If you are running an IT team, you have probably heard of Spiceworks. It has been a go-to help desk and asset management tool for many budgets and setups. The pricing model has evolved over time. You can still get started completely free with the Core version, and now there is also a paid Premium version.
According to Spiceworks, the Premium plan — which removes ads and adds extra features- officially launched on June 1, 2025.
So what does that change mean for you? Essentially you get the basics at no cost and when you are ready to level up with more agents and no ads, there is a paid tier. In the sections ahead, we will walk through exactly what you get on the free versus paid plans, why the paid plan matters, and how to decide whether you should stay on free or upgrade. Whether you are a tiny team or scaling up fast, knowing the pricing and what it unlocks can save you time, money, and headaches.
TL;DR
Spiceworks now has two tiers:
Core (Free): $0/month, includes basic help-desk ticketing, asset tracking, alerts, reporting, and unlimited end users. Contains ads.
Premium (Paid): $6 per agent/month, launched June 1, 2025. Removes ads and adds features like bulk actions, live chat, and extra productivity tools.
Who should use what?
Free/Core: Great for small IT teams with basic needs.
Premium: Better if you want no ads, smoother workflows, and more robust features.
Bottom line: Spiceworks remains a solid, budget-friendly help desk—but it can feel limited as teams scale. Tools like Desk365 offer more modern workflows, better integrations (especially Microsoft 365/Teams), and stronger performance for growing organizations.
Recommended Reading: Best Spiceworks Alternatives in 2025
Overview of Spiceworks
Spiceworks is an IT management platform designed mainly for small and medium-sized businesses that need an easy way to handle help desk tickets, track assets, monitor their network, and support users.
It started as an on-premises tool and eventually expanded into a cloud-based version that is simpler to deploy and manage. One of its biggest appeals is that it offers a strong free plan, which makes it attractive for teams with limited budgets.
The platform brings together help desk functions, inventory discovery, basic monitoring, reporting, and a user-friendly portal. It also has an active community where IT pros share tips and plug-ins.
While it offers a solid range of features for everyday IT operations, it may feel limited for very large organisations that need deep customisation, complex workflows, or extensive integrations.
How much does Spiceworks really cost?
The pricing tiers
There’s a free (Core) plan — $0/month.
The paid plan (Premium) is listed at US$6 per agent/user per month.
What you get for each
Free plan Core:
No cost.
Includes basic help desk functionality such as ticketing, incident tracking, alerts and reporting.
Supports unlimited end users.
The interface contains ads since it is free.
Paid plan Premium:
Costs 6 dollars per user per month.
Removes ads.
Adds extra features such as bulk actions, live chat support and additional productivity tools.
Things to keep in mind
The pricing is per support agent so you multiply based on the number of agents on your team.
The free option works well for small teams with basic needs.
If you want an ad free experience and stronger workflow or support features then the paid plan is the upgrade path.
Pricing can vary slightly based on region or monthly versus annual billing
Switch to the platform that grows with you
Why Desk365 is better than Spiceworks?
Desk365 stands out as the stronger choice because it offers far more flexibility, modern features, and room to grow compared to Spiceworks.
Teams appreciate how easy Desk365 is to set up and customise, especially when defining workflows, automations, SLA, and multi-department setups. It also integrates smoothly with modern collaboration tools like Microsoft Teams and supports multiple channels, which makes support feel natural and accessible for both customers and agents.
As organisations grow, Desk365 handles higher ticket volumes and more complex processes without slowing down, and its reporting, analytics, and self-service options make it easier to maintain high-quality support.
Spiceworks remains a trusted and budget-friendly option for smaller teams, yet it often becomes limiting because of its basic customisation, dated integrations, and performance constraints. For any team looking for a modern, scalable help desk that adapts to evolving needs, Desk365 clearly provides more value and long-term reliability.
| Feature | Desk365 | Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of use | Known for being very easy to set up and simple for teams to start using with minimal training. | Generally easy for beginners, but some users feel the interface becomes less intuitive as their setup grows. |
| Customisation | Offers strong flexibility with workflows, automation and integrations that suit growing teams. | Basic customisation options that work for smaller setups but can feel limiting for advanced needs. |
| Performance | Runs smoothly even with higher ticket volumes and more complex workflows. | Works well for small teams but may show performance issues as usage increases. |
| Integrations | Designed to connect easily with modern tools such as Microsoft Teams and other platforms. | Integrations are available but may require workarounds and can feel dated depending on a team’s workflow. |
| Pricing and value | Considered cost effective given the combination of features, support and scalability. | Free and trusted by many, although the free model comes with trade-offs such as ads and fewer advanced capabilities. |
| Best suited for | Teams that want a modern helpdesk that scales smoothly as the organisation grows. | Smaller or budget-constrained teams that only need a simple internal ticketing tool. |
| Support and reliability | Often praised for fast, helpful and responsive support. | Strong community presence, but direct support can be slower depending on the issue. |
On Capterra, a Desk365 user who switched from Spiceworks shared, “My only regret is not finding Desk365 sooner.
Comments : Most positive and seamless implementation I’ve ever had.
Pros : It integrates with O365. New features (weekly!). Terrific (and I mean terrific) customer service. Have a good idea for a feature? You might see it in a month–seriously that’s a realistic turn around a good feature add. They are sensitive and responsive to feedback. Very easy implementation, intuitive dashboard for agents and users–and it ties in tight with O365 and Teams.
Cons : I don’t have any cons other than I wish we would have found it sooner.
Switched From : Spiceworks
Reasons for Switching to Desk365 : Dated software, not intuitive, no O365 integration.
Posted on
February 23, 2023
Desk365 gives you scalability, ad-free, GDPR-friendly experience.
Desk365 offers a comprehensive set of features starting at $12. It’s an affordable and effective solution that meets your ticketing system needs with optimal performance and easy setup.
Omni-Channel
- Microsoft Teams Ticketing
- Email Ticketing
- Customer Support Portal
- Web Form/Web Widget
- Unified Inbox
Process Automation
- Workflow Automation
- Multiple Business Hours
- Custom Response Templates
- Canned Responses
- Tasks/To-do Lists
- 'Share To' Tickets
- Time Tracking
- SLA Management & Business Hours
- SLA Reminders & Escalations
- Multiple SLAs
- SLAs in Automations
Ticket Management
- Change/Approval Management
- Round Robin Ticket Assignments
- Load Based Ticket Assignments
- Ticket Watchers
- Multiple Groups/Departments
- Draft with AI
- AI Agent
- Collision Detection
- Closure Rules
- Knowledge Base
Data & Analytics
- Customer Surveys & Reports
- Ticket Trend Reports
- Productivity/SLA Reports
- Export Data
- Scheduled Reports
- Import Data
Customization
- Custom Email Servers
- Custom Domain
- Custom Ticket Fields
- Custom Forms
- Custom Roles
- Custom Reports & Graphs
- Remove Desk365 Branding
Integrations
- Entra ID Single Sign-on
- Microsoft Entra ID Sync
- API Access
- Web-hooks
- Power Automate Connector
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Plugin
Support
- Free Setup and Installation
- Priority Support
If you want to experience the difference first hand, you can try Desk365 free for 21 days or book a demo to see why it performs better than Spiceworks in real day-to-day use.
Frequently asked questions
Yes — Spiceworks Cloud Help Desk offers a free version (often labelled the “Core” version) alongside a paid “Premium” version.
However, the free version is ad-supported and comes with limitations compared to paid tiers (for example fewer advanced features or less scalability) as is common with free-software models.
That depends on your needs.
For smaller teams, internal IT departments, or organisations with limited budgets, many users find it a solid choice because it’s easy to set up and covers core help-desk functionality.
On the flip side, users have reported issues when scaling: limited customisation, ads, slower performance in certain cases and fewer advanced features compared to paid alternatives.
So if your operations are modest and you don’t need heavy automation or enterprise-grade features, yes, it’s still decent. If you anticipate growth or higher complexity, you might hit its limits.
There’s no publicly verified claim that Spiceworks “sells” your data in a plain-terms way like some consumer services might.
That said, because the free version is ad-supported, there are implications around advertising and possibly data use for advertising and analytics. For example, the mobile app listing notes that the app “contains ads” and “data may be shared with third parties” in Google Play.
Also, forum posts raise questions about data collection, GDPR/compliance risk, and how “contact details of the registered account” or inventory might be handled.
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