Atera vs Microsoft Configuration Manager comparison

Atera and Microsoft are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Atera is ranked #11 with an average rating of 9.0, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.1. Atera holds a 3.7% mindshare in PM, compared to Microsoft’s 15.5% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Atera users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 90% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Atera

Read 15 Atera reviews

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988 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Read 81 Microsoft Configuration Manager reviews

4,318 Views
3,334 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Atera

Microsoft Configuration Man...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Microsoft Configuration Manager and Atera are competing products in the IT management and remote monitoring sectors. Microsoft Configuration Manager has the upper hand due to its comprehensive feature set that offers greater scalability and integration abilities, especially for enterprise environments.

Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager provides robust system management capabilities such as software deployment, patch management, and compliance reporting. It ensures centralized application control, helping maintain configuration integrity and efficiently manage large IT environments. Atera, however, offers strong remote monitoring and management, cross-platform compatibility, and easy script automation, coupled with valuable features like network discovery and remote access for streamlined IT operations.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager is often criticized for its complexity and resource demands, needing improvement in application deployment and better support for non-Microsoft updates. It could also benefit from a simpler setup and comprehensive documentation. Atera could enhance its offerings by expanding network monitoring, improving mobile device management, and providing more customization, along with robust security features and user authentication improvements.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Configuration Manager, mainly deployed on-premises or in hybrid setups, counters deployment complexity with abundant online resources and community support, though technical support can be variable. Conversely, Atera emphasizes cloud capabilities, facilitating modern IT adaptability with straightforward deployment and receives praise for excellent, responsive customer service and ample documentation.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager requires a significant initial investment with a complex licensing model, justified by its extensive features and enterprise capability, often delivering good ROI through automation. Atera’s competitive pricing, with a fixed price per technician, offers scalability and flexibility advantageous for smaller businesses, allowing cost-effective device management with predictable expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

March 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Atera

Ranking in Patch Management

11th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Service Management (ITSM) (13th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (3rd)

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Ranking in Patch Management

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (4th), Configuration Management (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Atera is 3.7%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 15.5%, down from 18.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

James Clowes

IT Manager at Dynamic Bradview Roofing

Having fewer hardware replacements saves us in annual costs

There is a new version of the interface coming out. I have been asking for a new version for a while. While the interface is nice, I guess the developer thinks one way and the user thinks another. So, I think the interface is getting a big overhaul. This is what they have mentioned in their webinars and stuff. It is in beta, but I'm not on the beta program, so I haven't seen it. I can't really complain about the old interface, but now that I have heard there is a new one coming, all I want is the new one. The one thing that could do with improvement is the reporting. This is from someone who worked in an MSP, where I would want to run a report and be able to just present that to a client. Reports are fine for internal use, where they never leave your company. However, if I was an MSP, I would probably want a little bit more information or the ability to customize some of it without having to edit PDFs.

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MikeNelson2

IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government

Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements

While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"There are a lot fewer hardware replacements. Once people migrated from old style hard disks over to SSDs, you have things like hard disks filling up faster. So, I run a script to clear out all the waste, e.g., all the temporary files and downloads. A lot of our business runs through a custom web application that we built. This involves people downloading a lot of PDFs and Excel files, and not just having them sitting in folders. With Atera, I can just go through and clean the temporary files out."

"Atera's Remote Access feature has been invaluable for our monitoring needs. It allows us to use FlashOps in Azure to control equipment remotely and supervise real-time details like server and computer statuses for our clients. This access is crucial as it enables us to handle network issues and manage server administration efficiently. Regarding automation, Atera's tools have significantly boosted our service efficiency. They streamline tasks like installing tools and provide quick insights into critical issues with our servers. This saves us time and enhances our ability to deliver valuable services, especially for large-scale projects requiring precise and swift actions."

"Atera saves money. A trip to the customer costs between $20 to $30. Then, you need to charge the customer $20 to $30 for the travel. However, if you are doing this work remotely, then you are not driving. This makes the process easier and saves money for you and the customer. For example, if it is just one machine, then the savings comes out to $50 to $60. If we are talking about a huge client, who has hundreds of machines and is changing their infrastructure, that is a lot of money."

"I have better access when I go to look for something regarding either a specific user or software. It is easier to locate. When I am troubleshooting with my clients on the phone, I am not fiddling around looking through a bunch of ticket notes trying to locate something. It makes me a lot more efficient."

"Atera has helped me to provide more accurate solutions based on a given problem. For example, we base our solutions on event scenarios, like the alerts. We identify that there's a series of problems occurring in a particular area from the information provided by the alerts."

"We value the alerts that come with the product which allow me to reach out to my clients. Overall, Atera generates additional revenue streams for work done on their machines."

"It's very easy to use, not just for me, but even for people who have claimed, "I'm not very good at IT." Once you have it installed and you have it set up, it pretty much works by itself. It really helps you do what you need to do. It's easy to use for a beginner, compared to some of the other larger RMMs that are a little bit more complicated."

"Atera has saved our organization money. We look at Atera as an extra employee that we only pay about $300 a month. This is incredible savings over having to hire somebody to do all the tasks that Atera performs for us."

More Atera pros

"Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is very scalable."

"The tool's most valuable features are easy patch management and software deployment."

"There is a faster time to rollout. If we get a new PC, it can be ready for productivity right away."

"Microsoft Configuration Manager gives different tools in one solution."

"One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined process has significantly improved our software distribution workflows."

"The ease of usability is the most valuable feature. It's user-friendly."

"This solution captures all the devices in our infrastructure."

"It has the ability to perform mass distribution."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

Cons

"The solution is scalable. However, in the past, we did have some issues."

"There is definitely room for improvement with its automation capabilities."

"I also use Apple Zoho, which does not require you to download anything. You can get help from Zoho. Atera, on the other hand, requires you to download an applet."

"The billing module has a standard layout which is too limited for my needs."

"Having more freedom to perform identity access management would be great."

"Atera could be improved by adding more granular control over technician roles. We need more specific controls on what technicians can access, like limiting their ability to view certain sections or access devices and share files. This feature request has already been made. The IP asset management capabilities need improvement to better manage assets beyond just devices."

"The mobility of Atera is also a feature which needs to be addressed so that it can be used on iPads, iPhones and things of this nature. I would also like to see an agent included on these devices so that I can monitor, maintain and manage them."

"They are working on an update, and I would like to see more stuff outside of just computers and servers. Increasingly, we need to be able to monitor and manage network devices. Atera is improving on that already, which is one place that it is currently lacking."

More Atera cons

"As far as load balancing across, they don't have that support yet, so that you can actually build multiple primaries and have it load balance across. They don't have any of that functionality yet. That would be a nice feature, to scale that way."

"Management of Linux devices could be improved."

"There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself. However, it does seem a bit buggy from time to time, based on what I have heard."

"In terms of scalability, I believe there's room for improvement. While SCCM is capable of handling our current needs effectively, scalability could be enhanced to accommodate future growth and larger deployments."

"The main thing is that SCCM has to become an appliance instead of a server. When I say appliance, it has to come preconfigured so that it is drop-shipped into the enterprise and then you activate the feature sets that you want. It should pull down all the latest binaries. Once that is all there, it should have a discovery tool which goes out and discovers the assets within an enterprise. If the server, workstation, and applications are all coming from the same vendor, why not have the vendor do this work for us and automate it as much as it possibly can?"

"The database should be made to be more stable and robust, but not so much the configuration."

"The solution should incorporate AI. It should also incorporate real-time capabilities. If we could get real-time information about challenges or issues, it would allow us to take immediate action. For example, with the recent outage caused by the Windows issue, having a real-time warning system could have helped us avoid or reduce the downtime we experienced."

"Marketing: Our management doesn't understand that there is a piece of software which helps them automate and manage the entire network, as far as operating systems on computers."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay per user. I am the only user. It is $150 per user. If I need to add one, it is not as costly as expanding with other providers."

"It comes with unlimited devices, so the fixed price cost is taken out of my budget. So, I'm all good."

"With Atera, the more you add, the cheaper the cost of the additional endpoints will be."

"One of the biggest issues I face is the need to pay per technician. I've dealt with other platforms that you need to have 250-500 devices. Even though the cost declines as the number of devices a person has increases, they still require you to pay for 250 or 500, respectively. With Atera, the number doesn't matter as you always pay the same amount. I approximate that Atera saves me $100 per week."

"The value of the product is perfect, neither cheap nor expensive. I think it is the right rate. It would be awesome if it continued to be the same price because it is a great solution that I like. I like it because I'm not paying per device. I have some customers on monthly contracts and some of them are on break'n fix. If I have a client who is on break'n fix, and they need to pay per agent, then I am losing money. If they were ever to change structures, going to pay-per-device model, then I would need to think about changing to something else."

"As an internal IT, it's gold right there. It is money in the bank."

"The price is reasonable for what we require."

"Atera's pricing stays fixed and predictable, enabling us to add more customers and unlimited monitored devices. We still have a number of clients who fit a break/fix IT model. This is something where clients are complaining more about having to pay extra month-by-month for technology services. With Atera's model, we don't have to be going out and asking for more from clients each month. Right now, with where we are at in terms of scale, this is very important to us."

More Atera pricing and cost advice

"Along with buying a license for MECM, we also have to buy a service called CMG (Cloud Management Gateway) which is a virtual machine in the cloud with which you can link your MECM to the Azure tenant so as to manage teleworkers."

"Its price is okay because it is part of our licensing."

"There is not a license needed to use the solution."

"Pricing is negotiable with Microsoft, depending upon which of their packages you choose."

"When you compare this solution with other tools in the market you might actually find a lot of variation in the pricing and that's why people opt for the other tools rather than Microsoft tools."

"For enterprises, there is an annual license required to use this solution. The price of the solution could be cheaper. However, this is mostly because of the exchange rate from the dollar to the Nigerian currency."

"The solution operates on a licensing model that can be expensive."

"Pricing and licensing are a downside of SCCM. It's expensive. I'd have to confirm this, but I think they changed the licensing to core-based instead of socket-based. It's not cheap, because you have to buy the software, you have to buy SQL. Another thing we learned from talking to Microsoft is that they provide you a license for SQL if you run it on the same box as the primary server. If you run it outside that box, you have to buy SQL. Microsoft does recommend you running it on the same box because of performance. But then, in order to run SQL, SCCM, and everything on the same box, you better have some resources. It's an expensive solution. There's no doubt about it."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Atera?

Pricing is low. It costs around 149 bucks per month.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Atera?

It should improve its processes.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Atera?

Atera is integral to our daily operations. We use it for RMM, PSA, our ticket system, and contact with people. We also integrate it with different products.

See all answers

How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...

See all answers

How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...

See all answers

What do you like most about SCCM?

One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Atera

March 2025

Download Atera product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

March 2025

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Also Known As

No data available

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )

Overview

Atera offers a comprehensive solution for MSPs and IT Professionals. The platform provides in one integrated solution: full remote monitoring and management (RMM), PSA, remote access, patch management, billing, reports, and so much more! Atera’s disruptive pricing model also helps managed IT service providers scale their business while providing continued best-in-class service. All plans include unlimited devices, meaning you only pay per technician.Everything you need, in one easy-to-use platform

Thousands of paying users in over 75 countries
Free 30-day trial, no credit card or commitment required
No hidden fees or restrictions, all plans include unlimited devices
Seamless integration with your favorite IT tools including: Splashtop, AnyDesk, TeamViewer, and ScreenConnect

What can Atera do for you?

Improve Efficiency. Atera delivers customers the tool suite for IT management. Everything you need in an all-in-one, easy-to-use platform.
Automation. Set alerts and proactively prevent issues for your clients. Minimize time spent on manual tasks and spend more time on what matters most, serving your customers.
Disruptive Pricing, Unlimited Devices. Per technician-based pricing with unlimited servers and workstations means you can cover it all, at one fixed price.

Atera

Microsoft Configuration Manager helps IT manage PCs and servers, keeping software up-to-date, setting configuration and security policies, and monitoring system status while giving employees access to corporate applications on the devices that they choose. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can manage corporate-connected PCs and Macs along with cloud-based mobile devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, all from a single management console.

New features of Configuration Manager, such as the support of Windows 10 in-place upgrade, co-management with Microsoft Intune, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Servicing Dashboard, integration with Windows Update for Business, and more make deploying and managing Windows easier than ever before.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

MSPs, IT consultants, and IT departments worldwide trust and use Atera.

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad

Buyer's Guide

Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

March 2025

Free Report: Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager

Find out what your peers are saying about Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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