Unless I’m mistaken, Gartner published the previous Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Platforms in 2022, and then retired the report for reasons such as “lack of innovation.” We mentioned this here. A lot has changed in IT service management (ITSM) since then, but how has vendor positioning in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM Platforms changed between the 2022 and 2026 versions?
This article compares the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Platforms with the 2022 version. It looks at how ITSM tool vendors’ positions have changed. It’s not an exact science, but it’s still an interesting insight into the ITSM platform marketplace. In my opinion, position changes can be seen as a proxy for market momentum.
What Gartner Magic Quadrants Show
It’s important to remember that the Magic Quadrant assesses vendor positioning in the market, not the suitability of product offerings. The sister Critical Capabilities report breaks down the vendors’ product standings and suitability.
If you want to download the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Platforms for free, this ITSM.tools article provides options for this and other ITSM analyst reports from Gartner, Forrester, and IDC: https://itsm.tools/get-the-2026-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-it-service-management-platforms-for-free
How the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant Has Changed
To keep things simple, this article covers the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant across its four “sections”: Leaders, Challengers, Niche Players, and Visionaries.
Leaders
As in the 2022 version, the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM has four Leaders. Three are the same, but one has changed – Freshworks has moved across from the Challengers quadrant to be a Leader. Displacing Ivanti, which has dropped to the Niche Players quadrant.
It’s worth stating that just being in a Gartner Magic Quadrant is an achievement for any vendor. However, moving into the Leader quadrant is a major achievement. No doubt, there were celebrations and perhaps even promotions.
Challengers
The Challengers quadrant had only two vendors in 2022: Freshworks and ManageEngine. In 2026, there are three. As already mentioned, Freshworks moved into the Leaders quadrant, ManageEngine has remained, and Halo and TeamDynamix have entered the Magic Quadrant for ITSM as Challengers.
Niche Players
As already mentioned, Ivanti dropped from a Leader to a Niche Player between the 2022 and 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM reports. No doubt questions will be asked – internally and by customers – as to why.
There are five new entrants to the Niche Players quadrant (in alphabetical order):
- Matrix42
- Salesforce (an “honorable mention” in 2022)
- SymphonyAI (previously an “honorable mention”)
- TOPdesk (previously an “honorable mention”)
- Xurrent (formerly 4me).
These five make up the majority of the “volume” difference between the 16-vendor ITSM 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant and the ten vendors included in the 2022 version.
Three vendors remained as Niche Players between 2022 and 2026:
- EasyVista
- OpenText (Micro Focus in 2022)
- SysAid.
Sadly for IFS, it is no longer included in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM (only InvGate and SolarWinds received honorable mentions in 2026).
Visionaries
There were no Visionaries in 2022. There are still no Visionaries in 2026.
The Vendors with Momentum in the ITSM Platform Space
I expected change between the 2022 and 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrants, especially given how ITSM tool vendors have been aggressively targeting new customers, emphasizing customer success, and leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in both product offerings and operations.
In my opinion, the key changes in the 2026 ITSM Magic Quadrant are limited to the three vendors who have “moved quadrants”:
- The new Leader – Freshworks
- The two new entrants in the Challengers quadrant – Halo and TeamDynamix.
For me, this change in quadrant (including jumping straight to the Challenger quadrant) – while not directly representing product capabilities – is a good indicator of a vendor’s market momentum.
Freshworks’ Rise to Leader Status in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant
The standout achievement is Freshworks’ rise to Leader status (based on its Freshservice offering). Making the Leadership quadrant in any Gartner Magic Quadrant is difficult. As is being included in a Magic Quadrant. A vendor needs strong execution and vision, but it also needs to communicate that to Gartner.
So, well done to Freshworks and the employees (and customers) who have made this happen.
Ivanti and IFS Lose Ground in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant, and Signs of Market Change
I feel bad not ending on the above high note. However, I need to mention the Ivanti and IFS drops again. As to why the respective downward quadrant move and complete exclusion happened, only the involved Gartner analysts will know (and perhaps the involved vendor employees).
This, along with the inclusion of seven new ITSM Platform vendors in a Magic Quadrant that contained only ten vendors in its last outing, shows how much the ITSM tool market has changed in recent years.
Importantly for ITSM tool buyers, while the Critical Capabilities report remains the main report for ITSM tool selection, the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for IT Service Management Platforms shows that the ITSM landscape used to build long and short lists has changed and, I’m betting, it will continue to do so.
2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ITSM FAQs
It assesses vendor positioning in the market, not the suitability of individual products. Gartner’s Critical Capabilities report covers product standings and suitability separately.
Freshworks is the only vendor to change position among the four Leaders, moving up from Challengers on the strength of its Freshservice offering. It displaced Ivanti, which dropped to the Niche Players quadrant.
The ITSM.tools article is upfront that this isn’t public information: only the Gartner analysts involved, and possibly people inside Ivanti, know the specifics behind the move.
Sixteen, up from ten in 2022. Five of the seven new entrants, Matrix42, Salesforce, SymphonyAI, TOPdesk, and Xurrent, came in as Niche Players.
No. There were none in 2022 either.
Stephen Mann
Principal Analyst and Content Director at the ITSM-focused industry analyst firm ITSM.tools. Also an independent IT and IT service management marketing content creator, and a frequent blogger, writer, and presenter on the challenges and opportunities for IT service management professionals.
Previously held positions in IT research and analysis (at IT industry analyst firms Ovum and Forrester and the UK Post Office), IT service management consultancy, enterprise IT service desk and IT service management, IT asset management, innovation and creativity facilitation, project management, finance consultancy, internal audit, and product marketing for a SaaS IT service management technology vendor.
