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Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

 

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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
14th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (46th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (54th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (18th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Automox is 4.3%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 9.2%, down from 14.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Jack Leung - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and deploy agents but needs more stability
We just need to deploy the agent to the endpoints. We don't need to set up anything. For a single agent, it takes one or two minutes. However, we deployed globally, and you need to take into consideration the time it will take to deploy across each endpoint. It's very simple to deploy. We had three or four engineers take care of the implementation.
Mashood Atitebi - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's super easy to use and we haven't found anything easier."
"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."
"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."
"It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints."
"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."
"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."
"The fact that it's just one product that can patch multiple operating systems is really great."
"The most valuable feature is its ability to identify which updates are needed on a particular machine."
"We can track the updates of the PC and servers."
"The tool's most valuable feature is Active Directory."
"The performance has been okay."
"The solution gives authentic updates."
"The most valuable feature is Server Update's stability."
"It ensures we get the necessary updates and features from the servers."
"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."
 

Cons

"The biggest area they need to fix, without a doubt, is the ability to copy and sync profiles and worklets between all of the organizations you manage, and the ability to have top-level user access control across all of the companies that you manage."
"They need to improve the automation features."
"We would like to see additional detailed reporting for Service providers like us. We had to build our own reports via their APIs to meet our needs."
"It should have integrated workstation access. So, there should be a remote desktop feature."
"The stability has come a long way from what it was like when it started and now it's really good."
"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."
"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. \"
"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."
"Job management and control is an area that is in need of improvement."
"The approval process must be improved."
"The reporting is not as practical as I would like it to be."
"They could reduce the platform's prices."
"The product must integrate with third-party applications."
"More integration with different platforms would be an improvement."
"The product needs to improve its user interface."
"We have some problems when we update the servers."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"The product is a great value."
"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."
"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."
"The cost is very reasonable compared to the competition."
"We are on the premium licensing, which is the one that has the API capability that we use."
"The pricing and licensing costs have been great for us... My advice to others who are evaluating or thinking of implementing Automox is to give it a shot. If a free trial is still available, definitely use it, because it makes life a lot easier."
"Its licensing for a year was nine grand. There was no additional fee."
"The product is expensive."
"Configuration Manager is less expensive than Microsoft Windows Server Update Services."
"I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."
"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 WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."
"This product comes included with Windows and can be used free of charge."
"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."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
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 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.
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...
 

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: January 2025.
831,265 professionals have used our research since 2012.