized IT teams manage increasing ticket volumes without proportionally increasing headcount.​

How do ServiceNow and Aisera compare to Freshservice in Gartner’s AI ITSM lens?

ServiceNow is recognized as a Leader, and in the 2025 AI Applications in ITSM Magic Quadrant it is referenced as the only Leader, reflecting its deep integration of AI across ITSM, ITOM, and broader workflow automation. ServiceNow’s strength lies in its unified data model and platform-level AI that can drive predictive operations, intelligent routing, and cross-domain workflows at global enterprise scale.​

Aisera, meanwhile, is recognized in the same MQ for its agentic AI platform that can sit on top of existing ITSM tools, delivering autonomous resolution, conversational self-service, and multi-agent orchestration. For very large enterprises, this combination of a broad ITSM platform like ServiceNow plus a specialist AI layer may offer a more ambitious roadmap than a single mid-market platform can provide.​

Where does HaloITSM fit as a Gartner-recognized challenger?

HaloITSM appears in Gartner’s 2025 ITSM Market Guide and is acknowledged in the AI Applications in ITSM MQ as an emerging challenger, particularly attractive to organizations seeking lower TCO and faster deployment than traditional enterprise suites. DataLunix’s own analysis shows HaloITSM delivering AI-enhanced workflows, ESM capabilities, and multi-department service portals with implementations often measured in weeks rather than many months.​

External commentators describe HaloITSM as a strong alternative in mid-market and upper mid-market segments, especially where buyers want robust ITSM plus enterprise service management under one license rather than paying per department. This aligns with DataLunix’s positioning as a cost-optimized transformation partner: HaloITSM can be tuned quickly to support IT, HR, facilities, and other domains while keeping licensing predictable.​

How is ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus viewed in Gartner’s current research?

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is featured among representative vendors in the 2025 ITSM Market Guide, often framed as a hybrid or asset-centric ITSM solution. It appeals strongly to organizations with significant on-premises infrastructure, extensive endpoint fleets, or those already invested in the broader ManageEngine/Zoho ecosystem.​

Gartner and independent reviews note that ServiceDesk Plus offers strong asset management, discovery, and endpoint-related capabilities alongside ITSM practices, making it a solid choice for infrastructure-heavy IT teams. However, its AI and UX depth may lag newer, cloud-first platforms like Freshservice and HaloITSM, which have been investing aggressively in AI-driven experience improvements.​

How does the old ITSM Magic Quadrant relate to today’s Freshservice searches?

The classic ITSM Magic Quadrant was last published in 2022, after which Gartner retired the series and pivoted to a Market Guide model for ITSM platforms. That change means Freshservice and peers like HaloITSM, ServiceNow, and ManageEngine are now described as representative vendors in a narrative guide rather than plotted on a single two-axis grid.​

How does Freshservice compare with ServiceNow, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine today?

Freshservice is broadly positioned as a SaaS-native, mid-market ITSM platform with embedded AI; ServiceNow is the large-enterprise, platform-first IT and business workflow engine with the most mature AI roadmap. HaloITSM sits as an agile challenger with strong AI-augmented ESM capabilities and lower TCO, while ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus offers deep asset-centric capabilities well suited to infrastructure-heavy environments.​

Analyst blogs and comparison sites frequently group these four tools together as key options for organizations rethinking their ITSM or ESM strategy in 2025. The real question is less “which is best overall” and more “which platform aligns with your scale, AI maturity, regulatory environment, and implementation capacity” — an area where DataLunix specializes in providing tailored guidance.​

Comparison table: a quadrant-style view without the quadrant

The table below gives you a “quadrant-style” snapshot of Freshservice, ServiceNow, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus using today’s Gartner research and market commentary lenses.​

Platform	Gartner lens today	Best-fit organizations	AI/automation strengths	Key trade-offs
Freshservice (Freshworks)	Niche Player in Gartner Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in ITSM; Freshservice listed as representative vendor in 2025 ITSM Market Guide.​	Fast-growing mid-market and digital-native firms that want SaaS-first ITSM with embedded AI and limited admin overhead.​	Freddy AI for ticket classification, self-service virtual agents, knowledge suggestions, and generative summaries inside Freshservice.​	Narrower strategic scope than large enterprise platforms and less suited to highly complex, heavily customized workflows.​
ServiceNow	Sole Leader in the 2025 Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in ITSM and long-standing reference in prior ITSM MQs.​	Large and global enterprises with multi-region operations, strict governance, and broad ESM requirements spanning IT, HR, finance, and more.​	Deep, platform-level AI across ITSM, ITOM, and other workflows with predictive analytics, automation, and extensive ecosystem integrations.​	Higher total cost of ownership, longer implementations, and heavier governance that may not fit leaner IT teams.​
HaloITSM	Recognized challenger in Gartner’s 2025 ITSM Market Guide and included in the AI Applications in ITSM MQ.​	Mid-market and enterprise teams seeking rapid rollout of ITSM and ESM with strong cost control and partner-led implementation.​	AI-driven workflows, flexible configuration, and ESM capabilities that extend easily beyond IT under a unified licensing model.​	Smaller ecosystem than ServiceNow and benefits significantly from an experienced implementation partner like DataLunix.​
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus	Niche Player in the 2025 AI Applications in ITSM Magic Quadrant and representative vendor in the ITSM Market Guide.​	Organizations with strong on-premises or hybrid infrastructure, extensive endpoints, and existing ManageEngine tool investments.​	Strong asset and endpoint management, integrated IT tooling, and evolving AI features for ITSM workflows.​	UI, UX, and AI depth can feel behind cloud-first tools; customization and upgrades may be more complex in some environments.​

When should you shift from a Freshservice conversation to ServiceNow?

You should seriously consider ServiceNow when your primary challenges involve scale, complexity, and cross-enterprise workflows that outgrow a mid-market SaaS ITSM tool. Examples include multi-region service catalogs, complex change governance, deep CMDB and ITOM integrations, and tightly coupled HR or finance service delivery.​

In such cases, Gartner’s Leader recognition for ServiceNow in AI Applications in ITSM signals not just feature breadth but also platform resilience, ecosystem strength, and long-term roadmap maturity. DataLunix helps you weigh this against higher licensing and implementation costs, ensuring you move to ServiceNow because the use case truly demands it, not just because of a quadrant label.​

When is HaloITSM or ManageEngine a better fit than Freshservice?

HaloITSM is often the sweet spot for organizations that want modern, AI-enhanced ESM but find ServiceNow’s TCO prohibitive and Freshservice’s extensibility limiting. Its licensing approach and rapid deployment model make it attractive for mid-market enterprises that want to roll out multiple service domains quickly with strong partner backing.​

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus becomes compelling when your ITSM strategy is tightly bound to infrastructure and endpoint management, or when you already rely on other ManageEngine tools. In those environments, deep integration with monitoring, asset management, and security tooling can outweigh the UX and AI advantages of newer SaaS platforms like Freshservice.​

When is Freshservice the “just right” choice?

Freshservice is ideal when you want a SaaS-first ITSM platform with strong usability, fast deployment, and embedded AI that enhances service quality without overwhelming your team. It fits especially well for mid-sized organizations, cloud-first companies, and digital-native enterprises that value agility over exhaustive configurability.​

Benchmarks and case examples show Freshservice deployments completing in weeks, with Freddy AI helping deflect tickets and speed up resolution for both IT and business users. If your primary goal is to modernize IT support quickly, improve employee experience, and get pragmatic AI into the hands of agents and end users, Freshservice is often the “Goldilocks” option.​

How should you use Gartner research vs peer insights vs real-world deployment data?

Gartner’s retired ITSM MQ, current Market Guide, and AI Applications in ITSM MQ provide a high-level map of the vendor landscape, but they are only one input into your decision. Peer-review platforms and independent comparisons add real-world perspectives on support quality, implementation experiences, and TCO, which are critical for mid-market buyers.​

DataLunix encourages IT leaders to triangulate: use Gartner for strategic framing, peer insights for “on-the-ground” experiences, and your own proof-of-value pilots to validate performance, integrations, and AI fit in your environment. This three-way view gives far more actionable guidance than chasing a single quadrant position.​

How does DataLunix help you choose beyond the Magic Quadrant?

DataLunix implements and supports ServiceNow, HaloITSM, Freshworks (including Freshservice and Freshdesk), HaloPSA, and ManageEngine, allowing you to evaluate multiple Gartner-tracked tools through a single advisory partner. This multi-platform stance means recommendations are shaped by your business context, not by allegiance to a single vendor.​

For example, DataLunix can help you:

• Validate whether Freshservice can scale to your multi-region or ESM ambitions or whether a move to ServiceNow makes more sense.​

• Quantify the cost and speed advantages of HaloITSM for your specific use cases relative to both Freshservice and ServiceNow.​

• Assess if a ManageEngine-centered architecture better aligns with your infrastructure-heavy environment, especially when asset and endpoint management are core priorities.​

  
  

By combining Gartner research with DataLunix’s implementation experience and your internal KPIs, you can create a roadmap that optimizes ROI rather than just alignment with a Magic Quadrant.​

What search intents should this article address around the Freshservice Magic Quadrant?

This guide is designed to meet common 2025 search intents such as “Freshservice Magic Quadrant,” “Gartner Magic Quadrant ITSM Freshservice,” “AI ITSM Magic Quadrant Freshworks,” and “Freshservice vs ServiceNow vs HaloITSM.” Each of these searches is essentially asking how Gartner views Freshservice and its peers today and what that means for your ITSM and AI strategy.​

By reframing the question away from a retired ITSM MQ and toward the combined picture of AI Applications in ITSM, the ITSM Market Guide, and real-world customer outcomes, this article gives you a more accurate and actionable understanding of your options. That is the context in which DataLunix positions itself as your long-term ITSM and ESM transformation partner.​

FAQ: Freshservice, Magic Quadrant, and ITSM choices

Is Freshservice in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM in 2025?

No, there is no 2025 Magic Quadrant for ITSM; Gartner retired that report after 2022 and now uses an ITSM Market Guide instead, where Freshservice is listed as a representative platform. Freshworks is also evaluated as a Niche Player in the Magic Quadrant for AI Applications in IT Service Management, which focuses on Freddy AI.​

What is the difference between the ITSM Market Guide and the AI Applications in ITSM Magic Quadrant?

The ITSM Market Guide profiles a broad set of ITSM platforms, outlining capabilities, trends, and representative vendors without ranking them in quadrants. The AI Applications in ITSM Magic Quadrant specifically evaluates AI layers that augment ITSM workflows, ranking vendors such as ServiceNow, Freshworks, Halo, and ManageEngine on their AI execution and vision.​

Is Freshservice a good choice compared with ServiceNow, HaloITSM, and ManageEngine?

Freshservice is a strong choice for mid-market and cloud-first organizations that want fast deployment and embedded AI without the complexity and cost of an enterprise platform. ServiceNow better suits large, complex enterprises, HaloITSM fits cost-conscious ESM rollouts, and ManageEngine excels in infrastructure-heavy, hybrid environments.

How should I interpret Freshworks being labeled a Niche Player for AI in ITSM?

“Niche Player” in Gartner terms signals a focused, well-executed offering with a narrower strategic scope compared with broad enterprise platforms. For many Freshservice customers, that means Freddy AI delivers strong value inside a familiar ITSM stack, even if it is not the universal AI layer for every environment.​

How can DataLunix help with my Freshservice vs ServiceNow vs HaloITSM decision?

DataLunix works across ServiceNow, HaloITSM, Freshworks, HaloPSA, and ManageEngine, so it can help you benchmark platforms using Gartner research, TCO modeling, and proof-of-value pilots. This approach ensures you select the platform that best matches your current needs, AI maturity, and budget while keeping room for future growth.​

Call to action: Ready to move beyond the “Freshservice Magic Quadrant” question?

If you are still trying to decide what “Freshservice Magic Quadrant” means for your next ITSM move, this is exactly where DataLunix adds value. Instead of chasing a quadrant label, DataLunix helps you build a concrete roadmap across ServiceNow, HaloITSM, Freshservice, and ManageEngine that aligns AI maturity, deployment speed, and TCO with your business outcomes.​

Visit DataLunix or contact the team to request a Gartner-informed, tool-agnostic ITSM and ESM strategy workshop tailored to your environment, so your next platform decision is grounded in evidence, not hype.