Telecommunications · head to head
Five9 vs ServiceNow
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Five9 a 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month; ServiceNow listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow
- They diverge on capability: Five9 covers Intelligent routing, ServiceNow covers ITSM.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Five9 and ServiceNow actually diverge.
| Attribute | Five9 | ServiceNow |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $149/month | On request |
| Pricing model | subscription | quote |
| Platforms | Web, Desktop | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | Telecommunications | Customer Support |
| Founded | 2001 | 2004 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Five9
- Intelligent routing
- IVR
- ACD
- Dialer
- WFM
- Quality management
- Analytics
- ServiceNow
Only in ServiceNow
- ITSM
- IT Operations
- Customer workflows
- Employee workflows
- App development
- AI/ML capabilities
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
Both cover
- Salesforce
- SOC2
- HIPAA
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Five9
- Cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messagingnot ServiceNow
- Routing and managing high volume customer interactionsnot ServiceNow
ServiceNow
- Enterprise IT managementnot Five9
- Digital transformationnot Five9
- Workflow automationnot Five9
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Five9
- A 50 seat minimum applies to the published rates, so the entry cost on the $119 Digital plan is $5,950 a month
- Prices are per concurrent user rather than per named agent, which changes what a seat means when shifts overlap
- Voice is excluded from the Digital plan and requires a quote
- Usage based charges apply on top of the per seat rate
- Three of the five tiers publish no price at all
ServiceNow
- Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow
Pricing, plan by plan
Five9
$149/month- Core$149/month
- Inbound/outbound
- IVR
- Basic CTI
- Premium$169/month
- Core + Chat/email
- Quality management
- Optimum$199/month
- Premium + WFM
- Proactive chat
- Ultimate$229/month
- Full suite
- Advanced analytics
ServiceNow
On request- IT Service Management$undefined/month
- Incident management
- Problem management
- Change management
- IT Operations Management$undefined/month
- Discovery
- Service mapping
- Event management
- Customer Service Management$undefined/month
- Omnichannel engagement
- Self-service
- Case management
Which should you pick?
Choose ServiceNow if
- You need itsm.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want it operations.
Questions people ask
- Is Five9 or ServiceNow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Five9 starts at $149/month and ServiceNow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Five9 or ServiceNow?
- Five9 starts at $149/month and ServiceNow at On request.
- Does Five9 or ServiceNow run on more platforms?
- Five9 runs on Web, Desktop. ServiceNow runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- What is Five9 best used for?
- Five9 is most often used for cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging, routing and managing high volume customer interactions. Of those, cloud contact centre across voice, chat, email and social messaging and routing and managing high volume customer interactions are not what ServiceNow is typically brought in for.
- What can Five9 do that ServiceNow cannot?
- Five9 covers Intelligent routing, IVR, ACD, Dialer. ServiceNow covers ITSM, IT Operations, Customer workflows, Employee workflows. Both handle Salesforce, SOC2, HIPAA, Web support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Five9: What is the minimum team size required to use Five9?
Five9 requires a minimum commitment of 50 seats for any subscription plan.
SourceServiceNow: Does ServiceNow offer a free trial?
ServiceNow provides product trials and demos for prospects. Organizations can request a demo to see the platform capabilities for IT service management, customer service management, and business workflows.
SourceFive9: How is Five9 pricing calculated, per user, flat rate, or usage-based?
Five9 offers flexible pricing models: per concurrent user, per named agent, or pay-per-use. The pricing structure varies depending on the chosen bundle.
SourceServiceNow: How is ServiceNow priced?
ServiceNow uses subscription-based pricing with custom quotes based on the number of users and modules selected. Organizations must contact ServiceNow directly to receive pricing for their specific deployment needs.
SourceFive9: What does the entry-level Digital bundle include, and what does it cost?
The Digital bundle costs $119 per month per seat and supports digital channels only. Higher tiers (Core at $159, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise) are available, with Plus/Pro/Enterprise requiring contact with sales for pricing.
SourceServiceNow: What implementation support does ServiceNow provide?
ServiceNow offers professional services, customer success management, and training programs to help organizations maximize value from the platform. Implementation support is available through direct services teams and certified implementation partners.
SourceFive9: Are there additional charges beyond the base subscription?
Yes. All bundles include 3000 AI minutes per seat, but additional AI usage incurs charges. SMS messaging also has usage-based charges applied separately.
SourceRelated pages
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- ServiceNow vs NICE CXone
- ServiceNow vs Genesys Cloud
- ServiceNow vs Talkdesk
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- ServiceNow vs 8x8
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- ServiceNow vs Aircall
- ServiceNow vs OneSignal
- ServiceNow vs Ozonetel
- ServiceNow vs Bandwidth
- ServiceNow vs Knowlarity
- ServiceNow vs Telesign
- ServiceNow vs 46elks
- ServiceNow vs Kustomer
- ServiceNow vs Freshdesk
- ServiceNow vs Front
- ServiceNow vs Groove
- ServiceNow vs Jira Service Management
- ServiceNow vs Sprinklr Service
- ServiceNow vs RingCentral Contact Center
- ServiceNow vs Verint
- ServiceNow vs Zendesk
- ServiceNow vs Salesforce Service Cloud
- ServiceNow vs Kapture CX
- ServiceNow vs HubSpot Service Hub
- ServiceNow vs Level AI
- ServiceNow vs LiveAgent
- ServiceNow vs ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
- ServiceNow vs Missive
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