Top 7 Alternatives to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus

Looking for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus alternatives? You are in the right place, since we are going to introduce you to the top 7 platforms for patch management, including Action1, NinjaOne, Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management, SolarWinds Patch Manager, Automox, Atera, GFI LanGuard.

Whether you’re ready to replace ManageEngine with a better solution or start using patch management software for the first time, this article provides comprehensive insights about each platform to help you make an informed decision that meets your organization’s specific requirements.

Keeping your systems up-to-date does not only remediate software vulnerabilities and protect you from cyberattacks, but also helps you adhere to regulatory standards and keep your systems running smoothly. When automating the entire process, you are saving time, money, and minimizing unexpected downtime while enhancing your overall security posture and boosting your team’s productivity.

To benefit from these advantages, you must make sure that you are not only equipped with patch management software, but with the right one for your company’s needs.

Why Would You Look for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus Alternatives?

ManageEngine is a reliable patch management platform offering a broad feature set for automating your patching processes. However, it has significant limitations, which we will discuss below:

• Patch deployment failures: Users frequently report patch deployment and installation challenges, particularly unclear error messages and unexplained failures during the patching process.

• Basic reporting capabilities: Being unable to generate detailed reports makes it hard to prove regulatory adherence.

• Automation gaps: Some updates need manual efforts to be deployed, since they simply don’t auto-download; in such cases, you must fetch and upload files by yourself before distribution, which is quite disappointing and time-consuming.

• Catalog gaps for third-party apps: You can’t add software that isn’t already in PMP’s catalog. If you rely on third-party applications critical to your business operations outside the catalog, you can’t patch them automatically and must resort to manual updates or workarounds.

• Outdated user interface: Multiple users report finding the initial setup time-consuming and describe the interface as outdated, highlighting the need for UI modernization to improve the overall user experience.

• High price: The platform carries a higher price tag than many patch management alternatives that provide the same or even better functionality.

• Complex endpoint grouping: Group management functions like creating, filtering, and searching are overly complicated, making simple tasks frustrating.

What to Consider When Looking for an Alternative to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus for Patch Management?

Choosing the right ManageEngine alternative requires evaluating several key areas where patch management solutions differ significantly. Your decision should be based on how well each option addresses these essential requirements:

OS & Third-party App Coverage

Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, and Linux) is a must, especially if your network is built on mixed operating systems. This will allow you to keep both your on-premises and remote endpoints current and remediate vulnerabilities in a timely manner. Support for third-party applications is equally important as being able to patch your operating systems, so you need to check if all of the applications used across your devices can be covered by the vendor you choose.

A reliable and efficient patch management platform must provide you with the ability to entirely automate the patching process. This includes vulnerability identification, patch scheduling, testing, deployment, and report generation. This kind of automation will allow you to save time and money, optimize resource allocation, adhere to regulatory standards, and minimize the attack surface across your network.

Remember that it is highly important not only to be able to automate the process but also to do it as effortlessly as possible. Even the best patch management software becomes inefficient if you or your team can’t use its full potential due to its complexity.

Cloud vs On-Prem vs Hybrid

• Cloud-based platforms: These platforms do not require any on-premises hardware to function. All you need is a browser for managing, patching, and updating all of your endpoints from anywhere. What’s more is that with such software, you can manage large numbers of endpoints with minimal staff, which cuts manpower costs significantly. In other words, you get rapid deployments, automatic updates, and no infrastructure maintenance.

• On-premises platforms: As the name suggests, these platforms are installed within your data center, giving you complete control over your infrastructure and data. However, this means that your IT team must manage servers, databases, and updates, while this approach provides maximum security and extensive customization options. This works well for air-gapped networks and when needed to follow strict regulatory compliance, but don’t forget that this comes with higher upfront costs, ongoing maintenance, and longer initial setup timelines. Last but not least, to patch your remote endpoints, you will need VPN connectivity or gateway infrastructure, as on-premises servers cannot directly communicate with devices outside your network.

• Hybrid platforms: Hybrid deployments combine cloud management platform consoles with on-premises components, or vice versa. You might run the interface in the cloud while keeping patch repositories on-site, or use on-premises management with cloud distribution points. This approach helps with bandwidth optimization, enables compliance with data residency requirements, and can simplify remote endpoint management compared to pure on-premises solutions. Hybrid patching tools offer scalability with selective control but require more complex configuration across your IT environment.

Agent-based vs Agentless

• Agent-Based Approach: These patch management platforms require an agent (lightweight software) to be installed across every single endpoint in your network to gather real-time information by running constantly in the background, then communicating with the central management platform. The advantage here is that the agent works even when remote devices disconnect from your network, storing patch instructions locally and executing them once the device comes back online. So if a particular endpoint is offline during a scheduled patch/update deployment, once it reconnects, it will install the update(s) automatically.

• Agentless Approach: Agentless patch management platforms manage endpoints remotely without installing additional software. They work by connecting directly to devices using built-in protocols like WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) or SSH. Two things are important here. First, this approach keeps endpoints clean and does not require any software installations, but your devices must remain connected to your network during scheduled patching deployments; otherwise, they will not receive them. Second, agentless platforms work slower since they must first establish new connections for each task and cannot leverage local caching like agent-based systems.

Reporting and Compliance

Being able to generate detailed reports after each update/patch lifecycle is highly important, since this allows you to adhere to the strict regulatory standards your organization operates under. So when choosing a patch management platform for your company, double-check its reporting capabilities, and ensure that it offers not only built-in templates but also allows you to customize them based on your needs.

Generating such reports with just a few clicks not only saves time and boosts your IT team’s productivity but also protects your company from facing regulatory penalties and costly fines.

Scalability

You need software that offers seamless scalability, allowing you to grow from hundreds to thousands of endpoints smoothly. You must be well aware of your organization’s current needs and future growth plans when choosing a patch management platform. This will help you avoid unexpected constraints and challenges as your business expands.

Cost & Licensing Model

Not all vendors use the same pricing model, so let’s explore the different approaches to understand better what to expect before purchase and avoid costly mistakes.

• Per-endpoint pricing model: Many vendors use this method and charge based on the number of your endpoints. Keep in mind that some platforms offer free tiers to try the software, while others start charging from the first endpoint. Look for patch management software that offers progressively lower per-endpoint costs as your company expands, since this can cut down your annual expenses.

• Per-user pricing model: If the vendor uses this pricing model, then you will be charged based on the number of users (admins) that will be using the software regardless of how many devices they manage.

• Tiered or feature-based pricing: According to this pricing model, you will be offered different subscription levels with varying capabilities. You might see Professional, Enterprise, or even Premium tiers, where each plan includes more advanced capabilities like customizable reports, advanced automation, priority support, and various security features like MFA, role-based access controls, and many more. You must choose the tier that matches your actual needs rather than paying for functionalities that you won’t use at all.

• Subscription vs. perpetual: Most cloud-based platforms typically charge you annually without any additional fees, while on-premises vendors may offer you perpetual licenses with separate maintenance fees. That’s why you should consider long-term costs when deciding which platform to choose.

• Custom or enterprise licensing: Large enterprises frequently have complex requirements, and that’s why they need tailored pricing plans. These custom quotes offer lower per-device rates and include additional services but require direct contact and negotiation with the vendor.

Ease of Use

Apart from the key features of the software, ease of use is of utmost importance when evaluating different patch management platforms. To benefit most from the software and use its full capabilities, it must allow you to manage your endpoints with ease, not to make the process complicated and time-consuming. Software that offers a wide range of robust features but lacks an intuitive interface kills productivity, since it will require significant technical expertise and time to get used to work with it.

Integrations

The patch management platform you choose must offer seamless integration capabilities with your existing IT Service Management (ITSM), security solutions, hardware and software assets inventory systems, and other business-crucial applications for streamlining workflows, improving visibility, and boosting your team’s productivity. Robust APIs are a great way to make sure that there won’t be unexpected conflicts between different software, since they allow custom integrations with a variety of systems and third-party management software.

This will enable your IT team to build automated workflows that fit your specific organizational requirements, because, if we have to be honest, it’s way too hard to find software that will perfectly fit with each piece of software you use across your network. It’s not impossible, but conflicts tend to happen way more often than we would like. However, APIs can prevent conflicts with your existing systems and operational silos, which always lead to reduced overall efficiency.

What Are the Top ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus Competitors and Alternatives?

The best alternatives to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus are Action1, NinjaOne, Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management, SolarWinds Patch Manager, Automox, Atera, and GFI Languard. These software solutions offer advanced capabilities, robust features, data security, and workflow automation from a single platform. To help you with choosing the right software for your company, we will discuss them in detail one by one alongside their pros, cons, and feature set.

Action1

Action1 is a cloud-based autonomous endpoint management platform that tightly focuses on automating patch management processes to eliminate manual workload and keep your endpoints secure, compliant, and smoothly performing. Action1 is an agent-based platform that automatically detects vulnerabilities across your on-premises and remote endpoints and prioritizes them based on their criticality (CVSS scores, CVE numbers, and potential business impact).

It then provides you with a list of missing patches and updates across your Windows, macOS, and third-party applications to remediate the identified software weaknesses, where you have an option to deploy them immediately or schedule them for a convenient time. To minimize downtime risks further, you can use the autonomous update rings that allow grouping your endpoints and starting deployment in a test environment before organizational-wide rollout.

This approach provides you with a fully autonomous, phased, risk-free, intelligent deployment, where if a patch/update meets success rates, it proceeds to the next ring; if the criteria are not met, it won’t. After each patch lifecycle, you can generate detailed compliance reports with just a few clicks using the 100+ built-in templates or customize them according to your requirements.

Since the platform is cloud-native, you can manage your endpoints from anywhere directly from your browser—no VPN required. Action1 is highly secure patch management software that is certified for SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, TX-RAMP, CSA, CISA Secure by Design, CAIQ, and GDPR. What’s more, you can use the platform for free for up to 200 endpoints with no feature limits, forever.

In other words, Action1 keeps your endpoints up-to-date, saves you time and money, boosts your IT team’s productivity, and reduces the risk of experiencing cyberattacks launched through vulnerability exploitation.

Key features:

• Cross-Platform Support: Windows and macOS (Linux coming soon).

• Third-Party Application Patching: Automated patching of numerous software titles on Windows and macOS based on filters (severity, vendor, etc.) with real-time progress status and 99% coverage for typical enterprise environments (Adobe, Chrome, Zoom, etc.)

• Patches Offline Devices: If any endpoints are offline during patch/update deployments, they will be patched once they come back online.

• Vulnerability Management: Real-time vulnerability detection with built-in remediation capabilities.

• Risk-Based Patch Management: Action1 prioritizes and applies patches and updates based on their criticality, potential business impact, CVE numbers, and CVSS scores.

• IT Asset Management Inventory: The advanced asset tracking enables real-time monitoring of your endpoints’ system health, patch status, and hardware configuration.

• Software Deployment: Automated deployment of prepackaged and custom applications.

• Software Uninstall: Eases the process of uninstalling multiple unauthorized or legacy applications across your endpoints.

• Scripting Automation: Equips you with built-in scripts while supporting PowerShell, CMD, and Bash scripting capabilities.

• Real-time Reporting: Create detailed reports with just a few clicks to help you adhere to regulatory standards. You can use the 100+ built-in templates or create custom reports according to your organization’s requirements.

• Role-based Access Control (RBAC): Empower your employees with the right level of access, allowing specific users to manage endpoints or configure automations, while giving view-only access to certain reports to others. This way you can reduce security risks without affecting your team’s productivity. Action1’s RBAC is fully customizable with customer-defined roles granting permissions to scopes (organizations, groups, scripts, etc.) and functions (reports, automations, dashboards, etc.)

• Single Sign-On (SSO): Seamlessly integrates with your existing identity provider for Single Sign-On (SSO), including Entra ID (Azure AD), Okta, Google, or Duo.

• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Strengthens your endpoint security posture and protects access to business-critical data and applications through email verification or authentication applications like Google Authenticator and Duo.

• Update Rings: Confidently patch your endpoints through phased, risk-free, autonomous patch rollouts. Updates advance from inner to outer rings based on predefined success metrics, ensuring that only reliable patches move forward, while problematic ones don’t. Thus, unexpected downtime risks are minimized as much as possible.

• Update Approval per Organization: Software update approvals can be managed at the organizational level, rather than uniformly across the entire enterprise. Allowing you to approve, hold, or decline updates for each unit, client, or department within the Action1 platform.

• P2P Patch Distribution: Minimizes external bandwidth usage while ensuring rapid deployment of large updates without requiring any on-premise cache servers by downloading updates and patches only once and sharing them between your endpoints.

• Privately Maintained Secure Software Repository: Only reliable and thoroughly tested patches and updates reach your endpoints.

• Custom Endpoint Attributes: Configure custom attributes based on registry keys, installed or missing software, machine type (VM, physical, laptop, server, etc.), warranty expiration date, BitLocker status, free disk space, BIOS version, and more.

• Remote Access: Allows you to manage both your on-premise and remote endpoints from anywhere without a VPN connection, directly in your browser.

• Public Roadmap: Feedback-driven development prioritized by customer votes in Action1’s public roadmap.

• Full REST API Access: With OAuth 2.0 at no additional price.

• Windows Feature Updates: Automatically upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on one or all of your endpoints.

• Free for up to 200 Endpoints: Fully featured, with no functional limits, forever. You can use it for free in your SMB or thoroughly test it in your large enterprise before purchasing.

• Technical/Customer Support: Via phone or email.

Pros

• Easy to deploy—in just five minutes.

• Automates patch and update deployments on Windows, macOS, and third-party applications.

• Autonomous, phased, risk-free deployments minimize unexpected downtime risks.

• #1 easiest-to-use patch management solution as ranked by independently verified customers on G2.

• Scalability that allows you to expand from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints seamlessly.

• Cloud-native platform that does not require a VPN to manage both on-premises and remote endpoints.

• Highly secure—certified for SOC 2 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and TX-RAMP.

• User-friendly interface.

Cons

• No Linux support, but it will be available soon.

G2 rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (603+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (217+ reviews)

NinjaOne

NinjaOne is a cloud-based remote monitoring and management solution that automates patch deployments for Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications. It offers its clients scripting, real-time monitoring, and flexible scheduling options. The platform keeps your on-premise and remote endpoints up-to-date, minimizes the attack surface across your network, and eases regulatory compliance by generating audit-ready reports.

Key Features:

• Cross-Platform Support: Windows, macOS, and Linux

• Third-Party Application Patching: Patches many different third-party applications.

• Compliance Management: Supports regulatory compliance by generating reports, offering real-time visibility into patch status on your endpoints, and enabling automated policy enforcement.

• Risk-Based Vulnerability Management: Automatically detects and prioritizes vulnerabilities across your network based on CVE numbers and CVSS scores to help you remediate the most critical software flaws first.

• Flexible Patch Scheduling: Deploy updates/patches immediately or outside business hours to avoid unexpected downtime and boost your team’s productivity.

• Patch Testing and Approval: Equips you with custom patch approval workflows, allowing you to configure specific rules to automatically deploy particular patches while holding others for manual review.

• Granular Device Control: Ability to assess and apply updates on a client, device group, or individual endpoint basis.

• Free Trial: 14-day free trial with full access to all features.

• Technical/Customer Support: Available via phone and email support channels.

Pros:

• The cloud-native platform allows you to manage your endpoints from anywhere, without a VPN connection.

• Automates patch and update deployments on Windows, macOS, and third-party applications.

• Proactive patching with CVE/CVSS integration

• Suitable for diverse environments including in-office, remote, and hybrid IT setups

Cons:

• Limited macOS and third-party support

• Reporting lacks depth & customization

• Interface has a steep learning curve

• Higher cost compared to other patch management tools.

G2 rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 (2650+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 (252+ reviews)

Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management

Ivanti Neurons for patch management is a cloud-based platform that eliminates manual patching processes through automated patch deployments with real-time risk intelligence. The software provides valuable information about which specific software weaknesses are actively exploited, helping you prioritize those that pose the highest risk for your organization. With SLA tracking and phased and risk-free rollouts, you can keep your endpoints up-to-date without negatively affecting your business continuity and compliance goals.

Key Features:

• Cross-Platform OS Support—Windows/macOS/Linux

• Third-Party Application Patching

• Risk-Based Patch Management

• Active Threat Context

• Patch Compliance Management

• SLA Tracking

• Risk-free, Phased, Ring Deployments

• Advanced Compliance Reporting

• Security-Driven Patch Automation

• Integration with SCCM

• Technical/Customer Support via Ivanti Support Portal and Phone

Pros:

• Cloud-native architecture

• Fully automates patch management lifecycle for Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications.

• Active threat context to prioritize vulnerabilities by combining real-world data on known exploits, and a Vulnerability Risk Rating (VRR).

• Patch reliability insights from crowdsourced data.

Cons:

• Scalability issues, especially when managing a large number of endpoints.

• Difficult deployment and setup process

• Poor user interface

G2 rating: 4.2 out of 5.0 (75+ review)

Capterra rating: – (0 reviews)

SolarWinds Patch Manager

SolarWinds Patch Manager is a patch management platform that streamlines and automates the deployment of updates and patches for Microsoft and third-party applications across your network to remediate software vulnerabilities in a timely manner.

It works by using and complementing Microsoft WSUS and SCCM to automate each step of the patching process, from detecting and deploying missing patches to generating reports after each patch/update lifecycle. The platform helps you protect your systems from vulnerability exploitation, ensure compliance, and maintain their peak performance.

Key Features:

• OS Support: Windows-Based Devices

• Secure Third-Party Update Catalog

• Patch Status Dashboard

• Vulnerability Scanning

• WSUS/SCCM Integration

• Flexible Patch Scheduling

• Patch Compliance Dashboards

• Orion Platform Integration

• Technical/Customer Support via Phone and Email (ticket)

• Self-Service Portal

Pros:

• Fully automates patch management lifecycle for Windows OS and third-party applications.

• Remote patching capabilities

• Advanced reporting capabilities providing detailed insights.

Cons:

• Lacks macOS and Linux support.

• Depends on WSUS/SCCM infrastructure to function

• Not cloud-native

• Higher cost compared to other patch management tools.

• Difficult deployment and setup process

G2 rating: – (0 reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (15+ reviews)

Automox

Automox is a cloud-native platform for IT operations, allowing organizations of all sizes to automate patching processes across Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications. The software successfully reduces security risks and manual workload by automating software deployments, vulnerability identification and remediation, and report generation from a single platform. With Automox, you don’t need a VPN or any other on-premise infrastructure to remotely manage your endpoints and keep them secure, compliant, and smoothly performing.

Key Features:

• Cross-platform OS support—Windows/macOS/Linux

• Third-party application patching

• Automates patch management, configuration, and software deployment, where you can target your endpoints by hostname, IP address, or Active Directory Organizational Unit.

• Advanced monitoring capabilities providing real-time visibility of your endpoints’ patch and compliance status.

• Role-based access control

• Fully featured API for third-party integrations with other tools and systems.

• Pre-built reports for monitoring and analysis.

• Technical/Customer support via phone and email

Pros:

• Cloud-native architecture

• Fully automates patch management lifecycle for Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications.

• The software is easy to set up, configure, and navigate.

• Real-time dashboards show each of your endpoints’ device health, patch, and compliance status.

• It successfully reduces downtime risks by offering scheduling options to test and deploy patches at convenient times.

Cons:

• No built-in rollback capability

• Basic reporting capabilities

• Remote control is problematic and does not always work as expected

• Poor user interface

• Automox agents disconnect frequently without any obvious reason.

• Frequent device duplication

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 (275+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.7 out of 5.0 (150+ reviews)

Atera

Atera is a cloud-native platform that helps organizations of various sizes to completely automate each step of the patch management process. Once installed, the software identifies existing vulnerabilities, prioritizes them based on their criticality, offers a list of missing patches across your Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications, and allows you to schedule, test, and deploy them at convenient times to avoid operational disruptions. Apart from keeping your endpoints secure and performing smoothly, the software allows you to generate detailed reports, which significantly ease regulatory compliance.

Key Features:

• Cross-Platform OS Support – Windows/macOS/Linux

• Third-Party Application Patching

• Detailed Reporting and Compliance

• Real-time Infrastructure Monitoring with Instant Alerts

• Streamlined Software Bundles

• Integration with Chocolatey and HomeBrew

Pros:

• Cloud-native architecture

• Fully automates patch management lifecycle for Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications.

• Real-time dashboards show each of your endpoints’ device health, patch, and compliance status.

• Offers integration within a broader IT management ecosystem.

• User-friendly platform

Cons:

• Limited Platform Customization

• Disparity in Mobile App Functionality

G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 (835+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 (440+ reviews)

GFI LanGuard

GFI LanGuard enables you to enhance network security with patch management, auditing, and security scanning. The software offers you cross-platform and third-party application support, vulnerability scans, and detailed visibility into your endpoints. Thus, you can identify software vulnerabilities across your devices and patch them confidently in a timely manner.

Key Features:

• Cross-Platform OS Support – Windows/macOS/Linux

• Third-Party Application Patching

• Network Monitoring and Vulnerability Scanning Allow You to Identify Security Risks Across Your Endpoints.

• Advanced Reporting Capabilities with Detailed Asset Data Insights.

• Flexible Patch Deployment Scheduling

Pros:

• Fully automates patch management lifecycle for Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party applications.

• Saves you time and money and minimizes manual workload by equipping your organization with centralized patching and automated vulnerability scanning capabilities.

• Reduces downtime risks by enabling you to schedule, test, and deploy software patches/updates at convenient times.

• The platform uses GenAI-powered insights to strengthen and simplify security configuration and optimize endpoint protection.

Cons:

• The software suffers from slow vulnerability discovery and patch deployment capabilities.

• Reporting requires significant manual effort.

• The third-party application catalog is too narrow when compared to other patch management platforms.

• Deploying updates to remote endpoints is a complex and time-consuming process.

• Performance issues during vulnerability scans and patch deployments.

• Outdated user interface.

• Vulnerability scans frequently report false positive vulnerabilities.

• Not cloud-native

G2 rating: 4.2 out of 5.0 (10 reviews)

Capterra rating: 3.8 out of 5.0 (10 reviews)

ManageEngine Alternatives Comperison Table

Criteria	Action1	NinjaOne	Ivanti	SolarWinds	Automox	Atera	GFI LanGuard
OS Support	Win, macOS	Win, macOS, Linux	Win, macOS, Linux	Mostly Windows	Win, macOS, Linux	Win, macOS, Linux	Win, macOS, Linux
3rd-Party Apps	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Cloud / On-Prem	Cloud-native	Cloud-native	Hybrid/Enterprise	On-prem/Hybrid	Cloud-native	Cloud-native	On-prem
Agent Needed	✅	✅	✅	❌/WSUS	✅	✅	✅
Compliance Reports	Strong	Strong	Enterprise-grade	Good (WSUS)	Good	Good	Strong
Scalability	High (P2P)	High	Very High	Medium	High	Medium	Medium
Ease of Use	Very easy	Easy	Complex	Moderate	Easy	Easy	Moderate
Automation	High	High	Advanced	Moderate	High	Good	Moderate
Integrations	API, SSO	RMM, PSA, CVEs	Enterprise tools	SCCM, WSUS	CVEs, APIs	PSA, RMM	Network tools
Pricing	Free ≤200, then per device	Per device	$$$ (Enterprise)	$$ (Licensed)	$$ (Cloud)	$ (Per tech/device)	$$
Best For	SMBs, Remote Teams	MSPs, Mixed Environments	Large Enterprises	Windows Infra	Cloud-native IT	MSPs/SMBs	Regulated Environments

 

Frequently Asked Questions When Choosing an Alternative Solution to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus

When choosing an alternative solution to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, it is perfectly normal to have many questions you want answered. The more informed you are, the better decision you will make when evaluating which is the right patch management platform for your business. To help you with that, we have answered the most frequent and important questions.

Is Action1 a Better Alternative to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus for Cloud-Native Patch Management?

Yes, Action1 is a better alternative to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus for cloud-native patch management. It is fully cloud-native, which means that you can manage and deploy patches/updates directly from your browser, without needing VPNs, on-premises servers, or distribution points. When you install Action1’s agent, it communicates directly with the cloud, so updates are delivered and deployed through the agent, regardless of where your endpoints are located.

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus (cloud version), on the other hand, is cloud-hosted, not cloud-native. For that reason, it may still require additional infrastructure components for optimal performance in complex network environments.

How Does Action1 Compare to ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus for Remote Endpoint Patching?

Action1 offers better remote endpoint patching for several reasons. First, Action1 is a cloud-native platform, while ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is cloud-hosted, meaning that it still may require additional infrastructure or configuration to function. Second, Action1 uses a peer-to-peer (P2P) patch distribution approach that minimizes external bandwidth usage and ensures rapid deployment even for large updates. Each patch/update is downloaded only once and then shared across your endpoints.

Third, Action1 maintains a private, secure software repository, giving you confidence that each patch/update is thoroughly tested before being added. This ensures that only secure and reliable patches reach your endpoints.

Which is Easier to Deploy and Manage: Action1 or ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?

Action1 is much easier to deploy and manage since the platform is cloud-native. It takes only 5 minutes to create an account, install the agent, and start patching your endpoints. In terms of usability, Action1 ranks as the #1 easiest-to-use patch management platform according to independently verified customers on G2. The platform offers an extremely user-friendly interface that simplifies patch management, allowing you to automate each step of the process—scheduling, testing, deployment, and reporting—with just a few clicks.

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, on the other hand, offers both on-premises and cloud-hosted versions of the software. However keep in mind that cloud-hosted solutions often require additional infrastructure or setup for optimal performance in complex or hybrid environments.

What Makes Action1 a Better Choice than ManageEngine Patch Manager for SMBs or Remote IT Teams?

Action1 is a better option than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, especially for SMBs or remote teams, for several reasons. First, it offers 200 endpoints for free, without any functional limits, forever. This means you can protect all your endpoints (on-premises and remote ones) at no cost. Second, Action1 offers infinite scalability, and you can seamlessly scale from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints at a lower per-endpoint cost. Third, it is cost-effective, since Action1 does not require any additional infrastructure to function and use its full potential.

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, on the other hand, is not cloud-native. It offers a cloud-hosted version of the software, but it may require additional infrastructure and configuration to manage both your on-premise and remote endpoints. Consequently, you will need to invest more funds and time to set it up properly and start protecting your network.

Why Switch from ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus to Action1 for Automated Patch Compliance?

Action1 is better than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus in terms of compliance support. The platform is certified for ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, CSA Star Level 1, and the CISA Secure by Design pledge, while also aligning with PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and NIST frameworks.

ManageEngine, on the other hand, has fewer security certifications: ISO 27001, PCI DSS, HIPAA, GDPR, and NIST. Regarding compliance reports, both vendors offer you the ability to generate reports after each patch/update lifecycle to help you adhere to regulatory standards. However, Action1 has an advantage over ManageEngine because it offers 100+ built-in report templates that you can also customize according to your needs.

Does Action1 Offer Better Third-Party Patching Support than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?

Yes, Action1 offers better third-party application patching support than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus. Because it equips you with autonomous update deployments (update rings), which enable phased, intelligent, risk-free rollouts, advancing updates from inner to outer rings based on success metrics. Action1 also maintains a private, secure software repository of pre-tested patches for added reliability and security with 99% coverage for typical enterprise environments (Adobe, Chrome, Zoom, etc.).

On top of that, the software uses P2P patch distribution, meaning that each patch is downloaded once and shared across all your endpoints, resulting in minimized bandwidth usage and accelerating large update deployments.

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, on the other hand, lacks autonomous update rings and doesn’t have a privately maintained software repository. Last but not least, it relies on distribution servers instead of using a P2P patch distribution approach.

Is Action1 More Scalable and Lightweight than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?

Yes, Action1 is more scalable and lightweight than ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus. Action1 is a cloud-native platform that requires a lightweight agent to be installed on your endpoints to start patching them without a VPN or any other additional infrastructure. Moreover, the software offers infinite scalability, allowing you to go from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of endpoints at a gradually lowering per-endpoint cost.

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus offers both cloud and on-premises options, but its on-premises model requires traditional infrastructure management, making it less inherently lightweight. While ManageEngine is scalable, Action1’s cloud-native design provides effortless expansion across organizations of varying sizes, with users consistently rating it as more intuitive and easier to deploy than ManageEngine’s solution.

Summary and Key Takeaways When Considering Alternative to ManageEngine

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is a reliable patch management platform with advanced features. However, it has several limitations, including patch deployment failures, basic reporting capabilities, automation gaps, a limited third-party application catalog, an outdated interface, high pricing, and complex endpoint grouping, which makes business teams and leaders seek better alternatives.

It’s well known that no software fits all needs, since each company has unique requirements and faces different challenges on a daily basis. That’s why choosing the best ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus alternative is easier said than done. You have to carefully consider multiple key aspects like OS and third-party application coverage, infrastructure type (cloud, on-premises, or hybrid), agent-based or agentless approach, reporting and compliance capabilities, scalability, cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and integration capabilities. This ensures that you get the best value for your money and that the software will meet your expectations and address the pain points across your endpoints in the best possible way.

To help you with that task, we have listed the top 7 ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus alternatives: Action1, NinjaOne, Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management, SolarWinds Patch Manager, Automox, Atera, and GFI LanGuard. Each of these platforms addresses the gaps that most users reported in their G2 and Capterra reviews while using ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus.

No matter which of these platforms you choose, it will keep all your endpoints secure, up-to-date, and compliant. However, keep in mind that you must first understand your company’s specific requirements, because they are the missing piece of the puzzle to find the patch management platform that you need.