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OutSystems vs ServiceNow comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 17, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.1
OutSystems typically offers high ROI through fast development and cost savings, though initial expenses and developer skills impact outcomes.
Sentiment score
7.0
Organizations experience varied ROI from ServiceNow, often seeing efficiency gains and cost savings, but face adoption challenges.
Developing that same project in OutSystems can be completed in around 40 to 50% less time, requiring only six resources.
They have removed the costs associated with on-prem infrastructure, including data center costs, power costs, and physical server costs.
The return on investment is good when implementing for ourselves and for other clients.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
OutSystems' service is generally proactive and responsive, but advanced help varies by SLA, location, and contract tier.
Sentiment score
7.1
ServiceNow excels in customer service responsiveness, but technical support quality varies, particularly with complex issues, prompting community reliance.
Many helpful videos and documentation are available on the OutSystems site, making it relatively easy to learn the platform.
The support is exemplary and deserves a perfect rating.
Obtaining support for maintenance is the current challenge because they don't have a presence in the local market.
I rate the technical support of ServiceNow as a nine on a scale of one to ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
OutSystems offers scalable, adaptable solutions for enterprises, with seamless cloud expansion and efficient management, despite pricing concerns.
Sentiment score
7.4
ServiceNow excels in scalable cloud infrastructure, supporting smooth expansions across organizations by following best practices and upgrading hardware.
They can be deployed vertically and horizontally, supporting as many deployments as needed.
There are no limitations or performance issues with ServiceNow; it is cloud-based, so it is highly scalable and performs well.
It is capable of vertical scaling with no issues.
I rate the scalability of ServiceNow as an eight on a scale of one to ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
OutSystems is praised for stability and reliability, handling large systems well, with minor issues on high data loads.
Sentiment score
7.7
ServiceNow is highly stable with excellent uptime, strong support, and impressive reliability, though scalability issues occur with heavy customizations.
It is cloud-based, so it is highly scalable and performs well.
I rate the stability of ServiceNow as a nine on a scale of one to ten.
ServiceNow is already a stable tool.
 

Room For Improvement

OutSystems faces performance and integration issues, high licensing costs, and needs improvements in support, automation, UI, and documentation.
ServiceNow needs pricing, usability, and support enhancements, including better documentation, UI, integration, and global support for improvement.
It is crucial to be aware of which module corresponds to which application in real-time projects, as there are multiple applications.
I would like to see more integration between the use of artificial intelligence to speed up the process delivery time.
From a functionality perspective, the features in ServiceNow are acceptable as, at the moment, the ITSM modules rank highly, being 13 plus Pink Elephant certified, which is a good aspect to have.
Their customer support could make it a great solution, not just product support but also their relationship with partners and training initiatives in different regions.
The initial setup of ServiceNow was easy for me, and I can easily access the knowledge base, pass tickets to another team through internal notes, and each individual will get a personal email when a ticket is placed into their queue.
 

Setup Cost

OutSystems is costly, suited for larger enterprises, with yearly fees varying by usage, covering licenses and infrastructure.
ServiceNow's pricing is higher due to licensing complexity, requiring negotiation for better deals despite unlimited end-users being supported.
Subsequent users can be added at an additional cost per user; exact pricing details can be found on the OutSystems site.
ServiceNow's pricing can be justified if more functionality is required.
ServiceNow is expensive for all regions.
 

Valuable Features

OutSystems streamlines development with low-code tools, offering rapid deployment, easy integration, and enhanced productivity through reusable components.
ServiceNow enhances IT operations with flexible integration, customization, and modules, offering efficiency, automation, and seamless cloud-based upgrades.
OutSystems offers a lot of reusable components and solutions that I can simply drag and drop and use, which has a significant impact on project delivery time.
The clean separation of concerns in the architecture provided by OutSystems is a key benefit compared to other platforms.
Automation capabilities are impressive, bolstered by a vast repository of out-of-the-box connectors and plugins that facilitate integration with various applications worldwide.
ServiceNow provides a wide range of functionality, covering all the necessary modules, unlike Jira which is primarily for IT.
The features of ServiceNow that I find most valuable include its ability to easily access ticket details if you know the ticket number, monitor the timeline of when the ticket was created, and see the current status.
 

Categories and Ranking

OutSystems
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Development Platforms (1st), Low-Code Development Platforms (2nd)
ServiceNow
Ranking in Rapid Application Development Software
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
219
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (1st), IT Asset Management (1st), IT Service Management (ITSM) (1st), No-Code Development Platforms (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Rapid Application Development Software category, the mindshare of OutSystems is 7.9%, up from 7.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ServiceNow is 10.9%, up from 10.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rapid Application Development Software
 

Q&A Highlights

reviewer1800279 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 25, 2023
 

Featured Reviews

Bireswar Das - PeerSpot reviewer
A low-code platform for the development of mobile and web enterprise applications
To illustrate a case, the customer initially had a private cloud, essentially a data center hosted within it. They needed a disaster recovery solution, which would involve using a public cloud. This situation led to some deployment challenges due to the hybrid nature of their setup. However, once we implemented the solution for them, they were extremely satisfied. The process was not only effective but also quite speedy. To be more precise, we completed it in around 100 days, even though they initially requested it to be done in four months. They were very pleased with the efficiency of the implementation.
Somnath Kand - PeerSpot reviewer
Custom integration and reporting lead to efficient ticket management
There is a need for bug or error tracking in ServiceNow. Although there are child incidents or tickets, tracking primary issues or bugs within enhancements is not present. The reporting features in the new portal could be more user-friendly. While it provides options to minimize chart and image sizes, actual implementation doesn't always reflect these changes.
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Answers from the Community

reviewer1800279 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 25, 2023
Jul 25, 2023
I'd recommend considering OutSystems for developing non-ITSM Apps like CRM and Customer Care. OutSystems is known for its low-code development platform, which enables faster app development and deployment. This can be particularly advantageous for your company, as it allows you to streamline processes and meet customer needs efficiently. If you're interested in learning more about the benefits ...
2 out of 5 answers
EB
Mar 10, 2022
Hi @reviewer1529571, @reviewer1278699, @Jaikant S Rao, @Dawn McClure, @Gagan Pattanayak, @Roland Zuurveld, Can you please share your knowledge with the community? Thanks!​
Farid Abbasi - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 10, 2022
Hello @Gerry Fitzpatrick, 'Customer Service Management' and 'IT Service Management' applications run on the same ServiceNow platform.  Whilst 'Customer Service' gives you the CRM capability (external facing), ITSM gives you the supporting framework (internal facing). The two work very well together. There is no need for you to invest in building custom apps. However, if you still want to build custom apps then the ServiceNow platform allows you to do that with a very good mobile SDK.  ServiceNow also has an App Store, which is a really good source to see what integrations and applications are available to purchase (some are free). This would help you get value from your investment in ServiceNow quicker. Regards, Farid
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
26%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
26%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Which solution is better for developing non-ITSM applications: OutSystems or Service Now?
The short answer is that OutSystems is far better for 2 main reasons. Firstly, with Service Now you are locked into that platform for good. The business model is to lock in and then keep pumping th...
What industries do you think OutSystems is most useful for?
I cannot really name an industry in which OutSystems cannot be beneficial. Who does not want to make top-notch applications that work in no time? And OutsyStems does exactly that. The low-code plat...
How did you decide which OutSystems edition was the best one for you?
We started using OutSystems fairly recently, so we are still on the free version of it. My company is still testing how we like the platform, but so far, we have been satisfied with it and will li...
Would you choose ServiceNow over Microsoft PowerApps?
Hi Netanya, I will choose ServiceNow because ServiceNow is a very good tool compared to Microsoft PowerApp. Because ServiceNow has a very strong module (Performance Analysis) reporting which will ...
What do you like most about ServiceNow?
The solution has a user-friendly interface.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow?
ServiceNow is expensive for all regions. The licensing cost per year per user is not precisely known but is considered high.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Randstad, Warner Brothers, HP, Intel, ING, Banco Popular, Thrivent Financial, Bacardi, Kent State University, Bacardi, FICO, ING, Vodafone, AbbVie, Estafeta, Siemens, Vopak
AAA, AstraZeneca, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Broadcom, Christus Health, Epicor, Equinix, GE Capital, Intuit, KPMG, Loyola Marymount University, OshKosh, Quantas, RedHat, Royal Bank of Scotland, Swiss Re, U.S. Department of Energy, Safeway, Yale University, and Zillow    
Find out what your peers are saying about OutSystems vs. ServiceNow and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.