KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central comparison

Quest Software and ManageEngine are both solutions in the Client Desktop Management category. Additionally, 100% of Quest Software users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of ManageEngine users who would recommend it.

KACE Desktop Authority [EOL]

Read 1 KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] review

100% willing to recommend

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Read 69 ManageEngine Endpoint Central reviews

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663 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

KACE Desktop Authority [EOL]

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 26, 2025

ManageEngine Endpoint Central and KACE Desktop Authority EOL compete in IT management, focusing on endpoint management. ManageEngine tends to have an edge in pricing and support, while KACE Desktop Authority EOL is known for its robust feature set.

Features: ManageEngine Endpoint Central includes comprehensive endpoint management capabilities like patch management, remote control, and asset management. KACE Desktop Authority EOL is noted for desktop configuration management and security settings, providing a feature-rich environment for desktop control.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ManageEngine Endpoint Central offers cloud-based and on-premises deployments, providing flexibility. Its customer service is responsive, aiding in smoother implementation. KACE Desktop Authority EOL, primarily on-premises, requires more involved setup, experiencing mixed service feedback. Endpoint Central's dual deployment model and supportive service offer an advantage here.

Pricing and ROI: ManageEngine Endpoint Central is known for competitive pricing with a strong ROI, facilitated by efficient resource management. KACE Desktop Authority EOL may incur higher initial costs, but its extensive feature range can justify the investment for businesses seeking advanced desktop management. Endpoint Central's economical pricing model and quick returns appeal to businesses aiming to manage costs effectively.

To learn more, read our detailed Client Desktop Management Report (Updated: June 2026).

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Client Desktop Management

June 2026

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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

KACE Desktop Authority [EOL]

Average Rating

10.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (2nd), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (2nd)

Featured Reviews

it_user1762365

IT Manager at ABLE STEEL FABRICATORS

Saves me time and effort when adding and subtracting drives, and Premier Support handles updates

Desktop Authority is nice for us because we can pass out all of our drive mappings and our printers, throughout the office and the shop. Our environment is a very big place because we're a steel fabricator. We don't fabricate steel racks for your kitchen. We're fabricating steel buildings and beams for highrises. We're sitting on a few acres of property, so it's nice to be able to deploy and fix things without always having to walk everywhere or physically go to a machine to map a drive. It's easier to use than doing it in Windows Active Directory, which I never have loved at all. One of the benefits is time savings. If we make a change to a job and I want to pull a drive off of a set of computers, I can do it without having to leave my desk. Before we started using the solution, I would have had to go to every machine. That was a much more cumbersome way of handling it. That is one way it does save me time, probably a few hours every month. I don't have to mess around with something that I can do by opening up Desktop Authority. I can make a few changes, apply those changes, and I'm done in a matter of a few minutes. In the old days, I would have had to go outside, to every machine and every computer. We have jobs that run anywhere from two months to two years. We did a lot of steel for the Rams' stadium, SoFi Stadium in California. That job is still going and it's four years in. But at some point, we're going to want to shut that job down, and we'll shut that particular drive off of the network. And that's the advantage. I can individually go in and say, "Okay, we're done fabricating steel for this job. The shop doesn't need to see this information anymore," and I can pull it away from them really easily with this software. That's one of the things that is a huge benefit for me. That's where it's saving me time.

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Mohammed-Samir

Solutions Consultant at Team Computers

Experience improves with intuitive setup and comprehensive features but needs enhancements for Apple integration

From a ManageEngine perspective, there is room for improvement regarding the Platform SSO technology introduced by Apple, which allows you to integrate your hardware with your identity providers. It used to be only a few selected ones via OIDC protocols or some other protocols, which are not necessary anymore. If a customer is already using Microsoft 365, they can integrate with any MDM for Platform SSO, which essentially hardens their device identity with the person logging in for the first time. It also helps automate enrollment and provide a zero-touch experience. Currently, while some MDM tools InTune and Jamf support this feature, ManageEngine still does not fully support Platform SSO via Microsoft or Google. I have customers using ManageEngine who are looking forward to this solution, and if ManageEngine can provide it, it would enhance the overall product value. For enterprise users, the solution needs improvement. For SMB, it is straightforward; if it is a small company of 100 to 500 users, anything below 1,000, they do not have much of a compliance or security requirement—they just want to manage their devices and push applications. Simple tasks are easier to accomplish. However, when it comes to enterprise-grade deployment, many complex configurations need to be considered, such as Wi-Fi configurations, network configurations, VPN configurations, and advanced certification deployment, such as ACME certification deployment practice introduced by Apple. These are a few things that can be improved on that side, but from a basic user perspective, if someone is in the SMB market or a company just starting off pre-IPO, without going into compliance, they typically find Zoho and ManageEngine to fit their needs. For enterprise-grade deployments, it is more than enough for Windows, but for Apple, it is still in development and not up to the mark.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"For what I use the solution for, it works really well."

"If we make a change to a job and I want to pull a drive off of a set of computers, I can do it without having to leave my desk. Before we started using the solution, I would have had to go to every machine. That was a much more cumbersome way of handling it."

"The setup is pretty simple."

"We have almost 2500 computers inside our private network, and managing those computers from a single console meant a dream come true for us."

"The dashboard has been very useful."

"The GUI of Endpoint Central is very user-friendly, which simplifies the process of training new users."

"Honestly, I have to say all features together have become the Swiss army knife of desktop management. They all work hand in hand. Software deployment saves an unbelievable amount of time installing an application on hundreds of computers."

"The solution is stable."

"Its cross-platform capabilities and the ability to do both OS-level patching and third-party patching are valuable. It is difficult to find a software product that will do all that for you out of the box, and you don't have to do any configuration other than your initial setup. Once you do that, there is a very minimalistic approach to getting it operational. You can have it up and running within a 20-minute time span."

"In terms of technical capability, it is doing very well, it is doing better than other industry products, it is at a place where we can compare it with Microsoft products, and its scalability is also good."

More ManageEngine Endpoint Central pros

Cons

"It would be nice if it were a little easier to maneuver around the patch management. I would like to use that more, but it got very cumbersome and complicated when I tried to use it in the past. I haven't used that much since then."

"The way patches are pushed out and applied can use a little work as it appears the patches are pushed out and just force applied as a group, as opposed to a specific registry pattern."

"Compared to the solution we use to manage our Mac products, this solution lacks the ability to create dynamic groups. We would like the ability, for example, for machines which have been upgraded to form part of a grouping based on this upgrade."

"Don't use it with Internet Explorer, as it's glitchy."

"The solution should be better at integrating with other solutions."

"It might be helpful if they offered a simpler way to use the OS deployment function. It's a bit complicated for most of the customers."

"Not many things are needed for improvement, everything seems to be great as it is. One thing that would be good to have would be the ability to add MDM to a tablet running Android 5.0 using the EMM Token Enrollment. If we wanted to add MDM to an older tablet, we just have to go the "long route" to get it added."

"At one time, they delivered an agent that ate up your CPU and your memory."

"Many features in Desktop Central are licensed separately. It would be more convenient if they could organize these tools into a single package."

More ManageEngine Endpoint Central cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Cost was a big factor when we made the decision to go with it. It wasn't very expensive, and it's not even very expensive now. I pay less than $500 a year for it."

"The licensing is very easy to understand and pricing is right for what you get."

"Choose wisely between the Professional and Enterprise editions, based on your needs."

"Affordable for any customer."

"We had perpetual licenses. The cost was around 36,000, and then you'd have the yearly maintenance fee of 2,000 or 3,000."

"The pricing is very low, compared to other products. Compared to Intune or SCCM, it's much less. I can say it's a good product for less of a price."

"The product is not costly. The product is properly priced, especially for SMBs."

"There are multiple flavors of the app. They have a distributed version for enterprises. It depends on your size. They price it on a per machine basis. 250 or 500 is probably their least amount."

"I have been using the free version and am in the stage where I have to decide if I will proceed with the paid license, or instead choose another product."

More ManageEngine Endpoint Central pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	26
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	35

Questions from the Community

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How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?

ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine Endpoint Central?

I would rate the pricing as seven; it is quite expensive from my point of view for ManageEngine Endpoint Central.

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What needs improvement with ManageEngine Endpoint Central?

It would be great to see some additional options within ManageEngine Endpoint Central. A better monitoring tool to analyze network traffic related to patch management would be something good to see...

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Comparisons

No data available

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Client Desktop Management

June 2026

Download KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

June 2026

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Also Known As

No data available

ManageEngine Desktop Central, Desktop Central, ManageEngine Desktop Management MSP

Overview

KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] was a trusted endpoint management tool that allowed IT administrators to optimize, manage, and secure networked Windows endpoints efficiently and effectively through automation and policy-based controls.

The effectiveness of KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] centered on its ability to streamline the management of Windows endpoints via centralized control. This tool helped reduce complexity in managing devices by automating tasks such as software deployment, security patching, and configuration management. Its support for group policy initiation and network auditing made it a favorite in many IT departments. Its easy integration with existing network infrastructure further enhanced its utility for IT professionals.

What are the key features of KACE Desktop Authority [EOL]?

Software Deployment: Automates installation and updates, saving admin time.
Security Management: Provides layered protection through centralized security controls.
Configuration Management: Simplifies policy application for consistent endpoint settings.
Asset Inventory: Offers comprehensive device tracking and reporting capability.
Patch Management: Streamlines the updating process to keep systems secure and compliant.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Time Efficiency: Reduces manual tasks through automation and policy enforcement.
Cost Savings: Minimizes labor and downtime through effective resource allocation.
Improved Security: Enhances endpoint security with proactive management features.
Scalability: Accommodates growing networks with ease of deployment and operation.

In industries with extensive IT infrastructures, such as finance and healthcare, KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] was implemented to maintain compliance, ensure security, and improve IT efficiency. Its deployment enabled these industries to meet rigorous standards and respond to technological changes swiftly.

Quest Software

ManageEngine Endpoint Central focuses on patch management, remote control, and asset management. It offers centralized management to facilitate software deployment and mobile device administration across various operating systems, consolidating functionalities for improved usability and streamlined processes.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central integrates multiple capabilities like remote troubleshooting and cross-platform updates, supporting Windows, Linux, and macOS. Its seamless integration with ManageEngine tools enhances usability while users appreciate its remote access, configuration management, and reporting instruments. The intuitive interface promotes easy training and adaptation in different environments. Though welcomed for its capabilities, users suggest improvements in software QA, interface intuitiveness, and customizable reporting. Desires also include better Linux patch management, quicker deployment times, enhanced security, and simpler support channels. Managing macOS effectively and comparing its management with Windows shows some disparity.

What are the most essential features?

Patch Management: Efficient patching for OS and applications, ensuring system security.
Remote Control: Easy access and support for troubleshooting and maintenance.
Asset Management: Comprehensive tracking and management of IT assets.
Software Deployment: Streamlined deployment across diverse platforms.
Cross-platform Updates: Simplifies updates across Windows, Linux, and macOS.

What should be considered for ROI and benefits?

Improved Efficiency: Speeds up troubleshooting and maintenance tasks.
Cost-effectiveness: Reduces labor costs with centralized management.
Scalability: Adapts as organizational needs grow and change.
Security Enhancement: Ensures robust protection against threats.
Integration: Works seamlessly with existing ManageEngine tools.

ManageEngine Endpoint Central finds application across diverse sectors, particularly for IT operations that require managing patches, software deployment, and asset oversight. It supports IT teams in maintaining compliance and security policies. By easing software deployment and enabling effective remote troubleshooting, it enhances IT support workflows without impacting productivity.

ManageEngine

Sample Customers

Elevion

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Strathallan School, BMI Healthcare, Comercial Kywi, First Priority Federal Credit Union, Gerab National Enterprises

Buyer's Guide

Client Desktop Management

June 2026

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