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GFI LanGuard vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 23, 2025

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
1.0
GFI LanGuard enhances security, compliance, and ROI by streamlining patch management, identifying vulnerabilities, and providing actionable insights.
Sentiment score
7.3
KACE SMA increases efficiency and productivity, offering rapid ROI by streamlining operations and reducing time, costs, and staffing needs.
The return on investment is seen in the quick access to information, good inventory management, and efficient systems management.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.0
GFI LanGuard's customer service is responsive and helpful, though some regions experience inconsistent technical support quality.
Sentiment score
6.6
KACE SMA support is praised for its expertise and 24/7 availability, with occasional room for flexibility improvement.
I would rate the customer support for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) as a 10.
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The customer service is very good, providing quick customer support in Spanish.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
GFI LanGuard offers scalable flexibility for diverse setups, integrating seamlessly and effectively supporting environments up to 400 users.
Sentiment score
7.2
KACE Systems Management Appliance efficiently supports various organization sizes, excelling in integration, scalability, and comprehensive network management.
We have outgrown the size of one KACE appliance and are now running two.
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The product is very scalable as it supports 10,000 thousand endpoints with just one appliance.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
GFI LanGuard is stable and insightful, though remote client challenges on MPLS networks can arise but are manageable.
Sentiment score
8.1
KACE Systems Management Appliance is praised for its stability, reliability, and efficient performance, with swift recovery during incidents.
 

Room For Improvement

GFI LanGuard needs improved network management, better Linux documentation, remote work support, cloud options, and enhanced third-party integrations.
KACE Systems Management Appliance struggles with scalability, usability, customization, integration, image deployment, and technical support responsiveness.
Currently, we have to go into each org to deploy applications when we need them all across the university.
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers find GFI LanGuard pricing competitive, with annual costs between $1,000-$2,500 and initial licenses at $21,000.
KACE Systems Management Appliance offers cost-effective enterprise solutions, although potentially expensive for small businesses, with no additional feature costs.
The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that, hands down, it beat all of the others in simplicity and pricing.
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

GFI LanGuard provides comprehensive vulnerability assessment, patch management, and reporting, with user-friendly interface and resource efficiency, improving network security.
KACE SMA offers integrated, centralized IT management for efficient software deployment, asset management, and security with customizable inventories.
Scripting has saved us hundreds of hours over the years when patching these vulnerabilities compared to how we did it before.
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The most valuable features include simplicity, which makes systems management easier and faster, especially for device management.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
 

Categories and Ranking

GFI LanGuard
Ranking in Patch Management
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.6
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
KACE Systems Management App...
Ranking in Patch Management
9th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
39
Ranking in other categories
Client Desktop Management (3rd), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (12th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of GFI LanGuard is 2.4%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 3.9%, down from 5.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)3.9%
GFI LanGuard2.4%
Other93.7%
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

TK
Technical Executive at Satcom Infotech
Effective patch management boosts network security and enhances compliance reporting
The product is currently on-premise, and I think the cloud option is still yet to come. If a customer has their own cloud, we can host it there, but the SaaS model is not available, and most companies are requesting the SaaS model for patch management. GFI LanGuard is a good competitor in the market and is popular in my region. We get many leads and numerous requirements for patch management, but most companies ask for the SaaS model, which creates challenges. Third-party app integration needs to be increased in GFI LanGuard. It shouldn't be limited to 30 or 40 applications because there are many applications being used. Instead of manually patching everything, if those patches are included in the product, it would be easier for automatic patching.
MH
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliability and adaptability enable efficient application deployment and security management
The best features Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) offers include the scripting function, which stands out to me because I can find specific needs and deploy the applications based on those needs. There was a time when scripting really saved me time by allowing me to find specific registry entries and modify them to patch security vulnerabilities. Scripting has saved us hundreds of hours over the years when patching these vulnerabilities compared to how we did it before. I really enjoy the security features that are enabled to deploy Microsoft and other vendor patches, which stand out to me as key functionalities.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Photography Company
17%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
12%
Government
9%
Non Profit
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business10
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for GFI LanGuard?
I have not encountered the pricing aspect since I am from the technical side; only the sales team handles the pricing part.
What needs improvement with GFI LanGuard?
The product is currently on-premise, and I think the cloud option is still yet to come. If a customer has their own cloud, we can host it there, but the SaaS model is not available, and most compan...
What is your primary use case for GFI LanGuard?
My experience with GFI LanGuard involves patch management where, whenever we visit customers, they request patches for both third-party applications and OS systems. When it is on-premise, we can pr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that, hands down, it beat all of the others in simplicity and pricing.
What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?
I wish Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) would have a top-down approach since we use orgs; currently, we have to go into each org to deploy applications when we need them all across the...
What is your primary use case for Quest KACE Systems Management?
My main use case for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is to deploy applications and maintain security, and we use it day-to-day to handle those tasks. With Quest KACE Systems Managemen...
 

Also Known As

LanGuard
Dell KACE Systems Management
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

BayView Medical Clinic, FrugalBrothers Software, Zaw, National Theatre, American Red Cross
Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King
Find out what your peers are saying about GFI LanGuard vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,425 professionals have used our research since 2012.