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ServiceNow Discovery vs VMware vCenter comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 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
5.7
ServiceNow Discovery offers scalable value with automation, but ROI varies due to pricing, data challenges, and organizational needs.
Sentiment score
3.5
VMware vCenter provides significant ROI by cutting costs on nodes, management, power, and enhancing scalability, security, and continuity.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
ServiceNow Discovery's support receives mixed reviews, with inconsistent response times and effectiveness, but training materials are valued.
Sentiment score
6.5
VMware vCenter customer service is praised for responsiveness but criticized for slow responses and difficulties in technical issue escalation.
The 'follow the sun' model, where the time of raising the ticket and where it lands, plays a crucial role.
Manager, Solution/Service Delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
This rating is because there are features on the tool that never worked and despite calling our support, there were no results.
IT Service Performance Manager at MTN
I would rate the technical support by ServiceNow as good.
Service Now Developer at Bangmetric services pvt ltd
VMware vCenter manages high availability effectively.
IT Infrastructure And Architect Specialist at Cmit
The technical support is good.
Manager Tech. & Support (Information Technology) at Texitech
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
ServiceNow Discovery offers scalability and easy setup, but faces challenges with cloud services, financial concerns, and legacy application complexity.
Sentiment score
8.4
VMware vCenter is highly scalable, supporting enterprises with robust resource allocation and surpassing competitors like Nutanix.
I would rate it as a nine on a scale of one to ten, indicating it is highly scalable.
Software Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Small companies will not be able to afford ServiceNow Discovery from the pricing perspective.
Manager, Solution/Service Delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
It receives this rating because it can be difficult to troubleshoot when the discovery is failing.
IT Service Performance Manager at MTN
On a scale of one to ten, I would rate its scalability as ten.
IT Manager at Synergy Computers
The scalability is good in vCenter.
Manager Tech. & Support (Information Technology) at Texitech
The solution is completely scalable as we can increase any host with great simplicity.
IT Infrastructure And Architect Specialist at Cmit
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
ServiceNow Discovery is highly reliable, scoring 8-10 for dependability, with occasional issues influenced by external factors.
Sentiment score
5.8
VMware vCenter is praised for reliability and stability, with excellent support, despite occasional compatibility and log concerns.
I would rate the stability of ServiceNow Discovery as nine, as we never had downtime.
IT Service Performance Manager at MTN
That is not a mistake of the product. It is due to excessive security on the network.
Manager, Solution/Service Delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Nothing has been reported to me about VMware vCenter till now because I have around eighteen members who are operating it, and none of them have reported any issues.
Manager Data Centre at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
We have not faced any issues after upgrading VMware vCenter, whether on the vCenter or any host.
IT Infrastructure And Architect Specialist at Cmit
 

Room For Improvement

ServiceNow Discovery requires enhancements in application discovery, integration, pricing, user training, and improved technical support and reporting capabilities.
VMware vCenter users face high costs and licensing complexity, desiring flexible pricing and technical improvements post-Broadcom acquisition.
ServiceNow ITOM is particularly not very strong in terms of monitoring capabilities. They do not have any monitoring tool.
Manager, Solution/Service Delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Improvements could include implementing chatbots to simplify ticket creation.
Software Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The areas of ServiceNow Discovery that have room for improvement are getting custom reports on the relationship between CIs that are not on the same table.
IT Service Performance Manager at MTN
The licensing model has shifted, leading to higher costs, particularly for smaller organizations.
IT Manager at Synergy Computers
If they had separate pricing for each module, organizations could purchase only the modules they need, and the price would lower.
Manager Data Centre at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Better redundancy options can be achieved by using multiple vCenter machines.
Manager Tech. & Support (Information Technology) at Texitech
 

Setup Cost

ServiceNow Discovery is costly yet valued for its advanced features, with potential cost savings despite high total ownership costs.
VMware vCenter's high costs and licensing changes pose challenges, especially for smaller businesses, amid Broadcom's potential pricing impact.
ServiceNow is considered more expensive compared to other products.
Software Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I think the price of ServiceNow Discovery is cheaper than BMC.
IT Service Performance Manager at MTN
The licensing model now requires purchasing 96-core solutions, even if fewer cores are needed, adding to the cost burden.
IT Manager at Synergy Computers
 

Valuable Features

ServiceNow Discovery enhances IT operations with automated discovery, dependency mapping, scalability, and efficient management of network devices and cloud infrastructure.
VMware vCenter provides centralized management, high availability, seamless migration, scalability, and integration with NSX T and vSAN for operational efficiency.
The workflows are beneficial as they allow tasks to be assigned to respective teams without the need for coding.
Software Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
ServiceNow Discovery helps with operations, audits, and allows people to assess how a particular change in infrastructure impacts other components.
Director, Information Technology at Gen™
ServiceNow Discovery has normal discovery of CIs, as well as horizontal discovery for understanding Service Mapping.
Manager, Solution/Service Delivery at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
High availability is employed so if an ESXi server is down, the VM is supported on another ESXi on other servers.
System Engineer at TARGET Integrated Systems
In vCenter, I can easily manage storage and move it from one server to another, which is beneficial for the environment.
Manager Tech. & Support (Information Technology) at Texitech
VMware vCenter is excellent for managing and monitoring hypervisors, specifically with features like live migration, storage vMotion, and host vMotion.
IT Manager at Synergy Computers
 

Categories and Ranking

ServiceNow Discovery
Ranking in Server Monitoring
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
45
Ranking in other categories
IT Asset Management (7th), Cloud Resource Discovery Services (1st)
VMware vCenter
Ranking in Server Monitoring
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Server Monitoring category, the mindshare of ServiceNow Discovery is 3.1%, down from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of VMware vCenter is 1.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Monitoring Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
VMware vCenter1.9%
ServiceNow Discovery3.1%
Other95.0%
Server Monitoring
 

Featured Reviews

Abhinay Sharma - PeerSpot reviewer
Service Now Developer at Bangmetric services pvt ltd
Cloud discovery has improved asset visibility and reporting but still needs smarter automation
The impact of ServiceNow Discovery on my organization's strategic planning depends on various factors. Some customers have their own discovery tools which they do not want to switch from, even if we explain why ServiceNow might be better, because they have been using them for a long time. Some customers are dynamic, so we need to have some kind of proposition that comes with ServiceNow. Sometimes, we need to talk with ServiceNow people themselves to give them a bundle offer in which we can have Discovery and ITSM at a much more affordable price than the competitors, so that is our main goal. Currently, I would say there might be a possibility if we can use some AI discovery features that could be helpful for our organization. If we can get discovery jobs running based on AI schedules, that would be beneficial. I believe in the coming future that I want to see myself working more with ServiceNow in this capacity.
VinayKumar7 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager Data Centre at a consultancy with 51-200 employees
Centralized control has improved data center virtualization and streamlined DC DR replication
The pricing of VMware vCenter is high. What was earlier, before it was acquired by Broadcom, was different. Now, Broadcom has acquired it, and the earlier arrangement was that we used to bundle the license and purchase it according to our choice. Now, they bundle it with vSAN, which many organizations may not use. Although we purchase it along with the bundled license, we pay for something which is of no use to us because we have our own storage. If they had separate pricing for each module, organizations could purchase only the modules they need, and the price would lower. For smaller organizations, this can become a huge cost issue. For larger organizations, there is no issue, but for medium-sized organizations, they have to shell out a lot.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Marketing Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise23
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise5
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ServiceNow Discovery?
The solution can prioritize the discovery of IP ranges. The product automatically places all Discovery CIs into the correct class within the CMDB.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ServiceNow Discovery?
Regarding pricing, I have not dealt much with it. I am more focused on the feature side of things, so I cannot comment on the latest pricing because it is dynamic as well. Sometimes it is cheaper f...
What needs improvement with ServiceNow Discovery?
The impact of ServiceNow Discovery on my organization's strategic planning depends on various factors. Some customers have their own discovery tools which they do not want to switch from, even if w...
What do you like most about VMware vCenter?
The filtering capabilities also enhance scalability by optimizing resource allocation.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for VMware vCenter?
The initial package for VMware vCenter is not less than $10,000, which can be prohibitive for smaller organizations. The licensing model now requires purchasing 96-core solutions, even if fewer cor...
What needs improvement with VMware vCenter?
The pricing of VMware vCenter is high. What was earlier, before it was acquired by Broadcom, was different. Now, Broadcom has acquired it, and the earlier arrangement was that we used to bundle the...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

York, National Grid, DXC Technology, experian, BEACHBODY
1. Amazon 2. Apple 3. ATT 4. Bank of America 5. Cisco Systems 6. CocaCola 7. Dell 8. ebay 9. Facebook 10. Google 11. HP 12. IBM 13. Intel 14. JPMorgan Chase 15. LinkedIn 16. Microsoft 17. Netflix 18. Oracle 19. PayPal 20. SAP 21. Siemens 22. Tesla 23. Toyota 24. Twitter 25. Visa 26. Walmart 27. WeWork 28. World Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about ServiceNow Discovery vs. VMware vCenter and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,933 professionals have used our research since 2012.