We performed a comparison between OutSystems and ServiceNow based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two Rapid Application Development Software solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI."Reduces the manual labor in compiling and deploying applications and generating procedural code (by reducing development bureaucracy/processes, resulting in real gains). The LifeTime Server approach, requiring just a few steps to publish applications in production environments, is fantastic."
"The solution helps to build mobile and web applications on SOAP and REST. You can integrate it with backend systems by submitting a code."
"The most valuable feature of OutSystems with discipline and the development processes. Instead of each developer doing tasks on their own with their own approach, et cetera, the solution would help bring some organization to the development process."
"Refactoring with TrueChange is very simple."
"Integrations with external systems with SOAP and REST are easy to implement off-the-shelf, but a developer can always implement specific libraries for other integrations."
"OutSystems is a low-code solution. Most features are like drag-and-drop, so it's pretty easy to work. Thus it helps the organization by saving time for developers."
"It is much easier to develop applications with the product’s IDE."
"We've used features like batch processing timers, components, and integrations with other systems like SAP, which have accelerated our development process.In terms of productivity, we've seen a 30 percent reduction in screen design time and an additional 10 percent improvement when implementing client requirements. OutSystems' integration capabilities have significantly enhanced our app's functionality, making it quicker and easier to connect with other systems."
"I prefer ServiceNow to the competition because of its ease of use, installation and configuration."
"In financial management, this platform has the infrastructure allowing us to expand the way we want to. For example, it gives you many business rules and budget models that you can use to optimize your workflow. It does not put you in a box. Additionally, integrating this solution with other platforms is extremely easy to do."
"Creating a ticket is much simpler in this tool. That is one big advantage. Also, the simplicity and ease of use are much better. I've used HPSM and it is very complex in comparison to ServiceNow."
"It's a straightforward and effective approach that minimizes the need for extensive explanations."
"I really like ServiceNow and all of the features. The way incident management is built is very helpful. You have a lot of options to optimize it, customize it, and automate it. You also have a lot of options for reporting. There are plenty of possibilities to do preference management within your customer CMDB file. These are very useful features, which I missed in BMC Remedy ITSM. ServiceNow is the best ticketing tool I have used so far."
"The solution has very good automation tools."
"The thing that I like most about it is the easy integration with the CMDB. I'm able to look at the CMDB for applications and develop my assessments and attestations based on the application and point them at that application owner. So, I can really automate the whole thing."
"The feature that I have found most valuable from ServiceNow is the ability to assign sub-tasks to different teams, including problem tickets and the regular and chain tasks."
"Writing custom code still needs to be done via Integration Studio. This might have been added to the IDE."
"The resource availability needs to be increased."
"The PDD framework can't be used for the behavioral-driven development way of working."
"Mobile apps need improvement."
"In OutSystems, cloud management is an area of concern where improvements are required."
"I like the OutSystems platform. I am working on integrating it with another platform using APIs, however, it has proven to be difficult. The main issue I am facing is obtaining authorization tokens as well as access and refresh tokens. It may be due to my lack of knowledge of APIs as it is new to me."
"I think OutSystems needs to improve in many areas. First, sometimes Service Studio becomes really slow and even hangs for long periods. Also, if I have not published my module in some time, and some kind of Service Studio exception occurs, I lose my work."
"There is room for improvement in technical support."
"The solution could be made cheaper. Machine learning and artificial intelligence should be introduced in the next release."
"The customization that we are doing for the needs of our organization are difficult to do and could be improved."
"It should have more artificial intelligence for business and work capabilities. The community is not so active. There must be initiatives to make the community talk more and share more information."
"The Software Asset Management feature can be improved. We would like to see more features for the Software Asset Management functionality. Its price can also be better. It is currently more expensive than other solutions."
"There are a few things that it needs to improve, like automation of most things out-of-the-box. For example, when it comes to cloud management, we are still going with manual intervention. Instead of that, if we had an out-of-the-box feature available, that would be great."
"Complexities in the organization made the initial deployment complex."
"Needs additional software titles and easier normalization."
"The user interface for accessing assistance sometimes disconnects."
OutSystems is ranked 3rd in Rapid Application Development Software with 46 reviews while ServiceNow is ranked 4th in Rapid Application Development Software with 212 reviews. OutSystems is rated 8.4, while ServiceNow is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of OutSystems writes "The visual program provides the advantage of only requiring one skill set for both the front and backend ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of ServiceNow writes "A stable and scalable solution that has excellent features and is useful for collecting data and building KPIs". OutSystems is most compared with Microsoft Power Apps, Appian, Mendix, Oracle Application Express (APEX) and Pega BPM, whereas ServiceNow is most compared with BMC Helix ITSM, Microsoft Power Apps, Pega BPM, Appian and PagerDuty Operations Cloud. See our OutSystems vs. ServiceNow report.
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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 the annual fee up in the knowledge that you have little choice. If this was in a consumer market they would have been stopped years ago on antitrust grounds. I have experienced senior management in Service Now laughing at the customers' lock-in.
Secondly, with Service Now, once you move beyond the workflow design you are straight into the deep valley of Java scripting. There is nothing in between. Most customers realize the limitations of the graphical environment very quickly. They are then stuck with having a never-ending bill for consultant fees. Many SN partners use this as their prime source of 'new' business. They talk of stickiness, meaning they are embedded in the clients' system perpetually.
There are many other reasons. I might come back and give a fuller review. Let's just say there are several platforms that outperform Service Now technically and economically. Service Now is quite happy to have its customers stuck with 1990s technology with a slightly fluffy front end.
ServiceNow
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