SolarWinds vs BMC Remedy 2026: Features, Pricing & Who Wins

Honest breakdown of pricing traps, support quality, implementation timelines, and who wins on automation based on real user reviews and head-to-head testing.
Trusted by Industry-Leading Companies
darwinbox Dartmouth Planned Parenthood_Customer Logo Pinewood School_Customer Logo loanlogics Medipulse North Country Healthcare_Customer Logo Improved Racing_Customer Logo Slam_Customer Logo Sonny's BBQ_Customer Logo Minnnetronix_Customer Logo renoworks_Customer Logo darwinbox Dartmouth Planned Parenthood_Customer Logo Pinewood School_Customer Logo loanlogics Medipulse North Country Healthcare_Customer Logo Improved Racing_Customer Logo Slam_Customer Logo Sonny's BBQ_Customer Logo Minnnetronix_Customer Logo renoworks_Customer Logo darwinbox Dartmouth Planned Parenthood_Customer Logo Pinewood School_Customer Logo loanlogics Medipulse North Country Healthcare_Customer Logo Improved Racing_Customer Logo Slam_Customer Logo Sonny's BBQ_Customer Logo Minnnetronix_Customer Logo renoworks_Customer Logo

SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy): How They Stack Up

Side-by-side comparison on the things that matter most

Criteria Criteria
SolarWinds SolarWinds
BMC Helix (Remedy) BMC Helix (Remedy)
G2 Rating
4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
G2: 3.7/5 (287 reviews); Gartner Peer: 4.4/5
Starting price
No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
Custom quote; ~$115/named user/month (est.)
Setup time
Days; rapid cloud-native deployment
4-6 months; certified partner strongly recommended
Hidden costs
Asset pricing upon request; Turn/River price increase risk
Module fees; implementation costs high; annual maintenance fees
AI copilot pricing
AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
HelixGPT AI: [NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; included in platform
Agentic AI pricing
AI Incident Correlation; runbook automation (2026 roadmap)
~30 AI agents (ServiceOps); custom enterprise pricing
Storage
Cloud-native SaaS; file storage included
Cloud, on-prem, or hybrid; customer-specific storage
Support availability
Email/chat all plans; phone on Professional only
24/7 enterprise support; premium tiers contract-specific

TLDR Verdict

Quick guide to help you decide
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

Break down

  • AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • Native integration with SolarWinds observability and monitoring tools
  • Strong unified ITSM + ITAM with automatic asset discovery
  • Acquired by Turn/River Capital ($4.4B, April 2025); now private
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

Break down

  • Only enterprise ITSM with cloud, on-premises, and hybrid deployment
  • ~30 AI agents for ServiceOps; industry-leading CMDB and AIOps
  • Unmatched for banking, telco, and government hybrid infrastructure
  • Spun off from BMC Software 2025; KKR sale process underway (Feb 2026)

SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy): Key Differences Explained

Key differences between SolarWinds and BMC Helix (Remedy)

chevrons-up

SolarWinds's Recent Evolution

Both SolarWinds and BMC Helix (Remedy) are evolving rapidly in 2026 with AI at the center of their product roadmaps.

  • SolarWinds: check latest product updates and announcements
  • BMC Helix (Remedy): check latest news and product direction
  • Both investing heavily in AI capabilities for 2026
file-box

Platform Architecture

SolarWinds and BMC Helix (Remedy) serve different use cases and organizational profiles.

  • SolarWinds: Days; rapid cloud-native deployment
  • BMC Helix (Remedy): 4-6 months; certified partner strongly recommended
  • Evaluate complexity vs. capability for your team's maturity
Revenue

Pricing Models

Pricing structures differ significantly between SolarWinds and BMC Helix (Remedy).

  • SolarWinds: No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
  • BMC Helix (Remedy): Custom quote; ~$115/named user/month (est.)
  • Verify total cost including AI add-ons before committing
workflow

Automation Architecture

Both platforms invest in automation with fundamentally different approaches.

  • SolarWinds AI: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • BMC Helix (Remedy) AI: HelixGPT AI: [NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; included in platform
  • Evaluate agentic AI availability at your specific target plan tier
headset

Support Quality

Critical when evaluating any platform for long-term use.

  • SolarWinds: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
  • BMC Helix (Remedy): G2: 3.7/5 (287 reviews); Gartner Peer: 4.4/5
  • Verify live support access at your target plan tier before purchasing
blocks

Integration Ecosystem

Integration breadth and depth differ significantly between the two platforms.

  • SolarWinds: verify key must-have integrations before buying
  • BMC Helix (Remedy): verify Marketplace or API availability at your plan tier
  • Confirm native connectors vs. third-party workarounds required

Product Overview

Understanding what each platform offers
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

Unified ITSM + ITAM with native SolarWinds observability

SolarWinds Service Desk (formerly Samanage, acquired 2019) is a cloud-native ITSM platform providing unified incident, change, and asset management. Acquired by Turn/River Capital in April 2025 for $4.4B, it serves mid-market IT teams — especially those already using SolarWinds monitoring tools.

Founded
Founded
1999 (SolarWinds)
Revenue
Revenue
$797M (2024)
Employees
Employees
~2,300
Ownership
Ownership
Private (Turn/River Capital)
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

Enterprise ITSM and ServiceOps with hybrid deployment

BMC Helix (formerly BMC Remedy) is a purpose-built enterprise ITSM and ServiceOps platform, spun off from BMC Software in 2025. Serving major enterprises in banking, telco, and healthcare, it uniquely supports on-premises, SaaS, and hybrid deployments with approximately 30 AI agents for ServiceOps and an industry-leading CMDB.

Founded
Founded
1980 (BMC Software)
Revenue
Revenue
~$750M ARR
Employees
Employees
[VERIFY]
Ownership
Ownership
Private (KKR)

Feature by Feature Comparison

Deep dive into how each platform performs across key areas
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • G2: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
  • Setup: Days; rapid cloud-native deployment
  • Pricing starts at: No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
  • Evaluate with a hands-on trial before committing
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Entry price: No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
  • AI cost: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • Hidden costs: Asset pricing upon request; Turn/River price increase risk
  • Model expected volume before selecting a plan tier
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • AI copilot: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • Agentic AI: AI Incident Correlation; runbook automation (2026 roadmap)
  • Review automation depth against your workflow complexity
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Storage: Cloud-native SaaS; file storage included
  • Review integration marketplace for your must-have tools
  • API availability varies by plan tier
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Review SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA certifications on vendor website
  • Storage: Cloud-native SaaS; file storage included
  • Verify data residency options for your region
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Email/chat all plans; phone on Professional only
  • G2 rating: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
  • Verify live support availability at your specific target plan tier
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Review built-in analytics and dashboard capabilities on vendor site
  • Custom reporting availability varies by plan tier
  • Consider third-party BI tool integration requirements
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Admin complexity varies by plan tier and team technical maturity
  • Review role-based access and governance features
  • SSO/SAML: verify at your specific target plan tier
SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • G2: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
  • Setup: Days; rapid cloud-native deployment
  • Pricing starts at: No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
  • Evaluate with a hands-on trial before committing
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • G2: G2: 3.7/5 (287 reviews); Gartner Peer: 4.4/5
  • Setup: 4-6 months; certified partner strongly recommended
  • Pricing starts at: Custom quote; ~$115/named user/month (est.)
  • Evaluate with a hands-on trial before committing

Bottom line: SolarWinds and BMC Helix (Remedy) have different setup timelines. Evaluate based on team technical maturity and available admin time.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Entry price: No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual)
  • AI cost: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • Hidden costs: Asset pricing upon request; Turn/River price increase risk
  • Model expected volume before selecting a plan tier
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • Entry price: Custom quote; ~$115/named user/month (est.)
  • AI cost: HelixGPT AI: [NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; included in platform
  • Hidden costs: Module fees; implementation costs high; annual maintenance fees
  • Model expected volume before selecting a plan tier

Bottom line: Total cost includes base plan, AI add-ons, and usage fees. Model your expected volume before committing.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • AI copilot: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025
  • Agentic AI: AI Incident Correlation; runbook automation (2026 roadmap)
  • Review automation depth against your workflow complexity
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • AI copilot: HelixGPT AI: [NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; included in platform
  • Agentic AI: ~30 AI agents (ServiceOps); custom enterprise pricing
  • Review automation depth against your workflow complexity

Bottom line: Both offer automation at different complexity levels. Evaluate against your actual workflow requirements.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Storage: Cloud-native SaaS; file storage included
  • Review integration marketplace for your must-have tools
  • API availability varies by plan tier
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • Storage: Cloud, on-prem, or hybrid; customer-specific storage
  • Review integration marketplace for your must-have tools
  • API availability varies by plan tier

Bottom line: Integration breadth differs. Verify must-have connections are available at your target plan tier.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Review SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA certifications on vendor website
  • Storage: Cloud-native SaaS; file storage included
  • Verify data residency options for your region
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • Review SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA certifications on vendor website
  • Storage: Cloud, on-prem, or hybrid; customer-specific storage
  • Verify data residency options for your region

Bottom line: Both meet enterprise security standards at higher tiers. Verify compliance for your industry before buying.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Email/chat all plans; phone on Professional only
  • G2 rating: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised
  • Verify live support availability at your specific target plan tier
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • 24/7 enterprise support; premium tiers contract-specific
  • G2 rating: G2: 3.7/5 (287 reviews); Gartner Peer: 4.4/5
  • Verify live support availability at your specific target plan tier

Bottom line: Support access varies by plan tier. Verify live support availability before choosing your plan.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Review built-in analytics and dashboard capabilities on vendor site
  • Custom reporting availability varies by plan tier
  • Consider third-party BI tool integration requirements
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • Review built-in analytics and dashboard capabilities on vendor site
  • Custom reporting availability varies by plan tier
  • Consider third-party BI tool integration requirements

Bottom line: Analytics depth differs. Evaluate built-in reporting against your team's measurement needs.

SolarWinds

SolarWinds

  • Admin complexity varies by plan tier and team technical maturity
  • Review role-based access and governance features
  • SSO/SAML: verify at your specific target plan tier
BMC Helix (Remedy)

BMC Helix (Remedy)

  • Admin complexity varies by plan tier and team technical maturity
  • Review role-based access and governance features
  • SSO/SAML: verify at your specific target plan tier

Bottom line: Admin complexity varies. Evaluate based on available IT resources and governance requirements.

Pricing & Value Breakdown

Transparent comparison of costs and what's included — SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy)

Plan Tier Plan Tier
SolarWinds SolarWinds
BMC Helix (Remedy) BMC Helix (Remedy)
Free/Entry
No free plan; 30-day trial; Team $19/technician/mo (annual)
No free plan; free trial environment available
Mid-Tier
Business: $39/technician/mo; change mgmt, asset mgmt
ITSM Standard: ~$115/named user/month (estimated)
Professional
Professional: $69/technician/mo; full ITIL, advanced analytics
Professional: modular add-ons; custom quote required
Enterprise
Custom pricing for large orgs; contact sales
Enterprise: custom; full AI agents, ITOM, AIOps included
Unlimited Agent
Not available; per-technician pricing model
Not available; named or concurrent user model

AI Pricing Deep Dive

See which AI capabilities are included vs charged as extras — SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy)

AI Capability AI Capability
SolarWinds SolarWinds
BMC Helix (Remedy) BMC Helix (Remedy)
AI Agent Assistance
AI Agent; included in platform (no add-on)
HelixGPT included in platform; pricing undisclosed
Ticket Summarization
Available via AI Agent; included in platform
Included in Helix AI platform
Response Generation
AI-suggested resolutions; included in platform
Included in Helix AI platform
Intelligent Routing
AI ticket categorization; included in platform
AISM auto-routing; included in platform
Sentiment Analysis
[VERIFY] available in AI feature set
Available via HelixGPT platform
Conversational AI/Chatbot
AI virtual agent; included in platform
Virtual Agent; included in enterprise platform
Pay-per-Resolution
[NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]
[NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; custom per contract

Hidden Costs Comparison

The real cost of SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy) — what's included and what costs extra

Features Features
SolarWinds SolarWinds
BMC Helix (Remedy) BMC Helix (Remedy)
Data storage
Cloud: included
[NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]
File storage
Cloud: included
[NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]
Onboarding
30-day trial onboarding; self-service
Professional services; partner-led
Migration
Cloud-only; migration tools available
Complex; on-prem migrations especially costly
Support
Phone support: Professional only
24/7 included; contract-specific premium
Implementation
Self-service; partner optional
Partner-led; specialized expertise required
Training
THWACK community; online documentation
BMC training programs; certified path

Industry-Specific Use Cases

Find the right platform for your industry

Features Features
SolarWinds SolarWinds
BMC Helix (Remedy) BMC Helix (Remedy)
Verdict Verdict
SaaS / Tech Companies
Strong: great for orgs using SolarWinds observability tools
Strong: hybrid infra management; deep DevOps CI/CD integration
Evaluate SolarWinds vs BMC Helix (Remedy) based on team size and technical maturity
E-commerce / Retail
Moderate: clean ITSM; limited e-commerce integrations
Moderate: complex setup; best for large enterprise retail ops
Verify e-commerce integrations for your specific platform
Healthcare / BFSI
Moderate: cloud-only limits strict data residency compliance
Very strong: on-prem/hybrid; HIPAA; strict data residency
Verify compliance certifications against your regulatory requirements
Education / K-12 / Universities
Strong: used in education; ITIL structure at reasonable cost
Moderate: over-engineered; better for large university IT
Both serve education; evaluate cost and feature depth required
IT Services / MSPs
Moderate: not multi-tenant MSP-designed; single-org focused
Strong: AIOps, CMDB, on-prem/hybrid; large enterprise MSPs
IT/MSP capabilities differ; verify multi-tenant support before buying
Non-profit / Government
Strong: discounts available for non-profits and government
Very strong: on-prem option; proven in government and defense
Compliance and deployment flexibility vary; check government needs
Manufacturing / Logistics
Strong: automatic asset discovery; infrastructure monitoring link
Very strong: hybrid deployment, AIOps, complex asset management
Workflow automation depth differs; evaluate against your stack

Switching to HappyFox from SolarWinds or BMC Helix (Remedy)

The 4-Step Process (2-5 Weeks Total)
1

Export & Assessment

2-5 Days

Export and assess your current setup.

  • All tickets, contacts, and profiles
  • Knowledge base articles and macros
  • SLA policies and team structure
  • Custom fields, tags, and historical data
2

Config & Mapping

3-7 Days

Configure HappyFox and map your data.

  • Ticket categories, statuses and SLAs
  • Team structure and roles
  • Email routing and channels
  • Automation rules and branding
3

Automation Setup

2-5 Days

Set up automation rules and workflows.

  • Ticket routing and escalation rules
  • SLA timers and business hour calendars
  • Smart rules, canned responses, and macros
  • Integration connections and webhook triggers
4

Testing & Go-Live

5-10 Days

Test thoroughly and go live with confidence.

  • End-to-end ticket flow testing
  • Agent training and onboarding sessions
  • Parallel running period (optional)
  • Go-live with HappyFox support on standby

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper: SolarWinds or BMC Helix (Remedy)?
arrow
SolarWinds starts at No free plan; Team $19/technician/month (annual). BMC Helix (Remedy) starts at Custom quote; ~$115/named user/month (est.). Always verify total cost including AI add-ons, usage fees, and any hidden costs before committing to either platform.
Which platform sets up faster?
arrow
SolarWinds setup: Days; rapid cloud-native deployment. BMC Helix (Remedy) setup: 4-6 months; certified partner strongly recommended. Setup time depends on your team's technical maturity and workflow complexity. Use free trials where available before committing.
Which has better AI capabilities?
arrow
SolarWinds AI: AI Agent included in platform; launched October 2025. BMC Helix (Remedy) AI: HelixGPT AI: [NOT PUBLICLY DISCLOSED]; included in platform. Evaluate whether AI is included in base plans or requires add-ons, and what agentic AI is available at your target plan tier.
What are the main hidden costs to watch for?
arrow
For SolarWinds: Asset pricing upon request; Turn/River price increase risk. For BMC Helix (Remedy): Module fees; implementation costs high; annual maintenance fees. Always model your expected volume carefully before committing to avoid billing surprises on your first invoice.
Which platform has better support quality?
arrow
SolarWinds support: Email/chat all plans; phone on Professional only. G2 rating: 4.3/5 (764 reviews); intuitive interface praised. BMC Helix (Remedy) support: 24/7 enterprise support; premium tiers contract-specific. G2 rating: G2: 3.7/5 (287 reviews); Gartner Peer: 4.4/5. Always verify live support at your target plan tier before purchasing.
Editorial Note

This comparison is published by HappyFox and presents our perspective on how platforms compare. While we've made every effort to present accurate information based on publicly available data, vendor documentation, and third-party reviews as of 2026, features and pricing are subject to change. We encourage readers to verify all claims through official vendor websites, request demos from both platforms, and consult independent review sites like G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius. All customer quotes are from verified review platforms and are linked to their original sources.

Why settle for either? See what HappyFox offers.

Custom demo + side-by-side comparison + cost savings analysis

footer-banner-image