OpenText Service Management (SMAX) vs OpenText Service Manager [EOL] comparison

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) and OpenText Service Manager [EOL] are both solutions in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category. Additionally, 88% of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 79% of OpenText Service Manager [EOL] users who would recommend it.

OpenText Service Management...

Read 9 OpenText Service Management (SMAX) reviews

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1,749 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

Read 48 OpenText Service Manager [EOL] reviews

79% willing to recommend

OpenText Service Management...

OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 21, 2025

OpenText Service Manager [EOL] and OpenText Service Management SMAX compete in IT service management. SMAX appears more favored for its advanced automation and AI capabilities, providing better long-term value.

Features: OpenText Service Manager EOL offers comprehensive IT service request management, robust integration capabilities, and customization options. SMAX boasts advanced automation, AI-driven insights, and a modern architecture, which are often preferred for their enhanced functionality.

Room for Improvement: OpenText Service Manager EOL could enhance its cloud capabilities, reduce deployment resource requirements, and simplify its integration process. SMAX might improve by refining its reporting tools, enhancing dashboard customization, and expanding customer support to meet complex demands.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: OpenText Service Manager EOL involves a traditional deployment model that can be resource-intensive, but it offers strong customer support. SMAX provides a more flexible deployment through cloud-based technologies, allowing for quicker implementation and improved satisfaction from its responsive service.

Pricing and ROI: OpenText Service Manager EOL typically has a lower initial setup cost, appealing for budget concerns. SMAX requires a higher initial investment but offers a better return on investment over time due to its scalable, flexible features that enhance efficiency, justifying the total cost of ownership.

To learn more, read our detailed IT Service Management (ITSM) Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

April 2026

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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

OpenText Service Management...

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Service Management (ITSM) (10th)

OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

Average Rating

7.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

HugoAlmeida

Head Of Delivery at Timestamp ITM

Centralized service processes have improved cross‑department visibility but reporting still needs work

The machine learning capabilities in OpenText Service Management (SMAX) are somewhat not published the way they should be. They work pretty well, but they are not used as much in the current experience of our customers. They have them; the solution has them, but they usually go a little bit below the radar in terms of visibility. I believe there is room for improvement when it comes to machine learning capabilities. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has room to improve mainly on reporting components. The reporting components include dashboards, and while OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has a reporting module, it's somewhat limited, so I believe it has room to improve there, with more inclusion of artificial intelligence in the models and more in project management and portfolio management capabilities. We want to see better use and more functionalities enabled with the already existing capabilities such as AI and reporting in the next OpenText Service Management (SMAX) release, but one important thing we think should be included is a module for metrics, similar to Google Analytics, that focuses on the metrics of the tool usage. The module shouldn't just report on the components of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) but also track how the tool is used by end users, for example, what functionalities users utilize more frequently, the performance of those functionalities, and how long it takes them to open a ticket or log in, focusing on applicational monitoring metrics and performance management metrics.

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Dirk Leitermann

Senior Consultant Project Management & Transition at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

It does what it should, but it's quite outdated.

I rate Micro Focus Service Manager four out of 10. I wouldn't recommend it. I would suggest ServiceNow. There may be solutions better suited for smaller companies. There are always alternatives because the architecture isn't terribly complex. The architecture is the same across solutions, and everything is linked. There are no modules to be bought from some other company in the past and integrated. ServiceNow also its disadvantages, but if you compare it to Service Manager, I can safely say ServiceNow is the future and Service Manager is the past.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"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."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is evolving in addressing the needs across different sectors like IT or HR."

"The most valuable features of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) are that it is user-friendly, easy to configure, and adaptable."

"The product provides an interface for the end users to make requests."

"I've used this kind of application for more than 20 years and from my perspective, SMAX is one of the best products on the market."

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) pros

"Service Manager does what it should, but it's quite outdated."

"Service Manager gives us a single system where everything is centralized in one base."

"This is now completely organized and standardized in one workflow, and people work on one ticket, so there's full transparency, no confusion anymore, time to market is much faster, and the email traffic is less."

"Technical support is excellent. They really bend over backwards for us."

"Its flexibility and ease of customization are its most valuable features."

"The design has been revamped in terms of GUI. The current interface is quite easy to read."

"The initial setup is easy."

"Incident management is the most valuable because we're using it to manage tickets for an accounting system. With the reports that are available, it allows us to track and identify trends at the type and item level. It also helps us in managing the workload better than what we had in Remedy, which is what we were using before 2013."

More OpenText Service Manager [EOL] pros

Cons

"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."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has some stability challenges that are crashable and not stable at times."

"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."

"The contract management feature can be improved."

"SMAX lacks in integrations as well as written 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 product's connectivity with third-party products is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The reporting functionality is not the best as it is not easy to use."

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) cons

"It could have better user control of the user interface."

"We're coming to end-of-life on the product we've got."

"Customization can be difficult at times because scripting is often required."

"The interface could be better."

"The stability could be better."

"It's not so easy to move to the next version. It's not quick to upgrade."

"There should be some front desk provided or some options to let our users serve themselves, because we have about 5000 servers and 400 applications."

"I rate Micro Focus Service Manager four out of 10. I wouldn't recommend it."

More OpenText Service Manager [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."

"Micro Focus Service Manager is a little cheaper than other options. You have to pay a monthly subscription fee."

"I pay for Service Manager on a yearly basis, and the price is reasonable - I would rate it five out of ten."

"The license is not cheap."

"HP Service Manager has moderate pricing."

"I would say that identify your requirements and pay for the support to implement and test those requirements, and then hope that you did a good job because the cost of their service is fairly expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

10%

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

18%

Construction Company

10%

Marketing Services Firm

Performing Arts

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	10
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	38

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

We mostly deal with OpenText Service Management (SMAX), Service Management, and UCMDB, the UD Discovery, Unified Discovery.

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What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

We are still working with OpenText and Splunk. I remember that Splunk is now with what Cisco AppDynamics bought. We are implementers; we work with other partners for Splunk, and for OpenText, we ar...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is okay, not expensive and not the cheapest. It is overall good.

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Comparisons

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Compared 17% of the time

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Compared 13% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 6% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 19% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

Compared 14% of the time

SCSM vs OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

Compared 11% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

April 2026

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) report

Download OpenText Service Management (SMAX) product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Service Manager [EOL]

April 2026

Download OpenText Service Manager [EOL] product report

Also Known As

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

Micro Focus Service Manager, HPE ITSM, HPE Service Manager

Interactive Demo

OpenText

Demo not available

OpenText

Overview

OpenText Service Management Automation X delivers efficient service management automation with user-friendly configurability across IT, IoT, HR, and finance sectors. It enhances business processes through integrated incident management and natural language processing with virtual chatbots.

OpenText SMAX blends user-friendly design with broad language support and robust storage. It enables organizations to deploy in both on-premise and cloud environments using Kubernetes. SMAX excels in business process improvement, incident management, and uses intelligent agents for autonomous alerts and issue resolution. However, it requires enhancements in integration capabilities and documentation, third-party product connectivity, and contract management. Users face challenges with process automation and search functionality, demanding greater customization and flexibility.

What are the key features of OpenText SMAX?

User-Friendliness: Simplifies service management across departments.
Configurability: Allows customization to meet specific needs.
Adaptability: Effective across IT, IoT, HR, and finance.
Language Support: Broad language capabilities for diverse users.
Storage Capabilities: Efficient and reliable data management.
Process Improvement: Tools for streamlining business operations.
Incident Management: Effective handling and resolution of issues.
Natural Language Processing: Chatbots that enhance customer support.
Automation: Facilitates seamless logistics and service catalog management.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines service management processes.
Improved Customer Support: Virtual chatbots provide superior assistance.
Scalability: Adaptable to growing business needs.
Cost Reduction: Optimizes resource usage and reduces operational costs.
Employee Onboarding: Simplifies and accelerates onboarding processes.

Banks and telecom companies primarily employ OpenText SMAX for service management automation, leveraging its ESM and ITSM capabilities. Deployed on-premise and via cloud, organizations in regions such as Saudi Arabia focus on integrations and upgrades, using SMAX as an end-user portal for incident management.

OpenText

Service Manager on SaaS provides you with a cloud-based, industry leading IT Service Management solution.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).

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Buyer's Guide

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April 2026

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