Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Atera vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 27, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
8.4
Atera boosts efficiency and saves costs with remote configurations, fixed fees, automated updates, extended hardware lifespan, and comprehensive features.
Sentiment score
8.8
Quest KACE streamlines operations, saving time and resources, offering quick ROI and enhancing productivity through efficient patch management and automation.
The return on investment is seen in the quick access to information, good inventory management, and efficient systems management.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.5
Atera's support is highly rated for being responsive, knowledgeable, proactive, and professional, with frequent updates and effective security measures.
Sentiment score
8.3
Quest KACE support is praised for responsiveness, knowledgeable staff, and effective problem-solving, with minor ticket resolution time issues.
The customer service is very good, providing quick customer support in Spanish.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Atera is a scalable, versatile tool suitable for all company sizes, effectively managing diverse endpoints and clients with ease.
Sentiment score
8.0
Quest KACE scales efficiently, managing up to 10,000 endpoints, and adapts to expansions with simple resource additions and licensing.
The product is very scalable as it supports 10,000 thousand endpoints with just one appliance.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.2
Atera is highly stable and reliable with minimal downtime, frequent updates, and rare issues, often external in origin.
Sentiment score
7.4
Quest KACE SMA is reliable with minimal downtime, regular updates improve functionality, but frequent updates may need attention.
 

Room For Improvement

Atera requires better identity management, integrations, mobile features, network monitoring, automation, interface updates, and enhanced security for a superior user experience.
Quest KACE struggles with scalability, automation, usability, imaging, customization, and support, while needing improved licensing, reporting, and integration.
The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface.
 

Setup Cost

Atera's fixed per-technician fee offers predictable, scalable pricing with affordable integrations, making it cost-effective compared to competitors.
Quest KACE SMA offers competitive pricing with per-device licensing, valued for comprehensive features and ROI for large organizations.
The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.
 

Valuable Features

Atera offers robust PowerShell commands, seamless remote access, effective automation, cross-platform support, intuitive interface, and proactive issue resolution tools.
Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance streamlines asset management, deployment, and IT tracking, enhancing productivity with automation and integration tools.
The most valuable features include simplicity, which makes systems management easier and faster, especially for device management.
 

Categories and Ranking

Atera
Ranking in Patch Management
11th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
IT Service Management (ITSM) (13th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (3rd)
Quest KACE Systems Manageme...
Ranking in Patch Management
10th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Endpoint Compliance (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) category, the mindshare of Atera is 11.5%, down from 14.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 1.3%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)
 

Featured Reviews

JC
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.
Scott Tweed - PeerSpot reviewer
Low maintenance, reliable, and easy to create packages
I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it. The deployment process for both deploying and creating a package is straightforward. I believe the inventory in KACE is superior to SCCM's. I know with SCCM I could do things like remote console into machines via the agent's remote console, but that is not a feature that is provided in KACE. I know that at least in the Systems Management Appliance, I can't get to it. I'm not sure how distribution works, with distribution points. I'm not sure if KACE has that feature. You could use an SCCM to set up distribution points at remote sites so that they don't have to download patches or software from across the country. If you have a DP or something similar, they could pull it down.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solutions are best for your needs.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
6%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
12%
University
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
10%
 

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.
What needs improvement with Atera?
It should improve its processes.
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.
What do you like most about Quest KACE Systems Management?
KACE automatically tracks this information and saves it for me, allowing me to call it up on the dashboard. For example, if I need to find Juliano's computer in the system, I don't need to search t...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?
The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.
What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?
The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface and lacks a manual configuration option.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Dell KACE Systems Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MSPs, IT consultants, and IT departments worldwide trust and use Atera. 
Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King
Find out what your peers are saying about Atera vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.