9 Best Problem Management Software in 2026
How do you find the root cause of recurring IT issues instead of fixing the same incidents repeatedly?
When the same issue keeps returning, restoring the affected service is only part of the solution. Your IT team needs to identify the underlying cause, understand why it keeps happening, and find a lasting fix. Problem management software helps you manage that process.
These tools help you link related incidents, investigate root causes, document known errors, and track permanent solutions. However, features, pricing, and deployment options vary across platforms.
In this guide, we compare nine problem management software tools, covering their key features, pricing, pros and cons, and customer feedback to help you choose the right one for your IT team.
TL;DR: Best Problem Management Software
Motadata ServiceOps: Best for managing problems, incidents, changes, and IT assets from one platform.
Freshservice: Best for small and midsize IT departments that need an easy-to-manage, cloud-based service desk.
Jira Service Management: Best for connecting problem management with incident workflows and software development processes.
ServiceNow ITSM: Best for large enterprises that need structured problem management across complex IT environments.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Best for organizations that want problem management with cloud and on-premises deployment options.
SolarWinds Service Desk: Best for IT departments looking for problem management in a service desk with published entry-level pricing.
HaloITSM: Best for organizations seeking a broad set of ITSM features under a unified pricing model.
SysAid: Best for IT departments that want problem management alongside AI-powered service desk capabilities.
Ivanti Neurons: Best for large organizations that need flexible deployment options and problem management across complex IT environments.
9 Problem Management Software at a Glance
Go through this quick comparison to get details of all tools from this table.
Tool | Best for | Deployment | Plan that includes problem management | Starting price |
Motadata ServiceOps | IT teams that want problems, changes, and assets together | Hosted, on-premises, or private cloud | Included in the product | Custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price |
Freshservice | Small and mid-size IT teams | Hosted | Pro plan and Enterprise plan | The Pro plan costs $99 per agent per month with annual billing |
Jira Service Management | IT teams that work with developers | Hosted | Premium plan and Enterprise plan | The Premium plan costs $51.42 per agent per month |
ServiceNow IT Service Management | Large companies with many departments | Hosted | ITSM Advanced package and ITSM Prime package | Custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price |
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus | IT teams that want cloud or on-premises | Hosted or on-premises | Enterprise plan, or a paid add-on on the Standard plan and the Professional plan | The problem management add-on costs $1,595 per year |
SolarWinds Service Desk | IT teams that want a low starting price | Hosted | Essentials plan, Advanced plan, and Premier plan | The Essentials plan costs $39 per technician per month with annual billing |
HaloITSM | IT teams that want every feature at one price | Hosted | Included in the product | A named license costs $99 per agent per month with annual billing |
SysAid | IT teams that want AI chatbots in the same plan | Hosted | Professional plan and Enterprise plan | The Professional plan costs $89 per agent per month |
Ivanti Neurons | Large companies that want cloud or on-premises | Hosted, on-premises, or hybrid | Included in the product | Custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price |
Prices come from each vendor's official pricing page and are current as of October 2026.
What is Problem Management Software?
Problem management software is a product that helps an IT team find and remove the cause of repeat incidents. It is usually part of a service desk product.
An incident is one event that stops a service from working, such as an email outage. A problem is the cause behind one or more incidents, such as a faulty mail server.
Most problem management software does four jobs:
Grouping incidents: It links related incidents to one problem record.
Recording the root cause: It stores the symptoms, the impact, and the root cause.
Sharing workarounds: It saves a workaround, which is a temporary fix that technicians can use for now.
Tracking the fix: It lets you raise a change request for the permanent fix.
Some tools also keep a known error database. A known error is a problem with a known root cause that does not have a permanent fix yet.
Our guide to problem management techniques explains how teams find a root cause.
How We Evaluated Problem Management Software
We evaluated each tool based on its problem management features, pricing, customer reviews, and suitability for different IT environments. We focused on five key areas:
Problem management features: Can the tool link related incidents to problem records, support root cause analysis, and maintain a searchable known error database?
Pricing and plans: What does the software cost, which plans include problem management, and are there additional fees for advanced features?
Customer reviews: What do users say about the tool's ease of use, problem resolution features, reporting, and customer support on platforms such as G2 and Capterra?
Online community feedback: What do IT professionals discuss about the tool on Reddit, technical forums, and other online communities? We considered recurring feedback and practical user experiences.
Integrations and deployment: Can the tool connect problem records with incidents, changes, assets, and services? Does it support cloud or on-premises deployment to meet different IT requirements?
9 Best Problem Management Software in 2026
1. Motadata ServiceOps
Best for: IT teams that need to connect incidents with root cause analysis and change management, with cloud and on-premises deployment options.
Motadata ServiceOps is an IT service management (ITSM) platform that brings incident management, problem management, change management, service requests, and IT asset management into one system.
When several incidents point to the same underlying issue, technicians can link them to a problem record and document its symptoms, business impact, root cause, workarounds, and proposed solution.
They can also create a change request from the problem record when resolving the issue requires a change to the IT environment.
ServiceOps also includes Similar Item Detection, which helps technicians identify related records during an investigation. Teams can use these connections to review previous issues and avoid repeating the same work.
You can deploy ServiceOps as a cloud-hosted service or install it on your own infrastructure, including a private cloud. The choice depends on how much control you need over hosting, maintenance, and data storage.
ServiceOps is worth considering if your IT team needs a structured way to investigate recurring incidents and connect problem resolution with change management. Teams with simpler service desk needs may find its broader ITSM capabilities unnecessary.
Pros
- Connects problem records with incidents, changes, assets, and knowledge articles.
- Supports root cause analysis and workaround documentation in problem records.
- Can automatically close related requests when the appropriate problem closure rule is configured.
- Offers both cloud-hosted and on-premises deployment options.
Cons
- Pricing is not publicly listed, so you need to contact Motadata for a quote.
- On-premises deployment requires your IT team to manage the infrastructure, installation, and maintenance.
- Teams that need only basic ticket management may not need its broader ITSM capabilities.
Pricing
License: Custom pricing. Contact Motadata for a quote based on your requirements.
Free trial: You can start a 30-day free trial without a credit card.
2. Freshservice
Best for: Small and mid-size IT teams that want to start tracking problems quickly, with no servers to set up or maintain.
Freshservice is a hosted IT service management product from Freshworks. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, and releases depending on the plan.
Problem management starts in the Pro plan. A technician can link related incidents to a problem, record the root cause, and open a change for the fix. Freddy AI Copilot is the AI assistant for technicians, and it is a paid add-on.
Freshservice suits IT teams that want to start quickly without managing servers. It is not the right choice for IT teams that want problem management in an entry plan, because it starts in the Pro plan.
Our Motadata and Freshworks comparison explains how the two products differ.
Pros
- Problem, change, release, and major incident management work together on the Pro plan.
- Freddy AI Copilot summarizes tickets and suggests replies for technicians.
- Ready-made workflows let you start without building your own.
Cons
- Problem management is not available on the Starter plan or the Growth plan.
- Freddy AI Copilot is not part of the Pro plan, and the add-on costs $29 per agent per month.
- Freshservice cannot be installed on your own servers.
Pricing
Starter plan: The Starter plan costs $19 per agent per month with annual billing.
Growth plan: The Growth plan costs $49 per agent per month with annual billing.
Pro plan: The Pro plan costs $99 per agent per month with annual billing and includes problem management.
Enterprise plan: The Enterprise plan has a custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Freddy AI Copilot: This add-on costs $29 per agent per month with annual billing.
Free trial: A 14-day free trial is available.
3. Jira Service Management
Best for: IT teams that work with developers who use Jira, so both teams can follow the same problem until it is fixed.
Jira Service Management is a hosted service desk product from Atlassian. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, and assets.
Problem management starts in the Premium plan. A technician can track a problem, see which services it affects, and send it to the right team. The Premium plan can also write a post-incident review with AI, which is a record of what went wrong and how to prevent it.
Jira Service Management suits IT teams whose problems often need a code fix. It is not the right choice for IT teams that do not work with developers and want a tool that is quick to learn.
Our Jira Service Management alternatives article compares it with other tools.
Pros
- You can link a problem to the Jira issue that developers work on, so both teams see its latest status.
- The Premium plan can write a post-incident review with AI.
- The Atlassian Marketplace has a large number of apps that add features.
Cons
- Problem management is not listed on the Free plan or the Standard plan.
- Jira Service Management has many settings, so new users need time to learn it.
- Jira Service Management runs only as a hosted service.
Pricing
Free plan: The Free plan costs nothing for up to three agents.
Standard plan: The Standard plan costs $20 per agent per month.
Premium plan: The Premium plan costs $51.42 per agent per month and includes problem management.
Enterprise plan: The Enterprise plan has a custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Annual billing: You can save up to 17% when you pay for a full year.
Free trial: A 14-day free trial is available.
Read our Jira Service Management pricing guide explains the plans and add-ons.
4. ServiceNow IT Service Management
Best for: Large companies with many departments that want problems, changes, and approvals handled in one product.
ServiceNow IT Service Management is a hosted product for IT support in large companies. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, assets, and a configuration management database, or CMDB. A CMDB is a record of your devices and services and how they connect.
Problem management starts in the ITSM Advanced package. A technician can link incidents to a problem, record the root cause, and open a change for the fix. Now Assist is ServiceNow's AI assistant for service work. It summarizes records and suggests the next step.
ServiceNow sells three packages. The ITSM Foundation package covers incidents and assets, the ITSM Advanced package adds problem and change management, and the ITSM Prime package adds AI agents.
ServiceNow IT Service Management suits large companies that want one product for IT, HR, and other departments. It is not the right choice for a small business that needs a simple tool.
Our ServiceNow alternatives article compares it with other tools.
Pros
- You can run IT, HR, and other departments on one product.
- Now Assist summarizes records and suggests the next step to technicians.
- You can link a problem to the affected devices and services in the CMDB.
Cons
- Problem and change management are not included in the ITSM Foundation package.
- You usually need trained administrators or a partner to set it up.
- ServiceNow does not offer a free trial, so you can only see the product in a demo.
Pricing
ITSM Foundation package: The ITSM Foundation package has a custom quote.
ITSM Advanced package: The ITSM Advanced package has a custom quote and includes problem management.
ITSM Prime package: The ITSM Prime package has a custom quote.
Quote: You can contact the ServiceNow sales team for the price of each package.
Free trial: ServiceNow does not offer a free trial. You can schedule a demo with its sales team instead.
Read our ServiceNow pricing guide explains how the packages are licensed.
5. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Best for: IT teams that want to link incidents to a problem and record its root cause, in the cloud or on their own servers.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is an IT service desk product from ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation. It covers incidents, service requests, IT assets, problems, changes, and projects depending on the plan.
The Enterprise plan includes problem management, and it is a paid add-on on the Standard plan and the Professional plan. Zia is the AI assistant in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus. It predicts the category of a ticket and helps technicians write replies.
The Professional plan adds IT asset management to the service desk. The Enterprise plan adds problem, change, and project management and a CMDB. Each plan is available in the cloud or on your own servers.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus suits IT teams that want to choose where the product runs. It is not the right choice for IT teams that want every feature in one plan without add-ons.
If you have already explored this too, you can read our ManageEngine alternatives article that compares it with other tools.
Pros
- You can run the Standard plan, the Professional plan, and the Enterprise plan in the cloud or on your own servers.
- Zia predicts the category of a ticket and helps technicians write replies.
- The Enterprise plan gives you problem, change, and project management and a CMDB together.
Cons
- Problem management is not included in the Standard plan or the Professional plan, and the add-on costs $1,595 per year.
- Change and release management is also an add-on on the Standard plan and the Professional plan, and it costs $3,195 per year.
- The CMDB is not available on the Standard plan, and it is a $1,595 per year add-on on the Professional plan.
Pricing
Standard plan: The Standard plan is free for up to five technicians. In the cloud, it then starts at $1,545 per year for 10 technicians.
Professional plan: In the cloud, the Professional plan starts at $645 per year for two technicians and 250 assets.
Enterprise plan: In the cloud, the Enterprise plan starts at $1,595 per year for two technicians and 250 assets. It includes problem management.
On-premises prices: On your own servers, the Standard plan starts at $1,195 per year for 10 technicians. The Professional plan starts at $495 per year, and the Enterprise plan starts at $1,195 per year.
Free trial: A 30-day free trial is available.
You get more details by reading our ManageEngine pricing guide explaining the plans and add-ons.
6. SolarWinds Service Desk
Best for: IT teams that want to group repeat incidents and post one fix to all of them, starting on the lowest paid plan.
SolarWinds Service Desk is a hosted IT service management product. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, knowledge articles, IT assets, and a CMDB.
A technician can group related incidents under one problem and post the fix to all of them. A problem can also start a change, and closing that change lets the technician close the problem.
The Essentials plan, the Advanced plan, and the Premier plan all include problem, change, and release management. The Premier plan adds Intelligent Incident/Problem Linking, which suggests incidents that belong to the same problem.
SolarWinds Service Desk suits IT teams that want problem management without paying for a higher plan. It is not the right choice for companies whose data rules require an on-premises service desk.
Our SolarWinds alternatives article compares it with other tools.
Pros
- You can post one fix to every incident linked to a problem.
- Problem, change, and release management are included from the Essentials plan.
- A problem can start a change, and closing that change lets you close the problem and its incidents.
Cons
- The Essentials plan has no AI features. They start in the Advanced plan.
- Intelligent Incident/Problem Linking is available only on the Premier plan.
- SolarWinds Service Desk is hosted only, so you cannot run it on your own servers.
Pricing
Essentials plan: The Essentials plan costs $39 per technician per month with annual billing.
Advanced plan: The Advanced plan costs $99 per technician per month with annual billing.
Premier plan: The Premier plan costs $124 per technician per month with annual billing.
IT asset management: This add-on has a custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Free trial: A 30-day free trial is available.
Get more details about SolarWinds pricing by going through this guide explaining how its products are licensed.
7. HaloITSM
Best for: IT teams that want technicians to find approved workarounds in a known error database, with every feature at one price.
HaloITSM is an IT service management product from Halo. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, major incidents, assets, and a CMDB.
A technician can turn an incident into a problem or attach it to an existing problem. The Known Error Database stores problems with a known root cause and their approved workarounds. Halo AI is the set of AI features in HaloITSM, and it helps with root cause analysis.
Halo does not sell separate plans, so every license includes every feature. A concurrent license is shared by technicians who work at different times, and it costs twice as much as a named license.
HaloITSM suits IT teams that want problems and change management without buying a higher plan. It is not the right choice for a small team that only needs basic ticketing and will not use the other modules.
Pros
- The Known Error Database lets technicians use an approved workaround while the permanent fix is in progress.
- Halo AI points out patterns in incidents and helps with root cause analysis.
- Every license includes problem, change, and major incident management.
Cons
- Halo has no smaller plan for a team that only needs basic ticketing.
- You cannot buy HaloITSM without an onboarding package.
- Technicians can share a license only on the concurrent license, which costs $198 per agent per month.
Pricing
Named license: A named license costs $99 per agent per month with annual billing and includes every feature.
Concurrent license: A concurrent license costs $198 per agent per month with annual billing.
Onboarding: The onboarding package has a custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Enterprise Package: The Enterprise Package costs $1 million per year and includes unlimited licenses.
Free trial: A 30-day free trial is available without a credit card.
Our Halo pricing guide explains the license and discounts in more detail.
8. SysAid
Best for: IT teams that want problem management and AI chatbots that help employees and technicians, without a separate add-on.
SysAid is a hosted IT service management product. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, and IT assets.
Both SysAid plans include problem and change management. SysAid Copilot is the AI assistant in SysAid. It has one chatbot for employees and one for technicians.
The Professional plan and the Enterprise plan include 250 managed assets and more than 100 ready-made AI agents. The Enterprise plan starts at 20 agents.
SysAid suits IT teams that want AI help for employees and technicians without a separate add-on. It is not the right choice for IT teams that have to host the service desk themselves.
Pros
- SysAid Copilot gives employees a chatbot for common questions and technicians a chatbot for tickets.
- Problem and change management are included in the Professional plan and the Enterprise plan.
- The Professional plan and the Enterprise plan come with more than 100 ready-made AI agents.
Cons
- SysAid has no free plan.
- The Enterprise plan starts at 20 agents, so it does not suit a small team.
- SysAid has no version that you can install on your own servers.
Pricing
Professional plan: The Professional plan costs $89 per agent per month and includes problem management.
Enterprise plan: The Enterprise plan has a custom quote and starts at 20 agents. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Extra assets: Extra asset packs have a custom quote, and you can contact its sales team for the price.
Free trial: A free trial is available without a credit card. SysAid does not state the number of days.
9. Ivanti Neurons
Best for: Large companies that are audited against ITIL and need a certified problem management process, in the cloud or on their own servers.
Ivanti Neurons is an IT service management product from Ivanti. It covers incidents, service requests, problems, changes, and knowledge articles.
Ivanti Neurons is certified by PinkVERIFY for 14 ITIL 4 processes, including problem management. ITIL is a widely used set of practices for running IT services. The product also has AI features that summarize tickets, sort new tickets, and write knowledge articles.
You can run Ivanti Neurons in the cloud, on your own servers, or as a mix of both. The AI features work only in the cloud version.
Ivanti Neurons suits large companies that follow ITIL closely and want to choose where the product runs. It is not the right choice for small IT teams that do not follow ITIL and want to try a product before they talk to sales.
Our Ivanti alternatives article compares it with other tools.
Pros
- You can run it in the cloud, on your own servers, or as a mix of both.
- Its problem management process is one of 14 ITIL 4 processes certified by PinkVERIFY.
- AI features summarize tickets and turn a solved ticket into a knowledge article.
Cons
- The AI features are not available if you run the product on your own servers.
- Ivanti does not offer a free trial, so you can only watch a demo.
- Ivanti Neurons has a custom quote, so you have to ask its sales team for the price.
Pricing
License: Ivanti Neurons has a custom quote. You can contact its sales team for the price.
Free trial: Ivanti does not offer a free trial on its product page. You can watch a demo instead.
Our Ivanti pricing guide explains how its products are licensed.
How to Choose Problem Management Software
Before choosing problem management software, consider which plan includes it, how it connects to your incidents and changes, and what it will cost.
Count how many repeat incidents your team handles.
Check which plan includes problem management, because some vendors sell it only in higher plans.
Check that you can link several incidents to one problem and close them together.
Check that the problem record has a place for the root cause and the workaround.
Decide whether you need a known error database.
Check that you can open a change request from a problem.
Decide whether you need a hosted tool or one that runs on your own servers.
Calculate the total cost, including technicians, add-ons, and AI features.
Ask the vendor for a written list of everything your quote includes.
Use the free trial to enter a problem your team has already solved.
If you need more than problem management, our best ITSM tools guide compares products that also handle requests, changes, and assets.
Conclusion
The right problem management software helps your IT team identify root causes, manage recurring incidents, and track permanent fixes. Your choice should depend on the features you need, your deployment requirements, and your budget.
Motadata ServiceOps is worth considering if you want to manage problems, incidents, changes, and IT assets from one platform. It supports cloud and on-premises deployment, so you can choose the setup that fits your IT environment.
You can try Motadata ServiceOps free for 30 days to see whether it meets your team's needs.
FAQs
What is problem management software?
Problem management software is a product that helps an IT team find and remove the cause of repeat incidents. It links related incidents to one problem, records the root cause, and tracks the fix.
What is included in problem management software?
Problem management software includes problem records, links to related incidents, and fields for the root cause and the workaround. Most products also let you open a change request for the permanent fix.
What is the difference between incident management and problem management?
Incident management gets a service working again as fast as possible. Problem management finds out why the incident happened and stops it from coming back. For example, restarting a mail server is incident management, and replacing its faulty disk is problem management.
What is the best software for IT problem management?
The best software for IT problem management depends on your team and budget. Jira Service Management fits IT teams that work with developers. Motadata ServiceOps fits IT teams that want to run the product on their own servers.
How much does problem management software cost?
Problem management software costs between $39 and $99 per technician per month on the plans that list a price. Motadata, ServiceNow, and Ivanti have a custom quote, so you can contact their sales teams for the price.
Author
Ramya Shah
Technical Writer
Ramya Shah is a technical content writer with a computer engineering background and roots in automotive journalism. He covers IT Service Management, observability, IT operations, and AI-driven automation. An early adopter of AI-assisted writing workflows, he turns complex IT processes into clear, engaging content optimized for search and answer engines (AEO), lifting content output and organic visibility.
