Compare Action1 vs ManageEngine vs Intune: Features & Costs

TL;DR Overview:

• Action1: Best for SMBs and Enterprise security-focused teams; cloud-native, fast setup, strong patching + vulnerability management, free up to 200 endpoints
• ManageEngine Endpoint Central: Best all-in-one enterprise platform; includes MDM, DLP, OS imaging, but more complex and higher cost
• Microsoft Intune: Best for Microsoft ecosystems; strong MDM + Conditional Access, but limited patching and requires add-ons for full security
• Patching: Action1 & ManageEngine support cross-OS + third-party apps; Intune is limited without extra tools
• Deployment: Action1 easiest (5 min, no infrastructure); Intune simple if already using Microsoft 365; ManageEngine more complex (especially on-prem)
• Pricing: Action1 free tier (200 endpoints); ManageEngine tiered pricing; Intune per-user subscription + add-ons

Endpoint management platforms deliver the automation capabilities that IT teams desperately need to protect, control, troubleshoot, provision, and monitor different types of on-premises and remote endpoints like desktops, laptops, servers, tablets, virtual machines, mobile phones, and IoT devices from a single console.

If in the early 2000s this seemed futuristic, these days we are lucky enough to use these platforms to streamline repetitive tasks like patching software, deploying applications, enforcing security policies, and managing inventory to keep our networks secure and compliant with the strict regulatory frameworks and standards we are obligated to follow. It’s safe to say that these platforms save us time, resources (hardware and manpower), money, and lots of headaches.

With that in mind, today we are focusing our attention on three of the best endpoint management platforms on the market: Action1, ManageEngine Endpoint Central, and Microsoft Intune. Each of them comes with its key features, advantages, limitations, ease of deployment, pricing, and ratings, which we are going to compare throughout this article.

Our goal is to help you make an informed decision and pick the one that meets your organization’s needs, helps you automate different time-consuming processes that were previously done manually, and gets you the best value for your money.

Core Capabilities of Endpoint Management Platforms

Endpoint management platforms deliver the following typical core capabilities:

• Asset Inventory: You can maintain an up-to-date inventory of all your endpoints connected to your organization’s network with detailed information about their operating system, hardware specifications, installed software, patch and compliance status.
• Unified Endpoint Management: From a single platform you can manage all your on-premises and remote devices regardless of their operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS).
• Remote Monitoring and Management: You get real-time visibility into each of your endpoints regarding their patch, compliance, device (online/offline), and security status. On top of that, you can remotely control or troubleshoot them and keep their software up to date.
• Automated Patch Management: With just a few clicks you can automate the patching process across different operating systems and third-party applications. It’s up to you to create your own policy-driven automations and take complete control over the process following your preferences. Vulnerability remediation and bug fixing gets faster, with fewer unexpected downtime risks.
• Security Policy Enforcement: You can streamline and standardize security settings (password policies, encryption, MFA, firewall) across all your devices to minimize ransomware and security risks.
• Remote Wipe: If an employee reports a stolen or lost device, you can lock it or entirely erase every piece of information it carries to prevent data leakage and other risks.
• Device Provisioning: New devices get all the necessary software installed automatically instead of doing it manually, which is both tedious and time-consuming. This not only speeds up onboarding for new employees, but also frees up your IT team.

Action1 vs ManageEngine vs Intune: Platform Overview

Action1, ManageEngine Endpoint Central, and Microsoft Intune have one thing in common. They were invented with the main goal of helping you manage, monitor, and secure your endpoints. But that doesn’t mean they are the same, and you can see that from the following table.

Platform	What the Platform Does	Audience	Main Product Features	Add-ons/Ecosystem
Action1	Cloud-native autonomous endpoint management platform for patching, vulnerability remediation, software deployment, remote access, and reporting.	IT teams, security teams, SMBs, MSPs, and large enterprises with distributed endpoints.	Cross-OS platform support, third-party app patching, risk-based prioritization, vulnerability detection and remediation, update rings, private software repository, P2P patch distribution, update/approval/hold/ decline per organization, remote endpoint control, software installation and uninstallation, advanced reporting, real-time endpoint visibility, MFA, RBAC, agent-based cloud-native architecture, free tier for up to 200 endpoints.	Integrations with security and vulnerability platforms (e.g., Rapid7, Tenable, ServiceNow, Microsoft Defender, CrowdStrike), REST API for automation and external integrations, plus built-in reporting and compliance capabilities.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central	Unified endpoint management and security platform for managing and securing servers, desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and other endpoints from a centralized console.	IT admins, endpoint management teams, mid-market and enterprise IT departments, MSP variants available.	Cross-OS platform support, third-party application patching, vulnerability detection and remediation, asset inventory management, MDM, OS imaging and deployment, software installation and uninstallation, browser security management, patch testing, DLP, endpoint privilege management, advanced reporting, cloud-based and on-premises solution.	Editions and add-ons include security-focused capabilities, browser security, DEX, malware protection, plus the wider ManageEngine product ecosystem.
Microsoft Intune	Cloud-based endpoint and mobile device management service that manages devices, applications, and user access policies across corporate and BYOD environments.	Enterprises using Microsoft 365, security and identity teams.	Cross-OS platform support (Windows, macOS/limited patching/, Linux Ubuntu Desktop/compliance only, no patching/, iOS, Android), MDM capabilities, MAM capabilities, application deployment and management, device configuration policies, compliance and security policy enforcement, conditional access integration, endpoint security policies, remote device management (wipe, reset, lock, provisioning), cloud-based architecture.	Microsoft Entra ID, Conditional Access, Windows Autopilot, Endpoint Analytics, Configuration Manager/co-management, Intune Plan 2, Intune Suite.

Action1 Endpoint Management Solution Detailed Features

Some of the key endpoint management features that Action1 offers are:

• IT Asset Inventory: Real-time visibility into all your endpoints, installed apps, hardware details, and configuration reports. The agent installed on each of your systems feeds that information to the cloud platform so that you can have a clear picture of its patch, compliance, and online/offline status.
• Patch Management: Patch your Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints alongside their third-party apps automatically. Create a patching policy that fits your organization’s needs and make patching a set-it-and-forget-it process that automatically deploys updates across all your endpoints.
• Software Deployment: Deploy prepackaged and custom apps, software packages, and updates with ease across your on-premises and remote endpoints, directly from your browser.
• Software Uninstall: Bulk removal of unused, outdated, or unauthorized applications.
• Scripting Automation/Configuration Management: You can easily automate configuration tasks at scale, including device configurations, using PowerShell, CMD, or Bash scripts.
• Remote Access: The cloud-native architecture of the platform allows you to access and control all your endpoints anywhere, anytime, directly in your browser with no VPN required.
• Dynamic Endpoint Grouping: Easily organize and manage your endpoints using flexible, rule-based grouping.
• Real-Time Alerts: Get real-time alerts on hardware or software changes, or when a particular endpoint goes offline or online.
• Reboot Management: Be in charge of controlling reboot prompts, deadlines, and user postponement options.
• Custom Endpoint Attributes: Define and automate up to 30 custom attributes per endpoint.
• Real-Time Reporting: You can use 100+ built-in customizable templates to create audit-ready reports after each update deployment.
• Active Directory Integration: Automated agent deployment and dynamic groups based on AD OUs and security groups.
• Audit Trail: Full audit log with filtering and SIEM/XDR integration via API.
• Free Tier: Action1 is completely free for your first 200 endpoints, fully featured, forever. Small-to-mid-sized organizations operating on a tight budget can use it at no cost until they grow above the free tier. Large enterprises and managed service providers can test it for as long as needed before purchase. No hidden fees, no catch, just patching that works.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central Detailed Features

ManageEngine Endpoint Central offers you the following features:

• IT Asset Management: Get real-time visibility into all your assets (hardware and software), including license and warranty tracking. It also tracks software usage and notifies you of license expiry dates, as well as over- and under-usage, to help you avoid unnecessary costs.
• Automated Patch Management: With the platform, you can patch your Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints, plus their third-party applications, with almost no manual effort.
• OS Imaging and Deployment: That’s a strong and handy feature that allows you to automatically image and deploy operating systems to Windows computers in bulk, including critical drivers and applications. Plus, you can deploy to machines in or out of your network using PXE, USB, ISO, or other standalone deployment methods.
• Mobile Device Management: Centralize device, app, email, and content management across every single mobile phone or tablet in your network, regardless of whether it runs Android, iOS, iPadOS, or ChromeOS.
• Application Management and Distribution: Deploy applications to selected endpoints or all of them in minutes. You can also block or allow application usage by applying rule-based filtering. Plus, you can give your employees access to a self-service portal, which enables them to install organization-approved applications on their own.
• Remote Access: Through the platform, you can remotely connect with end users and resolve their issues via text, video, or calls. Keep in mind that there is also an option to record each session for supervision or audit purposes if needed.
• Ransomware Protection: The software uses machine learning and behavior-based technology to detect potential ransomware attacks in real time. If such occur, the system quarantines them immediately and gives you a one-click rollback capability to recover your data.
• Vulnerability Management: Detect and remediate security vulnerabilities across your endpoints and their software, whether it’s the OS or third-party applications. You can start deploying patches to address the flaws or deploy mitigation scripts when no patches are available.
• Data Loss Prevention: Monitor and control the sensitive information that leaves your organization via emails, cloud uploads, printers, and other devices to ensure complete data protection at all times. Instant alerts notify you of potential policy violations and automatically block these attempts.
• Browser Security: With this feature, you can lock down enterprise browsers by enforcing policies around CIS and STIG compliance settings, blocking particular plugins, and restricting access to a list of websites you or your IT team have defined.
• Reporting and Auditing: You can create compliance and tracking reports covering patching, vulnerabilities, software and hardware inventory, and user activity.

Microsoft Intune Endpoint Management Detailed Features

Microsoft Intune comes with the following features:

• Device Management: Intune gives you the opportunity to enroll and manage all your organization-owned or personally owned endpoints, regardless of device type, from its cloud-based console. You can do that across all systems running Android, iOS/iPadOS, Linux (Ubuntu Desktop), macOS, and Windows.
• Mobile Application Management (MAM): With this feature you can protect your organization’s data at the app level, even on personal BYOD devices that are not enrolled in Intune. By protecting the data we mean stopping users from copying, pasting, or exporting data from managed apps to personal ones, so nothing leaves the organization outside the allowed perimeter.
• App Deployment and Management: Through Intune you can easily deploy, update, or remove software across all your managed devices. This covers everything from Win32 and line-of-business apps to Microsoft 365 and public store titles, with the option to configure automatic installation the moment a user signs in for the first time.
• Automated Patch Management: You can automate patching for Windows 10 and Windows 11 (Enterprise, Education, and IoT) endpoints, plus Microsoft 365 Apps, Edge, and Teams through Windows Autopatch. As a side note, keep in mind that third-party application patching is not a native function, so it’s only possible through integration with additional tools.
• Vulnerability Remediation: Intune integrates with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint to identify existing vulnerabilities and then take action to deploy missing updates to remediate them.
• Policy Deployment and Configuration: You have the power to create and deploy security, compliance, configuration profiles, or Conditional Access policies to users and endpoints automatically with no VPN required, as long as they have a stable internet connection.
• Conditional Access: Through its integration with Microsoft Entra ID (previously known as Azure Active Directory), Intune makes sure that only authorized and compliant managed devices can access your company’s applications and data.
• Windows Autopilot: In a few clicks, you can set up and pre-configure devices directly from the cloud and ship them straight to your new employees so they receive ready-to-use equipment. You can also use this feature to automatically upgrade “old” devices to the latest Windows version.
• Device Compliance Policies: Create and enforce baseline security standards across each and every managed endpoint, including minimum OS versions, encryption requirements, and restrictions on jailbroken or rooted devices.
• Self-Service Portal: Your employees can reset their passwords and PINs, install approved apps, and manage their own devices through the Company Portal app or website to reduce ticket volume and speed up problem resolution.
• Reporting and Auditing: Track your endpoints’ compliance or patch status, software inventory, and user activity. From the admin center you can easily access data-driven reports from any device with an internet connection.

Feature Comparison: Action1 vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Microsoft Intune

Vendor	Cross-OS Patching (Windows, macOS, Linux)	Third-Party Patching	Update Rings	P2P Patch Distribution	Remote Control	Free Tier with No Limitations
Action1 Endpoint Management	✅Windows, macOS, Linux	✅Yes.	✅Yes.	✅Yes.	✅Yes.	✅Up to 200 endpoints. Fully featured, forever.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central	✅Windows, macOS, Linux	✅Yes.	✅Yes.	❌No.	✅Yes.	❌Free tier for up to 25 endpoints + 25 mobile devices. Limited functionality.
Microsoft Intune	❌Windows and macOS /no native patching for Linux.	❌Manual repackaging required	✅Yes	✅Through Windows delivery optimization/ not a native feature.	✅⚠️Limited. Full control needs add-on.	❌No.

Enterprise Patch Management Capabilities

Enterprise patch management platforms must automate the end-to-end patching process from vulnerability identification to remediation across your on-premises and remote endpoints, strengthening your security posture, protecting your systems from cyberattacks, keeping them compliant with strict regulatory standards, and ensuring they always run the latest OS and third-party application versions.

These days, many organizations can’t afford extensive downtime during maintenance windows, and they fear the damage an unstable patch can do to their endpoints just as much as the cyberattacks themselves. Fortunately, modern enterprise patch management platforms give you everything you need to keep those fears from becoming a reality through:

• Cloud-native architecture
• Real-time reporting
• Cross-OS platform support
• Third-party application patching
• Vulnerability management and risk-based prioritization
• Autonomous patching
• Update rings or other testing features
• Catch-up patching for offline endpoints upon reconnection
• One-click patch rollback capability
• Flexibility to deploy patches immediately or on a schedule
• P2P patch distribution for minimized external bandwidth consumption and faster deployments
• Private secure software repository
• Ability to deploy, hold, or decline particular patches at an organizational or department level
• Security features like MFA and RBAC
• Advanced reporting capabilities
• Third-party integrations
• Seamless scalability

Action1 Patch Management Capabilities

Action1 is built around a single idea that patch management should require as little human intervention as possible. The platform’s lightweight agent monitors every enrolled endpoint in real time and automatically reports on each endpoint’s patch, compliance, and device status, so the moment you log in, you already know exactly where you stand. From there, you can see every identified vulnerability and missing patch across the operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) and third-party applications, all from your browser.

In minutes, you can create your first automation to remediate all known software flaws and reuse it as your recurring patching workflow going forward. The update rings feature allows you to separate your endpoints into groups (the first group is always a testing one), set success rates, and roll out updates autonomously in stages. In this way, only reliable patches that meet those criteria will progress from the inner to the outer rings, while those that fall short are blocked from advancing. That way, you minimize unexpected downtime risks while ensuring timely vulnerability remediation.

Beyond the automated rollout, you stay in full control of what gets deployed and where. It’s up to you to decide whether a single patch or several need to be deployed across all endpoints or just to a specific department or organization, and whether these endpoints should reboot immediately or at a specific time. You have the flexibility to approve, decline, or hold updates according to your needs.

On the infrastructure side, Action1 relies on a privately maintained software repository, which guarantees that every patch that reaches your endpoints is thoroughly tested by Action1’s team of experts, eliminating the malware and supply chain attack risks that community-maintained repositories hide. For faster deployments, the platform uses P2P patch distribution, which also minimizes external bandwidth consumption.

Action1 comes with advanced reporting capabilities, including 100+ built-in customizable templates on patching, vulnerabilities, software and hardware inventory, security configuration, and more. So you can generate detailed audit-ready reports in minutes after each update deployment.

The software is highly secure and infinitely scalable, allowing you to go from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints at a gradually lowering per-endpoint price. And to top it all off, Action1 is free for your first 200 endpoints, with no functional limits, forever.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central Patch Management Capabilities

ManageEngine Endpoint Central fully automates the delivery of software updates for Windows, macOS, and Linux devices and a wide range of third-party applications. The platform keeps your on-premises and remote endpoints up to date by sourcing patches from its central repository maintained by Zoho Corp., which scans the internet 24/7 for the latest patches and vulnerabilities.

The advantage is that every patch gets tested and verified before it’s added to that repository and of course before reaching your endpoints. Through automated scanning, the platform identifies vulnerabilities across your endpoints’ operating systems and third-party applications and allows you to start remediating them with patch deployments.

To avoid or at least minimize downtime risks, you can set up test groups and automate patch installation on those systems first, and select how many days must pass before a tested patch gets automatically rolled out across the rest of your endpoints in your network. That’s quite a smart feature, verifying that each patch works as expected, is stable, and doesn’t cause any new issues after its deployment.

In a situation where a particular update “breaks” any device, you can simply decline it and stop its rollout outside the testing group. For scheduling, ManageEngine gives you the needed flexibility to deploy patches at a convenient time, like outside business hours. You can specify exactly when patches should get deployed, set reboot policies, and leave an option for end users to postpone deployments if they want to finish their work before the update process begins.

The platform can also wake computers on the LAN if they are shut down, so they can also be patched. The final step after successful deployment is to generate reports, and in this case you get built-in templates that help you do that in minutes. You can schedule automated report generation and have them delivered to your inbox in CSV, XLS, or PDF format. Or use the templates and customize them according to your needs at the moment. In both cases, you get audit-ready reports that can be used for proving compliance or for internal system monitoring and tracking purposes.

Microsoft Intune Patch Management Capabilities

Microsoft Intune manages Windows updates through WUfB, which connects your devices directly to the Windows Update service and gives you control over update behavior through policies like deferrals, deadlines, and restart settings.

You can configure all of this manually through update rings in Intune, or you can let Windows Autopatch handle it automatically. It is the cloud service that automates update distribution for Windows and other products from Microsoft’s catalog like Microsoft 365 Apps, Edge, and Teams. When enabled, Intune sends your update policies and configuration details to Windows Update, and your devices start downloading the updates directly from there.

Next, you can separate your endpoints into groups (deployment rings) and Windows Autopatch takes care of rolling updates from one ring to the next. Only stable patches move to the next ring, while problematic ones don’t. So if anything goes wrong with a particular patch, a small group of devices will get affected, not your entire organization. However, if a faulty update does somehow slip through, you can pause, roll back, or resume quality and feature updates directly from the Intune admin center.

Moreover, if your endpoints are running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later on supported Enterprise and Business Premium licenses, Intune offers hotpatching, which deploys security updates without requiring a device restart (it’s very similar to Linux live patching). That’s of utmost importance for large enterprises, since teams gain the ability to deploy security updates without disrupting end users.

For emergency situations where a critical vulnerability must be addressed as soon as possible, you can use expedite policies to roll out security updates immediately, overriding any deferral settings you have in place.

If you have multiple macOS devices across your network, Intune can manage operating system updates natively through Declarative Device Management policies, giving you similar flexibility on when and how updates are installed across your Apple endpoints.

However, third-party application patching is a different story on both platforms. On Windows, it requires manual packaging of apps into .intunewin format before they can be deployed through Intune, and coverage through the built-in Enterprise App Catalog is limited. On macOS, there’s no native path for third-party app patching at all, so you’ll need additional tools or workarounds to cover those apps. Finally, in terms of reporting, you get built-in update compliance and deployment status reports directly from the Intune admin center.

When it comes to vulnerability management, Intune offers a Vulnerability Remediation Agent that identifies CVEs across your managed devices, shows CVSS scores, and prioritizes them by severity, exposure impact, and the number of affected devices.

However, be aware that this isn’t included out of the box. It requires Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 or a Defender Vulnerability Management Standalone license, and the AI-driven remediation agent requires Security Copilot licensing on top of that. So unlike Action1 and ManageEngine, where vulnerability management is included out of the box, with Intune you’re looking at additional products and costs.

Ease of Deployment and Setup

Ease of deployment and setup is just as important as the functionalities of each endpoint management platform. The truth is that organizations of all sizes prefer user-friendly platforms that are easy to deploy and use, and that’s perfectly natural, since they seek automation that streamlines routine tasks, not tools that overcomplicate the process. That’s why we are now going to focus on this critical area.

Action1 Deployment Review

Action1 is recognized by G2 as a top-rated, cloud-native AEM platform that holds awards for “Easiest to Use”, “Most Implementable” and “Easiest Setup”. The software literally takes up to 5 minutes from creating your first account to deploying the agent and starting to patch and manage your endpoints. These awards come straight from real users, as G2 bases its evaluations on verified customer reviews and independent market data, not subjective analyst opinions.

Action1 is cloud-native and does not require any additional infrastructure, VPN, or complex configuration. The agent itself can be deployed manually on individual endpoints or automatically across your entire network using scripts, giving you full flexibility regardless of your environment. Once installed, every device equipped with it gets monitored 24/7 for its patch, compliance, and online/offline status, whether it’s in the office or in remote locations.

ManageEngine Deployment Review

ManageEngine Endpoint Central gives you the choice between a cloud-based and an on-premises deployment, making it suitable for both office-based and distributed organizations. Now pay attention to the fact that the software is not cloud-native but cloud-based, meaning the cloud version is hosted in ManageEngine’s own data centers, so you don’t need to worry about setting up or maintaining your own backend infrastructure.

On the other hand, the on-premises version requires you to put money on the table to build and maintain your own local server. As you can imagine, this will not only require resource and manpower investments but will also add significant complexity. However, it’s up to you to decide what fits your business best.

Keep in mind that regardless of the deployment model you choose, the platform is agent-based, meaning you need to install a lightweight piece of software on each endpoint that will silently run in the background and be responsible for installing patches, deploying software, and reporting back to the server. In terms of agent deployment, you can do it manually, through GPO, via scripts, or through SCCM.

Microsoft Intune Deployment Review

Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management solution, so you don’t need to set up servers, VPNs, or any other on-premises infrastructure. You can manage your on-premises and remote endpoints directly from the admin center, which is a web-based console for managing devices, applications, and users.

The thing is that Intune is not included in all Microsoft 365 subscriptions, so you have to check whether you already have access to it before thinking about a purchase. In either case, you have to create your Intune tenant, add your users and groups through Microsoft Entra ID, assign licenses, and start adding the endpoints you want to manage. You can do this in three ways: manually, automatically through Microsoft Entra ID, or with Windows Autopilot, which as we already know enables zero-touch provisioning.

Security and Compliance Features

Let’s have a look at what security and compliance features each platform offers you.

Action1 Security and Compliance Features

At Action1, security is taken seriously, and the goal is to give you complete peace of mind that your endpoints and your data are in safe hands. That is why every security feature below comes built in at no extra cost, backed by verified independent certifications:

• Certifications: SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, TX-RAMP, and CSA
• Data Encryption: End-to-end encryption using 2048-bit RSA private keys with TLS 1.2/AES-256 agent protocol.
• Authentication: Mandatory MFA for all users via app or email, plus Single Sign-On support for Entra ID, Okta, Google, and more.
• Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC), IP restrictions, and OAuth 2.0 for API access.
• Malware Patch Scanning: Every patch is scanned for malware before being added to our private software repository to protect your endpoints.
• Compliance Frameworks: GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, NIST, SOX, and CAIQ.
• Audit and Monitoring: Full audit trail, round-the-clock security monitoring, and SIEM/XDR integration via API.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central Security and Compliance Features

ManageEngine Endpoint Central comes with strong security features and compliance certifications that cover both the platform itself and every piece of data you provide:

• Certifications: SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27701, ISO/IEC 27017, TX-RAMP, and CSA/CAIQ.
• Data Encryption: HTTPS/TLS 1.2 for data in transit and AES-256 encryption for sensitive data at rest.
• Authentication: Two-factor authentication via email or authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, DUO, Zoho OneAuth), plus SSO via SAML for identity providers like AD FS and Okta.
• Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC).
• Compliance Frameworks: HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR, CIS benchmarks, and NIST 800-171.
• Audit and Monitoring: Detailed audit logging, dedicated 24/7 security and privacy teams, and continuous vulnerability scanning using certified third-party and in-house tools.

Microsoft Intune Security and Compliance Features

Microsoft Intune benefits from the tech giant’s enterprise-grade infrastructure and offers multiple certifications and built-in controls that protect your devices, apps, and data.

• Certifications: SOC 2 Type 2, SOC 1 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 27017, ISO/IEC 27018, ISO/IEC 27701, and ISO 22301.
• Compliance Frameworks: GDPR and HIPAA.
• Data Encryption: Data encrypted at rest and in transit across all managed devices, with BitLocker enforcement for Windows devices and FileVault for macOS devices managed through Intune policies.
• Authentication: MFA is mandatory for all Intune admin center access, enforced through Microsoft Entra Conditional Access.
• Conditional Access: Guarantees that only compliant and authorized managed devices can access your organization’s apps and data.
• Access Control: Role-based access control (RBAC) to ensure admins only get the permissions they need for their specific role, nothing more, nothing less.
• Device Compliance Enforcement: Maintains baseline security standards across all your managed devices.
• Audit and Reporting: Auditing and reporting are available through Microsoft Purview, included with Microsoft 365 E5 licensing.

Integration and Ecosystem

Endpoint management platforms deliver exceptional features and automate routine tasks to help every IT admin escape the vicious cycle of manual workload. But they can be even more helpful and effective when connected with other tools your IT or security team already uses, like ticketing systems, vulnerability managers, or SIEM platforms.

Action1 Integrations

Action1 integrates with the following leading vulnerability management, security, and ITSM platforms:

• Vulnerability and Security: Rapid7 InsightVM, Tenable, CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint
• ITSM: ServiceNow
• Identity and SSO: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, Google, Duo

Last but not least, Action1 offers a full REST API secured with OAuth 2.0 at no extra cost, so your team can build custom integrations with other platforms you already use.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central Integrations

ManageEngine Endpoint Central integrates with the following platforms:

• Vulnerability and Security: Tenable VM, Tenable SC, Rapid7 InsightVM, CrowdStrike Falcon Spotlight, Qualys
• ITSM: ServiceNow, Jira, Freshservice, Zendesk, ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
• SIEM: QRadar, Splunk, LogRhythm, Elastic Security (via syslog)
• Workflow Automation: Zoho Flow
• ManageEngine Ecosystem: Analytics Plus, Asset Explorer, PAM360

The platform also equips you with an API Explorer for seamless integration with other tools in your stack.

Microsoft Intune Integrations

Microsoft Intune integrates with the following platforms:

• Microsoft Ecosystem: Microsoft Entra ID, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft 365 Apps, Configuration Manager, Windows Autopilot, Endpoint Analytics
• ITSM: ServiceNow (note: requires the Remote Help add-on license)
• Network Access Control (NAC): Cisco ISE, Citrix Gateway, F5 BIG-IP, Aruba ClearPass
• Mobile Threat Defense (MTD): Lookout, Zimperium, Check Point, SentinelOne, and other third-party MTD partners

Pricing Comparison

Vendor	Pricing Model
Action1	Free Tier: For your first 200 endpoints with no feature limits, forever. Paid Tier: Beyond 200 endpoints, you get a custom quote with pricing per endpoint, billed annually. The more endpoints you manage, the lower the price gets.
ManageEngine Endpoint Central	Professional (50 endpoints/ 1 technician): On-premises: $795/year or $1,987 perpetual /Cloud: $104/month or $1,045/year Enterprise (50 endpoints / 1 technician): On-premises: $945/year or $2,362 perpetual / Cloud: $124/month or $1,245/year UEM (50 endpoints / 1 technician): On-premises: $1,095/year or $2,738 perpetual / Cloud: $139/month or $1,395/year Security (50 workstations / 1 technician): On-premises: $1,695/year or $4,238 perpetual / Cloud: $205/month or $2,045/year !!! NOTE: All prices shown are for 50 endpoints and 1 technician. The more endpoints and technicians you add, the higher the price
Microsoft Intune	Pricing is per user, per month, billed annually. Three plans are available: Plan 1: $8/user/month (core endpoint management) Plan 2: $4/user/month add-on to Plan 1 (advanced management capabilities) Intune Suite: $10/user/month add-on to Plan 1 (all advanced features included)

Pros and Cons

Action1/Pros	ManageEngine Endpoint Central/Pros	Microsoft Intune/Pros
Cloud-native, no infrastructure required.	Flexible deployment: cloud or on-premises.	Cloud-based, no infrastructure required.
Cross-Platform OS Support: Windows, macOS, and Linux.	Cross-Platform OS Support: Windows, macOS, and Linux.	Cross-Platform OS Support: Windows and macOS. Linux Ubuntu Desktop for compliance only.
Third-party application patching.	Third-party application patching.	Partial support via manual packaging and Enterprise App Catalog.
Fastest setup in the market, under 5 minutes.	Broad all-in-one platform beyond just patching.	Strong MDM and Conditional Access capabilities.
Built-in vulnerability management with CVE, CVSS scores and CISA KEV included in base price.	Full MDM included for mobile devices.	Deep integration with Microsoft 365 ecosystem.
P2P patch distribution for faster deployments and lower bandwidth consumption.	OS imaging and deployment included.	Per user pricing scales well in large Microsoft environments.
Private secure software repository eliminates supply chain attack risks.	Data loss prevention and browser security built in.	Windows Autopatch automates update delivery with no manual effort.
Infinitely scalable with gradually lowering per-endpoint cost.	Fully published transparent pricing.	Fully published transparent pricing.
Free tier for up to 200 endpoints with no feature limits, forever.	Dedicated MSP edition available.	Strong device compliance and policy enforcement.
Purpose-built for organizations of all sizes including MSPs with multi-tenancy and RBAC.	Supports 75+ CIS benchmarks for compliance.	Passwordless authentication and Zero Trust support.
Action1/Cons	ManageEngine Endpoint Central/Cons	Microsoft Intune/Cons
No data loss prevention.	Setup complexity on on-premises version.	No native third-party application patching.
No OS imaging and deployment.	Higher entry price for smaller organizations.	Vulnerability management requires paid Defender for Endpoint add-on.
No one-click rollback capability.	Interface can feel cluttered with many features.	No free tier available.
Action1 Ratings	ManageEngine Endpoint Central Ratings	Microsoft Intune Ratings
G2: 4.9/5.0 ⭐ (890+ reviews) Capterra: 4.9/5.0 ⭐ (230+ reviews)	G2: 4.5/5.0⭐(1060+ reviews) Capterra: 4.6/5.0⭐(1400+ reviews)	G2: 4.5/5.0⭐(250+ reviews) Capterra: 4.5/5.0⭐(39+ reviews)

Which Endpoint Management Tool Is Best for Your Organization?

If you are expecting a universal answer to that question, there isn’t one. Every organization is different in size, industry, number of endpoints, and environment complexity. To find the best endpoint management tool, you need to consider your company’s specific requirements and whether the features and capabilities of one of these platforms can fully address your biggest pain points.

Below we break down which platform is the best option depending on your situation.

Best for SMB and Security-Focused Teams

Action1 is the best option for SMBs and security-focused teams because it offers a solid set of built-in security features like encryption, MFA, and RBAC, and it is free for up to 200 endpoints with no feature or time limits. Small-to-mid-sized companies can get enterprise-grade security and autonomous endpoint management capabilities to protect their assets with minimal manual effort and maximum efficiency.

On top of that, Action1 gives security-focused teams real-time visibility into every vulnerability across their endpoints, complete with CVE numbers, CVSS scores, and CISA KEV exploitation data, so they always know exactly which threats need immediate attention.

With Action1, you can automate vulnerability identification and remediation, report generation, and software deployment and uninstallation, while getting real-time monitoring, all without VPNs, complex configurations, or investments in expensive infrastructure.

Best for Microsoft-Centric Environments

If your organization is built on Windows endpoints, Intune is the obvious starting point. It plugs straight into everything you already have: Entra ID, Defender for Endpoint, and Windows Autopilot, and if you are on E3, E5, or Business Premium, you are already paying for it without even knowing it.

The thing is that Intune was built for device management and works best with Microsoft products. Third-party application patching is not natively supported, Windows Server is completely off the table, and if you want vulnerability management you need to pay extra for a Defender for Endpoint add-on. And if we have to be brutally honest, that adds up fast.

This is exactly why many Microsoft-centric organizations pair Intune with Action1, instead of investing in multiple tools to fill the gaps. The integration is straightforward. You deploy the Action1 agent to your Windows endpoints directly through the Intune admin center, and from that point you get autonomous patching for 630+ third party apps, real-time CVE and CVSS vulnerability data, and full coverage across Windows and Windows Server.

Best for Enterprise Endpoint Management

For enterprise endpoint management, you have two strong options: Action1 and ManageEngine Endpoint Central. The right choice depends on what your organization actually needs.

If your company relies heavily on remote employees and needs autonomous patching for Windows, macOS, and Linux devices alongside their third party applications, remote support, real time vulnerability assessment, software deployment and uninstallation, and seamless scalability with no VPN or additional infrastructure required, Action1 is the perfect match.

On the other hand, if your enterprise needs a broader all-in-one platform that also covers MDM, OS imaging, data loss prevention, and browser security, ManageEngine Endpoint Central is the stronger choice. When you combine those capabilities with its strong cross-OS platform support and broad third-party application coverage, it becomes one of the most complete endpoint management platforms available for large organizations.

So which endpoint management platform is better than the rest?

Endpoint management platforms give IT teams a space to breathe by automating routine tasks like patching endpoints, installing or uninstalling software, troubleshooting, and generating or even exporting reports for audit or tracking purposes. The problem is that what resonates well with one organization and its environment may fall short with another.

That’s why you have to carefully pick a platform, not by choosing the highest-rated option, but by evaluating its features, pros, cons, and automation level to ensure it will successfully solve your pain points, strengthen your company’s overall security posture, and help you keep every device updated, compliant, and well maintained regardless of where it is.

Action1 is perfect for organizations of all sizes. Since it’s cloud native, it offers autonomous endpoint management capabilities, cross-OS platform support, an extensive third-party application catalog, bulk software installation and uninstallation, built-in vulnerability management and remediation capabilities, P2P patch distribution, real-time endpoint visibility, and remote control. It requires no VPN, appliances, or on-premises infrastructure. It just works.

The platform helps you automate end-to-end patch management and software deployment, but in practice it offers a lot more. Strong security, flexible scheduling, dynamic grouping, asset management, a private software repository, MFA, RBAC, multi-tenancy, and more. It takes 5 minutes to set up, has a user friendly and highly intuitive interface, and it’s free for up to 200 endpoints with no feature limits, forever.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central, on the other hand, is also a strong option for IT teams seeking professional-level automation across patching, software deployment, real-time reporting and monitoring, OS imaging, browser security, remote assistance and control, Conditional Access, DLP, vulnerability management, and asset management.

In terms of deployment, it offers two options: a cloud-based or an on-premises solution. The cloud based option eliminates the need to build or maintain your own backend infrastructure, while the on-premises version will demand investment from your side to build and maintain a local server.

Ultimately, ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a perfect fit for large enterprises that need a broad platform to protect their endpoints and data. By contrast, it’s not such a great option for small-to-mid sized organizations, since it comes at a higher price compared to the other two platforms.

Finally, Microsoft Intune is the right choice if your organization is built on Windows endpoints and already uses Microsoft 365. It delivers strong endpoint management capabilities including MDM, MAM, device compliance enforcement, Conditional Access, and Windows Autopilot for zero-touch device provisioning, all tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem your team already knows.

If your primary challenge is managing and securing a large fleet of corporate and BYOD devices across Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android while staying within the Microsoft stack, Intune handles that well. Where it falls short is broader patch management, third-party application patching, and vulnerability management, areas where most organizations end up complementing it with additional tools.