Atera vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 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 #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Atera holds a 4.9% mindshare in PM, compared to Microsoft’s 9.9% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Atera users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Atera

Read 15 Atera reviews

1,845 Views
1,121 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Read 47 Microsoft Windows Server Update Services reviews

3,233 Views
2,549 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Atera

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) and Atera compete in the enterprise IT management category. Atera has an edge in user satisfaction due to its balanced combination of features and support, but WSUS offers robust functionalities at a lower cost.

Features: WSUS offers reliable patch management, integration with other Microsoft products, and low cost. Atera has comprehensive remote monitoring, automation features, and versatile reporting tools.

Room for Improvement: WSUS struggles with initial setup complexity, occasional patch deployment issues, and a steep learning curve. Atera needs more granular reporting options, performance improvements, and better documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: WSUS has a steep learning curve but benefits from Microsoft’s extensive knowledge base. Atera is easier to deploy with straightforward setup and highly rated, responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: WSUS is cost-effective with minimal setup costs and solid ROI. Atera is pricier but justifies costs with a rich feature set and higher efficiency, offering substantial ROI through its comprehensive capabilities and time-saving functionalities.

To learn more, read our detailed Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

December 2024

Download the complete report

Helped 824,129 peers since 2012

Categories and Ranking

Atera

Ranking in Patch Management

11th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

IT Service Management (ITSM) (14th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (3rd)

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Ranking in Patch Management

3rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Atera is 4.9%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 9.9%, down from 14.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Chris Bashlor

IT Managed Service Provider at Principal PC Consulting, LLC

Pay just one price for unlimited devices and remote features enable easy access to all end points regardless of their location

When it comes to ease of use and the user interface I would give Atera a nine out of 10. The platform responsiveness to everything is solid. The updates Atera has put out have been second to none. Moreover, I find that if it wasn't for Atera, I wouldn't be gaining the number of clients I have and growing my business as I do. Atera provides ease of access to all devices no matter where they're located. It makes no difference if the client is in a work group or if he is on a certain domain. Atera enables me to access our clients' devices with ease and to provide them with feedback across the board. It benefits both me and my clients. When it comes to pushing out anything, such as antivirus features, it's second to none. As I'm more of a hands-on person, I visit many of my clients. Often, while visiting a client site, another client will call. With Atera, I am able to remotely handle whatever needs to be done to his machine, be it installing a printer or helping with a password. When a client calls and needs something handled quickly, Atera is a big help. On a daily basis, it saves me time and approximately seven to 10 hours per week. Were I not always going around to all my clients, it would save me even more time.

Read full review

Mashood Atitebi

Global Core Infrastructure Engineer at Finning International Inc

A robust and stable platform for centralized update management enhancing system security

One area for potential improvement involves the administrative portal, where numerous options, including asset management and patch management, are integrated. There's a suggestion that decoupling these integrated tools might be beneficial. This decoupling could involve separating services or options to provide more flexibility and potentially reduce costs, allowing for a more modular approach to the utilization of these tools.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"All of the features of Atera are valuable because they allow the customers to achieve their goals. It is easy to use, has good collaboration, and has zero maintenance."

"I would say it's the number one tool for all ITMS."

"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."

"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 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."

"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."

"The most valuable features of this solution are automatic batch matching and unattended support access."

"Pricing is definitely my favorite part of it. It is also extremely easy to use."

More Atera pros

"The solution performs well."

"We use the security patch-level services provided by Microsoft. This is essential for keeping our network secure."

"The reporting capabilities that help maintain compliance and security are good."

"This solution is stable."

"We can easily download particular patches, and we can apply them on a group basis and policy basis."

"It provides central management interface for deployment."

"I am absolutely happy with its stability and performance. It is a stable product."

"The tool's most valuable feature is Active Directory."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pros

Cons

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

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

"I would like to see more mobile device management. iPad is a big one. I know they've been working on some of that. For me, it would be amazing if I could do tablet devices and even expand it to POS systems or the like. I know that a lot goes into that but I've seen it is an area they're looking at."

"It will be interesting if Atera can integrate all kinds of products. In North America, there are a lot of resellers, like Ingram Micro, Tech Data, Arrow Electronics, etc. It would be amazing if Atera could integrate with these products. If they could integrate with these products for MSPs, it would be much easier. Then, if you are buying something, and need to add something, you don't need to jump from place to place because this is a very quick sales instrument for use on a daily basis."

"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."

"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."

"There should be enhancements in network monitoring capabilities beyond just physical devices like computers and servers. It would be beneficial to include better tools for monitoring networking infrastructure such as routers. Additionally, while Atera excels in ticket management, I believe there's room for improvement in user authentication and security features, especially when accessing and managing remote equipment. These updates would contribute to a more robust and secure user experience overall. Atera should include a monitoring tool integrated with Azure or similar cloud platforms. It would be beneficial to have capabilities for monitoring network growth and automatically generating statistics based on system stability and performance metrics. This feature would help us better manage and optimize our equipment and network resources, especially for strategic customer planning and resource allocation."

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

More Atera cons

"The database could be improved. In large environments, for example, we often get problems with reporting."

"The ability to have more fine control within this solution is very important. It is not available for the solution in its current state."

"They should offer patch management across platforms."

"A few bugs need to be figured out for the security side."

"The security could be improved."

"The old backup files created by this solution use up a lot of storage, and this needs to be improved."

"We can't rely on the product."

"The approval process must be improved."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"In terms of cost, it's not very expensive. I’d rate it around three or four out of ten, considering its value for money."

"Atera happened to have the best pricing model."

"The price is reasonable for what we require."

"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."

"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."

"Our company is a startup. The initial reason I looked into Atera was the fact that you pay by the technician, not per-device. That means you are able to jump right in with a service without having a large overhead."

More Atera pricing and cost advice

"Microsoft's operating model determines the solution's pricing, and we use it based on our enterprise agreement, which incurs an annual cost."

"While it might be relatively more expensive for smaller companies, larger enterprises can find it robust and capable of delivering significant value."

"The tool could be cheaper."

"The integration is included in the Windows Server system, and there are no additional fees."

"Configuration Manager is less expensive than Microsoft Windows Server Update Services."

"The product is expensive."

"The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."

"It doesn't need a license. It's offered for free with Microsoft."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Patch Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

824,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

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

What do you like most about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

We can track the updates of the PC and servers.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

Our experience with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services involves no setup cost or licensing fees, as it is included with our existing licenses.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

There are several areas needing improvement, including the management of third-party patches, better enforcement of patch deployment on user PCs, and the ability to schedule updates at specific tim...

See all answers

Comparisons

NinjaOne vs Atera

Compared 41% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Atera

Compared 11% of the time

N-able N-central vs Atera

Compared 10% of the time

Datto Remote Monitoring and Management vs Atera

Compared 10% of the time

Comodo RMM vs Atera

Compared 4% of the time

More Atera Competitors

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 24% of the time

BigFix vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 23% of the time

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 9% of the time

GFI LanGuard vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 7% of the time

Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Atera

December 2024

Download Atera product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

December 2024

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services report

Download Microsoft Windows Server Update Services product report

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

Atera

Microsoft

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.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a patch management tool that simplifies the administrator’s task of deploying the latest Microsoft updates. Administrators use WSUS to manage the distribution of updates released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.

WSUS has features you can use to manage and distribute updates from a management console. The WSUS server can also be a source of updates to other servers within the organization, acting as an upstream server.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Use Cases

The four main use cases that WSUS adds value to businesses are:

Centralizes update management.
Automates update management.
Performs general patch management to ensure compliance and protect against vulnerabilities.
Downloads all endpoint updates from data centers to a central location and then distribute them across the organization’s network.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Features

This built-in server includes the following features:

Includes Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
Features client and server separation, which means you can deliver versions of the Windows Update Agent (WUA) separately from WSUS.
Automatic download of updates.
Deploy a targeted download of updates to a specific group of computers.
Multiple language support.
Advanced reporting capabilities.
Centralized management of network resources.

Requirements

In order to be able to use WSUS to manage and deploy updates, it is important to use a supported WSUS version, such as:

WSUS 10.0.14393
WSUS 10.0.17763
WSUS 6.2 and 6.3 with installed KB 3095113 and KB 3159706

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Benefits

Stable.
Ensures servers are always patched and prevents vulnerabilities.
Works great for internal updating.
Enforces automated updates and patching for applications.
Because the solution is used in the cloud, clients are always using the latest version.
Highly scalable and configurable regardless of the organization’s layout.

Different Types of WSUS Deployments

Simple WSUS deployment: A server inside the corporate firewall serves clients via a private intranet. The WSUS server downloads updates by connecting to Microsoft Update. Using this model, you can configure multiple WSUS servers with a parent WSUS server.
Computer groups: You can use computer groups to deliver updates to specific computers. There are two basic computer groups: All Computers or Unassigned Computers. When a client first contacts the WSUS server, it is added to both. You can then create a group from the Unassigned Computers group to the new group.
WSUS server hierarchies: The flexibility of WSUS enables the creation of complex hierarchies of servers. To do this, you need only a single WSUS server connected to Microsoft Update. This will serve as an “upstream server,” and the connected servers as “downstream servers.”
- You can link WSUS servers in two modes: autonomous or replica. In the autonomous mode, the upstream server shares the updates with the downstream servers but doesn’t update status or group information.
- The upstream server shares updates, status, and group information in replica mode. You cannot administer replica servers apart from the upstream WSUS server.

Sample Customers

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

December 2024

Free Report: Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Find out what your peers are saying about Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.

DOWNLOAD NOW

824,129 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Atera vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services report.

See our list of best Patch Management vendors.

We monitor all Patch Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.