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Customer Support · head to head

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs Scratchpad

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus logo

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Customer Support

IT help desk and ITSM software

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Scratchpad logo

Scratchpad

CRM

Faster workspace over Salesforce for sales reps to update pipeline, take notes and manage deals

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus pricing structure based on per-technician model can become expensive for large teams; Scratchpad scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus and Scratchpad differ
AttributeManageEngine ServiceDesk PlusScratchpad
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer user per month
PlatformsWebWeb, Chrome extension
CategoryCustomer SupportCRM

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 ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Nothing recorded that Scratchpad does not also cover.

Only in Scratchpad

  • Spreadsheet pipeline views
  • Call recorder and notetaker
  • AI field updates
  • Deal and account agent
  • Hygiene monitor
  • Notes linked to records
  • Custom prompts
  • Kanban and forecast views

What people use each for

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

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

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

Scratchpad

  • A 60-rep Salesforce team whose forecast is unreliable because opportunity fields are updated once a week in a panic before the pipeline callnot ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A rep who wants to update twenty opportunities in a grid rather than opening twenty Salesforce recordsnot ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A sales manager wanting stale and incomplete pipeline records flagged automatically instead of chased by emailnot ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
  • A revenue operations lead trialling AI notetaking that writes back to CRM fields before committing budget, using the free tiernot ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus

Where each one falls short

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

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

Scratchpad

  • Scratchpad works with Salesforce and nothing else, with no HubSpot support, so it is off the shortlist entirely for any company on a different CRM regardless of how good the interface is.
  • AI credits are metered per user per month at 400 on Solo and 800 on Team, which means heavy notetaking use pushes teams towards Enterprise for capacity rather than for features.
  • There is no proper native mobile application, so representatives who wanted to update records from a car park between meetings are back in a mobile browser.
  • Sync with Salesforce and call processing can lag, and a pipeline view showing yesterday state during a forecast call undermines the exact meeting the tool was bought to improve.
  • It creates a second notes surface alongside native Salesforce notes, so organisations end up with deal history split across two places unless they explicitly ban one of them.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Scratchpad

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Workspace limited to 3 views
    • 10 hours a month of call recording and notetaking
    • AI field updates
  • Solo$19/month
    • Unlimited views with sheets and notes
    • Call recorder and notetaker
    • AI field updates
  • Team$49/month
    • Everything in Solo
    • 800 AI credits per user per month
    • Gong integration
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Unlimited AI credits
    • White-glove agent services included
    • Enterprise security and administration

Which should you pick?

Choose ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus if

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

Choose Scratchpad if

  • You need spreadsheet pipeline views.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome extension.
  • You also want call recorder and notetaker.
Scratchpad review

Questions people ask

Is ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus or Scratchpad better?
Neither clearly leads. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus starts at Free and Scratchpad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus or Scratchpad?
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus starts at Free and Scratchpad at Free.
Does ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus or Scratchpad run on more platforms?
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus runs on Web. Scratchpad runs on Web, Chrome extension.
Can I use ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus best used for?
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus is most often used for it service desk for small to enterprise organizations, it asset management and change management. Of those, it service desk for small to enterprise organizations and it asset management and change management are not what Scratchpad is typically brought in for.
What can ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus do that Scratchpad cannot?
Scratchpad covers Spreadsheet pipeline views, Call recorder and notetaker, AI field updates, Deal and account agent.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Scratchpad: Does Scratchpad work with HubSpot?

No. It is Salesforce-only.

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
Scratchpad: Is the free plan usable in production?

Yes for an individual: full workspace with three views, 10 hours of recording and 100 AI credits a month. Teams outgrow it on views and credits.

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
Scratchpad: Does it replace Salesforce licences?

No. Every user still needs their own Salesforce licence; Scratchpad is an interface on top.

Scratchpad: What are AI credits spent on?

Notetaking, summarisation, field update suggestions and agent queries. Enterprise removes the cap.

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