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Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 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
7.0
Automox automates patching, reducing costs and manual labor while enhancing security, compliance, and in-house management capabilities.
Sentiment score
3.2
Windows Server Update Services provides free, efficient patch management, automates updates, centralizes downloads, and reduces crashes and internet usage.
It has also been a great tool because we are able to reduce both manual labor and operational expenses by automating patching of roughly 200 Windows servers.
Data at Infosys
Our team used to spend 10 hours per week just to update these things, and now we're doing it automatically.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
We have seen a positive return on investment mainly through time savings, as automating patching and routine endpoint maintenance has reduced manual effort by roughly around twenty to thirty percent for these tasks.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
If they have some bundle options to pay less for more, we will get it and use it.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Automox's customer service is proactive and highly rated, offering swift, reliable support through email and chat channels.
Sentiment score
4.1
Users criticize Microsoft Windows Server Update Services support for slow responses and inconsistency, preferring online resources or premium support.
They are really good because they don't take five days to get back to me; they respond within 24 hours with really good information.
Network & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
They're very knowledgeable and have given us many channels for support, including email, chat, and documentation.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
Overall, the customer support has been good; responses are generally timely, and the support team is helpful when troubleshooting issues or clarifying how a feature works.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Microsoft Update provides one of the worst support experiences among all tech companies that I have experienced.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
When you pay for the support, you are guaranteed resolution, and I don't think anybody else does that.
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
I explain that I am unhappy because it takes too long for a reaction.
System Administrator at Waternet
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Automox efficiently scales for various environments, managing endpoints with ease, though multi-tenant setups face minor challenges.
Sentiment score
5.2
Windows Server Update Services is scalable and adaptable but may experience performance issues in large, stressed deployments.
It's pretty easy to scale because it's SaaS, and adding more devices doesn't require any extra server or anything similar.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
Automox scales well for our needs; adding new endpoints is straightforward and the centralized management approach makes it easy to apply consistent policies as the environment grows.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Automox's scalability is excellent, as it scales very well, and it is easy to deploy new agents.
Cyber Security Analyst II at a media company with 201-500 employees
Though there are options to use Microsoft MS SQL, it does not support more than 3,000 clients.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
Automox is highly reliable and stable, offering consistent performance with minimal downtime and effective device patching.
Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is stable and reliable, though minor issues may occur with specific updates or large environments.
It's not crashing or experiencing any downtime.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
When we schedule our updates, it works, and that's it—nothing irregular or different than what was expected.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Automox needs enhancements in remote desktop, third-party integration, reporting, pricing, OS update support, and improved Linux and iOS features.
Windows Server Update Services requires UI enhancements, better integration, stability improvements, and efficient patch management for smoother operation.
From a QA perspective, better visibility into patch history and endpoint changes would make it easier to troubleshoot environment-related issues and track changes over time.
QA Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
An alert of a security threat could be another type of notification that tells me something is important.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
I would add that remote support for iOS could be better, and remote support of Linux is also lacking.
Data at Infosys
The inventory tool and the entire backend of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is poorly coded. It's not very reliable, so you can tell when dealing with bad code, and it may work one day but may not work another.
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
I would like the updates to be less often and more rarely because they have a high impact on our team.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Setup Cost

Automox offers cost-effective, straightforward licensing with $2 per endpoint fees, cloud-native management, and potential volume discounts.
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services has no licensing fees but can incur costs from storage, cloud deployment, and enterprise agreements.
Automox's price is very cost-effective and affordable.
Data at Infosys
It's a free service.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
It's free.
Network Architect at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Automox offers flexibility, user-friendly automation, cross-platform compatibility, and efficient cloud-native management with centralized control and comprehensive reporting.
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services offers centralized management, automated updates, and reporting, enhancing efficiency without extra licensing fees.
One of the best features I appreciate about Automox is automated patching.
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
It has also improved our security posture since automated patching has allowed vulnerabilities to be patched automatically.
Data at Infosys
It has very strong patch automation, particularly in automated OS patching, third-party patching, policy-based rollout, patch scheduling, and vulnerability remediation.
Technical Product Manager at Hireright
The ease of use and efficient reporting contribute significantly to my overall productivity.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is the update for Microsoft Windows Server.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
I confirm that they all get downloaded and installed simultaneously, and the new security patches are applied automatically.
System Administrator at Waternet
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (33rd), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (23rd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (8th), Autonomous Endpoint Management (6th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
5th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Automox is 2.7%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 3.4%, down from 4.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services3.4%
Automox2.7%
Other93.9%
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Naqash Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Data Reporting Analyst at University of Bradford
Automation has saved time and improves secure, centralized patching across all our devices
While Automox has very good features, I think there's still room for improvement. I want the custom reports to be even more detailed, specifically where I can add more details. It would be nice to have more filters in reports based on location and department more easily. Secondly, the notifications could be more customizable. Many times notifications come, but we don't have control over which notification is urgent and which is not. For example, if there's an alert of a critical update or pending approval, it can help me focus better. An alert of a security threat could be another type of notification that tells me something is important. Customized notifications would be much better. I would say the user interface could be improved as well. Some parts of the dashboard are a bit hard to understand. If they could be improved to be more intuitive, for example, if it could be easy to navigate between devices and reports, that would be great. I would say if Automox could also provide automation templates, that would help. I know there are templates, but I want more templates. Having ready-made worklets for common tasks can save a lot of time. Lastly, it should also support the interface for mobile screens.
Aldo Centino - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at Waternet
Centralized updates have simplified patch management and have ensured timely security compliance
I am not sure about Windows Service Update; I mentioned Windows Server, but I do not think we do Windows Server AppFabric. I indicated that we do not use Windows Process Activation Services or Windows Server Failover Clustering. I acknowledge that Update Services is what I meant to communicate. We have a procedure related to the automatic update approval feature in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. I do not know if we used this procedure; we just use Microsoft Windows Server Update Services with a scheduled task, and that is all. I have not used the reporting and inventory capabilities to manage update compliance, but maybe our security team has. I like this product because there is no other product, and my colleague is working on the Azure service updates, so if that is working, then we have no need to use Microsoft Windows Server Update Services from Windows anymore. I have not found something that I have been using the most.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Construction Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Automox?
I did not have too much information on the pricing side of things since I was not responsible for administering cost on Automox or provisioning licenses; I more so worked on just the active tasks.
What needs improvement with Automox?
I think Automox can be improved by including a few more software titles that are very important in their third-party software catalog, namely vendor software, third-party applications, and finance ...
What is your primary use case for Automox?
My main use case for Automox is because I work for a managed service provider, so I set patching schedules for our clients, deploy packages, and set software policies. I can give you a specific exa...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I don't know all details about pricing for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services, so I can't answer this question.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I think nothing could be improved or enhanced in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services because it is doing precisely what it has to do. I do not see any minor enhancements or limitations to be o...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I use Microsoft Windows Server Update Services primarily for Windows updates, specifically for updates and security patch updates from Microsoft.
 

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
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
920,223 professionals have used our research since 2012.