ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs SolarWinds Service Desk
One of fourteen models named ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus first on the direct prompt; zero named SolarWinds Service Desk. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus was named by fourteen of the fourteen models and SolarWinds Service Desk by eight and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus carries 44 labels and SolarWinds Service Desk 14, so the shares are not directly comparable.
Named in six categories this edition.
Named in three categories this edition.
Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category; every quote names the model and the prompt it came from. Both figures come from the IT service management page.
By framing
ManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusFirst choices, of fourteen modelsSolarWinds Service Desk
Across every category in the October 2026 Edition, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and SolarWinds Service Desk were named in the same answer eighteen times, of the 126 answers naming ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and the 54 naming SolarWinds Service Desk. In those answers SolarWinds Service Desk took the first choice two times and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus one.
Every model, every framing
| Model | Direct | Paraphrase | Comparative | Budget-constrained | Scale-constrained | Negative |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-5.4 mini | | | | |||
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | | | | |||
| Perplexity Sonar | | | ||||
| Grok 4.1 Fast | | | | |||
| Mistral Small | | | | |||
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | | | | | | |
| Llama 4 Maverick | | | ||||
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | | | | | | |
| Kimi K2 | | | | | ||
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | | | | |||
| MiniMax M2.5 | | | ||||
| GPT-6 Luna | | | | |||
| Muse Glimmer 30B | |
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus SolarWinds Service Desk first choice named as an alternative argued againstblank: not namedEach cell is one answer, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus on the left and SolarWinds Service Desk on the right.The direct prompt
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus first, SolarWinds Service Desk not the choice
1 of 14 modelsSolarWinds Service Desk was named in the answer but not as the choice, or not at all.Neither was the first choice, one was named
8 of 14 modelsThe answer put something else first and named one of the two as an alternative.Neither was named
5 of 14 modelsThe answer made no first choice from these two in this category.Bold names in an answer are the products the judge labeled a first choice; a model naming several gives each of them that label. The full answer text for every row is in the record.
By buyer segment
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus9%#4 of 12SolarWinds Service Desk2%#8 of 12ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus11%#3 of 11SolarWinds Service Desk2%#6 of 11ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus0%#8 of 9SolarWinds Service Desk0%#– of 9What the models said about ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Six of seven in this category shown.
“Skip ManageEngine if UX modernness and low-code Python/PowerShell automation matter to you.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“Concerns: Limited reporting capabilities.” GLM 4.7 FlashX · negative prompt · soft negative
“it demands extreme caution” Gemini 3.5 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“the best ITSM platform is usually ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus if you need a real ITSM workflow” Perplexity Sonar · budget prompt · first choice
“Do you have 4 to 5 IT agents? Go with ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus (Free tier).” Gemini 3.5 Flash · budget prompt · first choice
“top-rated platforms such as Freshservice, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus, or Hiver” Llama 4 Maverick · direct prompt · first choice
What the models said about SolarWinds Service Desk
Every negative label with a quote, up to three, then the highest-weighted positives, up to three. Five of five in this category shown.
“SolarWinds has extra baggage from past security incidents. When to avoid: If modern UX, quick setup, or security are priorities.” Grok 4.1 Fast · negative prompt · hard negative
“otherwise, it's a limited ITSM play. Also carries the legacy of the 2020 Supply Chain security incident.” DeepSeek V4 Flash · negative prompt · soft negative
“noted for slow report loading, limited data export options, and a complex configuration process” Mistral Small · negative prompt · soft negative
“The best ITSM platform for a company with a limited budget is likely to be one of the following options: 1. SolarWinds Service Desk ($39/technician/month)” Llama 4 Maverick · budget prompt · first choice
“Another solid option for mid-market businesses, offering good core ITIL features and strong asset management.” Mistral Small · direct prompt · alternative
Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category, each against each. The output is the models' output; nothing here is a recommendation by the index.