Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
11th
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (38th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (55th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (16th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
41
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the Patch Management category, the market share of Automox is 4.2% and it increased by 38.9% compared to the previous year. The market share of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 6.3% and it decreased by 57.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
Unique Categories:
Vulnerability Management
0.8%
Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)
0.2%
No other categories found
 

Featured Reviews

JH
Aug 3, 2021
Monitors our devices irrespective of the location and the environment, allows us to exempt certain machines from certain patches, and has perfect patch management abilities
The fact that it is pretty much hands-off is most valuable. Basically, you set up your policies and give it free rein, and it just does its thing. They've been adding some new features lately, which I'm not nearly as familiar with, but the ability to just deploy patches and exempt certain machines from certain patches is helpful. For instance, for our servers, we may not want to roll out zero-day patches. We are able to exempt those and make sure that they don't get those policies. We've got certain servers that have to run a particular version of Java, and being able to exempt those servers from receiving Java updates is pretty fantastic. Its patch management abilities are perfect. We've gone through probably five different solutions in the past 10 years. Automox is the only one that we've found that we can just set and then forget. It simply works. It is the best. Its speed in carrying out functions is good. We've never experienced any performance issues. We've never noticed any delays. If we have to do a manual update, when we click update, within moments, we can tell that our computers are being updated. The actual UI is quick. Navigating between menus is seamless, and the actual communication between the console and the clients is seemingly instant as well. So, everything is as fast and quick as it can be. It doesn't require much brainpower to navigate the UI and to figure out how to update. Building schedules and different groups is very intuitive. It is just a matter of a few checkboxes, and they've got great examples already in the software when you first get hold of it. Their support staff is fantastic in helping you get those configured if you do have any questions, but the likelihood of you needing that is pretty minimal. It is built to make sense. It is very simple to set up policies using Automox. They've got several sample policies that are actually out there when you get access to the portal. The process is very simple. They've already got the samples out there, and it is so easy to duplicate them and modify them the way you want. It is just a matter of clicking a few checkboxes. It does not take much at all.
AANKITGUPTAA - PeerSpot reviewer
Nov 23, 2022
Easy to download and patch but needs to be a generic patch management solution
We use the solution primarily for patching. It is a very crucial activity in terms of maintaining up-to-date images and safeguarding the operating system from different bugs and avoiding crashes. We keep everything updated, including security patches. We have multiple servers based on different…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Among the most valuable features are its ease of use and the Worklets. Both of them are time-savers. Worklets enable us to customize things for a given environment. It's something like when Apple lets other people create applications. Other peoples' Worklets can be used in our environment and in our customers' environments. That saves a lot of time, and it's really cool."
"Coming from prior solutions that were a lot more effort, Automox's patch management abilities are transformational. When I took over patching at my company, they were using on-premise architecture to patch. As the workforce shifted from being in the office into their home offices, I was able to lift and shift with no effort other than deploying the new agent out into the environment."
"It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints."
"The fact that it's just one product that can patch multiple operating systems is really great."
"They've been adding some new features lately, which I'm not nearly as familiar with, but the ability to just deploy patches and exempt certain machines from certain patches is helpful. For instance, for our servers, we may not want to roll out zero-day patches. We are able to exempt those and make sure that they don't get those policies. We've got certain servers that have to run a particular version of Java, and being able to exempt those servers from receiving Java updates is pretty fantastic."
"Previously, we would run a report, scan it, and compare it. We were spending 15 to 30 minutes a month on each machine on this stuff because you would find stuff that wasn't up to date, then you had to fix it. This solution takes that time down to minutes. Automox saves us easily many hours a month."
"Its flexibility is most valuable."
"The biggest improvement to our organization involves the reduction in its man hours... We've probably saved hundreds of hours."
"We can track the updates of the PC and servers."
"We can easily download particular patches, and we can apply them on a group basis and policy basis."
"With WSUS, you can automatically install and distribute Microsoft security patches without using an internet connection for all clients and servers. It is not difficult to understand how it works and I think it's a very nice tool."
"The most valuable feature is its ability to identify which updates are needed on a particular machine."
"The tool's most valuable feature is Active Directory."
"Instead of leaving each server to download their own updates, with WSUS you have a centralized management tool for all the updates alongside a log for all the servers. By creating and deploying a WSUS server that will download the updates from the internet and dispatch them to the other servers, you can have control over the entire deployment process."
"The platform provides good value in terms of time and effort by eliminating the need for manual patch management."
"It is a scalable solution."
 

Cons

"There should be better inventory capabilities. Right now, they only allow you to have insight into software out-of-the-box. It would be nice to also extend that into custom inventory that can be modified and managed by the practitioner."
"The stability has come a long way from what it was like when it started and now it's really good."
"Asset management would be a great feature to add to Automox. We would run easier scripts or more out of the box scripts that would help us in audits. \"
"They need to improve the automation features."
"When we bring on a new client, we need to go into that client and manually set up my account, my chief engineer's account, three technicians' accounts, and a billing person's account all over again, which is annoying. We have probably up to 15 or 16 of our clients on Automox now. For every single one of those, we have had to go in and set this up. Then, if anything changes, we have to remember to go to Automox and change it 15 or 16 times. So, we just want inheritable permissions, and that is it. We have talked to them about this, and they are like, "Yeah, we hear a lot of complaints about it." I am thinking, "Guys, I have been complaining about this for a year and a half. When are you going to do it?" It must be some tricky thing or not an easy fix, because I can only assume if it were easy, then they would have done it by now."
"The only thing that we've ever truly wanted is an onsite repository. Currently, all updates are provided directly from the internet. So, if you have 1,000 devices, all 1,000 devices go directly out to the internet. We would love the option of being able to put the updates on local storage so that we're not consuming as much bandwidth. That is literally the only thing that we've ever wanted."
"As concerns the patching concepts, there's a bit of a learning curve in terms of working out how Automox wants you to work within the console, not only splitting up everything into groups, but then having the various policies assigned."
"It should have integrated workstation access. So, there should be a remote desktop feature."
"Because you have to pay for the product and there may be other good free solutions, this may not be the best choice for a cost-minded organization."
"The solution's stability could be improved because sometimes, there are some problems in communication and sending updates and patches."
"We have some problems when we update the servers."
"Could be improved with additional features such as an update alarm."
"There are some bugs in IIS."
"While the product is generally effective, I believe the integration with other applications could be enhanced."
"The database could be improved. In large environments, for example, we often get problems with reporting."
"Some issues with scalability in larger organizations."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We are on the premium licensing, which is the one that has the API capability that we use."
"There are no additional costs in addition to the extended licensing fees with Automox. You get your support and your per endpoint license with what you purchased."
"Its licensing for a year was nine grand. There was no additional fee."
"The product is a great value."
"For all these software tools, it is usually a subscription model. There is a monthly charge that we need to pass along to our clients because we are doing all this for their benefit. It is only a couple of bucks a month per computer, and that is a low enough price point where our clients, without exception, have accepted it, and said, "This is great. We will pay that. It sounds like a worthwhile thing.""
"Automox just charges us a set amount per user, per month, for using the product. That is very important to us. Because it's a cloud-native solution, you're saving on the cost of hosting an on-premises solution on your servers."
"We're doing it annually directly through Automox. It is per endpoint. It is $2 and some change per endpoint, but I believe the cost is right around $28,000. Everything is covered in this fee."
"The cost is very reasonable compared to the competition."
"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is not an expensive solution."
"The product is not expensive."
"I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."
"The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."
"Because it is not open-source, it has to compete with open-source solutions. Relatively it is expensive to open-source."
"While it might be relatively more expensive for smaller companies, larger enterprises can find it robust and capable of delivering significant value."
"The licensing of WSUS is free of charge because it comes with the Windows Server operating system, included as a feature of the operating system itself. It's simply a role that you enable within Windows Server."
"The tool could be cheaper."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Automox?
It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Automox?
We do pay a monthly licensing fee. I'd rate the pricing as average. It's not cheap yet not too expensive. You can also pay for more support if you require them to provide consultancy services.
What needs improvement with Automox?
They need to improve the automation features. It could be more stable.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
The challenges exist according to the planning. For example, if you plan to implement and apply updates to your infrastructure, including servers and clients, you must provide storage information a...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft WSUS, WSUS, Microsoft Software Update Services, Software Update Services, Microsoft SUS, SUS, MS Windows Server Update Services
 

Learn More

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.