KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central comparison

Why PeerSpot?

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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718 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: August 2026).

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Client Desktop Management

August 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) (6th), 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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reviewer1908987

Ict Manager at a transportation company with 201-500 employees

Centralized endpoint management has improved patching, software deployment, and asset control

ManageEngine Endpoint Central is what I am personally working with and using, along with the Service Desk, which is another tool we use. We have been working with ManageEngine Endpoint Central for four years or more. The customizable packages in software deployment are very positive; you can apply different policies for the package that you are going to deploy. This is something we are still using and working with. ManageEngine has a very large portfolio of products. There is some functionality that is not managed from ManageEngine Endpoint Central, but you can find that functionality in another module of ManageEngine's portfolio.

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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 product makes it very easy to connect to clients."

"ManageEngine Endpoint Central has significantly simplified my device management practices."

"The easy application deployment allows you to use the solution directly, the solution works very well, it offers excellent performance, the initial setup is pretty straightforward, we find the solution to be pretty stable, and the product can scale well if you need it to."

"The solution is time-saving and resource-saving."

"What is great about the patch management solution, is that it patches OS, applications, browsers, plug-ins, and firmware updates."

"ManageEngine Desktop Central has greatly improved our organization by utilizing Service Desk Plus to monitor and keep track of issues that our end users report to our Help Desk Department. We also have written in the ode of our company's software to notify Support if an end-user experience an issue and does not report it."

"The ability to run event viewer, task manager, services, command, file browser, certificate all remotely without interrupting users is the most valuable aspect. Software deployment and prohibiting, allowing us to standardize on the software that has been deployed through the environment and then prohibiting illegal software such as torrent applications has been valuable."

"The most valuable in Desktop Central is the way it is tightly coupled with the rest of the modules and the entire gamut of ManageEngine."

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 pricing could be a bit better."

"Tech support is mediocre at best."

"I would like to see more click to complete actions such as - USB lockdown for Mac, the ability to check AV compliance on servers, bit locker controls, printer tracking or print page tracking, self-help for self-healing like "BMC my IT" and more options in the self-service menu other than just software - maybe add integration in ADSelfService at the self-service menu."

"ManageEngine Endpoint Central setup is a little bit complex at the beginning, but that is normal because we have to set up different aspects of the solution and clean up our organization."

"We would like to see options for deploying Microsoft 365 accounts into Outlook. For now we only can use it to deploy exchange accounts. Also we would like to see an option do decline Windows 7 ESU patches in a bulk."

"Technical support is not up to the mark. In my opinion, this is the area where they should look after more carefully."

"The reporting analytics could improve in ManageEngine Desktop Central. However, there are some third-party add-ins or modules you can purchase to do reporting analytics."

"ManageEngine Desktop Central should keep up with some of the features that other major vendors are providing, such as Microsoft."

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."

"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."

"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 pricing of the product is not bad compared to the other similar solutions in the market."

"The pricing is average."

"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."

"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 initial purchase was around $6,000 or $7,000. We most probably are not on an annual subscription. We bought it, and then we pay for the maintenance. I'm not 100% sure how that's working out."

"Could provide more services on the standard license"

More ManageEngine Endpoint Central pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

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.

See all answers

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

Microsoft Intune vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Compared 16% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Compared 7% of the time

Tanium vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Compared 5% of the time

BlackBerry Enterprise Mobility Suite vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Compared 4% of the time

Jamf Pro vs ManageEngine Endpoint Central

Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Client Desktop Management

August 2026

Download KACE Desktop Authority [EOL] product report

Buyer's Guide

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

August 2026

Download ManageEngine Endpoint Central product report

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

August 2026

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