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JIRA Service Management vs OpenText Service Management Automation X (SMAX) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

JIRA Service Management
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (2nd)
OpenText Service Management...
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
16th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of JIRA Service Management is 10.2%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Service Management Automation X (SMAX) is 2.1%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

Karim Yousef - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently track and document projects with seamless tool integration
We are a management warehouse that provides services to different customers in different sectors. Primarily, we serve the banking sector and the military sector. We manage all the software delivery projects through tools such as JIRA Service Management or TFS Confluence is a great tool for…
Mourad Ali - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers topic analytics for incident and problem management
The only challenge with Azure customers is when they have a specific requirement that is not available out of the box and is inflexible to adjust. Sometimes, customers have tough requirements that are not flexible enough to be adjusted, even if SMAX can provide a better alternative. They need this specific feature. This challenge is common with SMAX, BMC, ServiceNow, IBM, or other similar tools. When working with enterprise tools that are not developed in-house, I don't have access to the source code and am limited to the features and capabilities provided by the leading vendors. So, this challenge is common across SMAX, BMC, and ServiceNow. The solution could have more customization flexibility.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable features are the management tools."
"The initial setup is easy and straightforward."
"Everyone knows how to use it, so there's no need to teach new members."
"Jira gets the basics right in terms of the product backlog and a scrum board teams can use to manage sprint backlogs."
"It makes the IT department more transparent and helps the employees."
"JIRA SD also helps for much better feedback on the work being done. All colleagues can see what is happening."
"Automation capabilities allow for automatic ticket creation using monitoring tools."
"The tool's stability is very good."
"The most valuable features of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) are that it is user-friendly, easy to configure, and adaptable."
"OpenText Service Management Automation X provides valuable features such as topic analytics for incident and problem management. It also includes natural language processing for analyzing technical descriptions. Additionally, it features a virtual chatbot capable of processing natural language to interact effectively with end users. This service enhances customer support and is not subject to the limitations often found in offerings from other vendors."
"This is a cordless application that can be used throughout any organization."
"It offers a range of tools for sales and configuration. It's like a business process improvement platform, suitable for various lines of business operations."
"The tool is very easy to use."
"The product provides an interface for the end users to make requests."
 

Cons

"Cost has prohibited us from switching entirely to this solution."
"The customizations in Jira could be improved by being simplified. They are currently very complex."
"It has change management and incident management, but CMDB is not there. It's also not as user-friendly as ServiceNow."
"The search function could be improved. We have to search a certain way. There is no generic search; it is more object-oriented search."
"If I need a new feature, JIRA requires me to pay for all users when only specific people use that add-on. I should not have to pay for everyone, so this is an area for improvement."
"Initially, as a completely new user, the interface was not very user-friendly, with many cluttered options."
"There is room for improvement in the user interface and the queues."
"It would be better if it had capabilities to connect to mobile applications (e.g., Whatsapp)"
"The solution lacks sufficient documentation."
"The initial setup of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) is complicated, but once it is set up the configuration is straightforward to adapt to the users' or customers' needs."
"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."
"The contract management feature can be improved."
"The product's connectivity with third-party products is an area of concern where improvements are required."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It depends on the number of users but it starts at $20 per month per user. I would rate them a three out of five for pricing."
"We have an annual license with JIRA Service Management, but it is billed monthly."
"On a scale of one to five, with one being really high and five being good, I would rate the price of this solution as a four."
"The cost has recently increased. It might be around $20 to $25 per user license."
"The pricing is free for us because we are an associate partner for the product."
"It's not really expensive, especially when you compare to ServiceNow or other solutions, and it's not expensive to maintain."
"The pricing is very competitive and I think that it is okay."
"JSM's pricing is one of the best, starting at around $10 per user, per month, with volume discounts available."
"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."
"The cost of the license for SMAX varies depending on the configuration, including the number of seats for users and the customer's specific requirements. It's not a fixed cost and can vary."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
The solution is used for the end-user portal. It is used for incident management, requests, and other informational purposes.
What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?
The tool is appropriate if we don't have a complicated use case. It is the right tool for simple use cases. It's a lot cheaper than ServiceNow. It is an appropriate tool for a smaller business or m...
 

Also Known As

JIRA Service Desk
OpenText Service Manager, Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

mgm technology partners, Telestream, Build.com, Zend Technologies, OfficeDrop, PGS Software, American Diabetes Association, NEPTUNE Canada
Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).
Find out what your peers are saying about JIRA Service Management vs. OpenText Service Management Automation X (SMAX) and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.