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CRM · head to head

Bigin vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Bigin logo

Bigin

CRM

Zoho pipeline CRM for small businesses, priced well below Zoho CRM itself

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus logo

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Customer Support

IT help desk and ITSM software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Bigin the plan limits are the product boundary, not a soft guideline: three pipelines on Express and thirty automations will constrain any business with more than a couple of distinct sale types, and the only fix is to pay up a tier.; ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing structure based on per-technician model can become expensive for large teams
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bigin and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus actually diverge.

Attributes where Bigin and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus differ
AttributeBiginManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Pricing modelPer user per monthsubscription
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOSWeb
CategoryCRMCustomer Support

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Bigin

  • Multiple pipelines
  • Teampipes
  • Built-in telephony
  • Email integration
  • Workflow automation
  • Mobile apps
  • Zoho ecosystem
  • Free onboarding

Only in ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Nothing recorded that Bigin does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Bigin

  • A five-person sales team wants a real CRM for under 50 US dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in Zoho CRM.not ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A business already running Zoho Books or Zoho Mail wants a CRM in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool.not ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A services firm wants to run client onboarding and delivery as pipelines alongside sales, which is what Teampipes exists for, without buying a separate project tool.not ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A buyer evaluating Zoho CRM Standard should price Bigin first, because for straightforward pipeline selling it is roughly a third of the cost on the same platform.not ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

  • IT service desk for small to enterprise organizationsnot Bigin
  • IT asset management and change managementnot Bigin

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Bigin

  • The plan limits are the product boundary, not a soft guideline: three pipelines on Express and thirty automations will constrain any business with more than a couple of distinct sale types, and the only fix is to pay up a tier.
  • Outgrowing Bigin means migrating to Zoho CRM, a different product with different objects and configuration, so the cheap start becomes a project later rather than a plan upgrade.
  • The free plan is one user with 500 records and no automation, which makes it a trial rather than a usable free tier of the kind Zoho CRM competitors offer.
  • Reporting and analytics are basic compared with Zoho CRM, with no serious forecasting, territory management or custom module building, so sales operations functions have nothing to work with.
  • Zoho runs two overlapping CRMs and has an obvious incentive to keep Bigin limited, so features that would make it a genuine competitor to Zoho CRM are unlikely to arrive however much customers ask.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

  • Pricing structure based on per-technician model can become expensive for large teams
  • Asset management requires Professional tier or above, increasing costs for enterprises needing full inventory control
  • No explicit limit published for number of technicians, making cost projections difficult for scaling teams

Pricing, plan by plan

Bigin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • One user only
    • 500 records
    • One pipeline
  • Express$7/month
    • Three pipelines
    • 50,000 records
    • 30 workflow automations
  • Premier$12/month
    • Five pipelines
    • 100,000 records
    • 50 workflow automations
  • Bigin 360$18/month
    • Fifteen pipelines
    • One million records
    • 100 workflow automations

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Free
  • Standard$13/monthly
    • IT help desk functionality
    • Per technician or administrator pricing
    • Unlimited IT end users
  • Professional$27/monthly
    • IT help desk
    • Asset management
    • Per technician pricing
  • Enterprise$67/monthly
    • IT help desk
    • Asset management
    • Change management

Which should you pick?

Choose Bigin if

  • You need multiple pipelines.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS.
  • You also want teampipes.
Bigin review

Choose ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus if

  • You want to start without paying.
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus review

Questions people ask

Is Bigin or ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus better?
Neither clearly leads. Bigin starts at Free and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bigin or ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?
Bigin starts at Free and ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus at Free.
Does Bigin or ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus run on more platforms?
Bigin runs on Web, iOS, Android, macOS, watchOS. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus runs on Web.
Can I use Bigin for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Bigin best used for?
Bigin is most often used for a five-person sales team wants a real crm for under 50 us dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in zoho crm., a business already running zoho books or zoho mail wants a crm in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool., a services firm wants to run client onboarding and delivery as pipelines alongside sales, which is what teampipes exists for, without buying a separate project tool., a buyer evaluating zoho crm standard should price bigin first, because for straightforward pipeline selling it is roughly a third of the cost on the same platform.. Of those, a five-person sales team wants a real crm for under 50 us dollars a month total and will never use the territory management or forecasting depth in zoho crm. and a business already running zoho books or zoho mail wants a crm in the same account with native links rather than a bridged third-party tool. are not what ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is typically brought in for.
What can Bigin do that ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus cannot?
Bigin covers Multiple pipelines, Teampipes, Built-in telephony, Email integration.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bigin: Is Bigin the same as Zoho CRM?

No. It is a separate, cheaper product on its own domain with its own pricing, aimed at small businesses, and it is deliberately capped so it does not compete with Zoho CRM.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: How is pricing calculated for ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus?

Pricing is based on the number of administrators and technicians using the platform. There is no restriction on the number of IT end users. If you use IT asset management, you pay for the number of IT assets managed.

Source
Bigin: How much cheaper is it?

Express is 7 US dollars per user per month annually against Zoho CRM Standard at a higher rate, and the gap widens against the upper Zoho CRM tiers.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: Is there a free tier available?

Yes, the Standard edition is available free for up to 5 technicians. Free tier includes 250 IT assets managed and basic IT help desk features.

Source
Bigin: What happens when I outgrow the pipeline limits?

You move up a Bigin tier to five or fifteen pipelines, and beyond that you migrate to Zoho CRM, which is a data and configuration migration rather than a switch.

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus: What are the billing options?

ManageEngine offers both monthly and yearly billing options. Annual billing provides discounted rates compared to monthly. You can deploy on-premises or use cloud-based SaaS deployment.

Source
Bigin: Is the free plan usable?

Only for one person with a very small contact list. It is one user, 500 records, one pipeline and no automation.

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