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KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs NinjaOne comparison

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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
5.4
Microsoft Intune offers cost savings, enhanced security, operational efficiency, device management, and integration benefits within Microsoft's ecosystem.
Sentiment score
7.3
KACE SMA increases efficiency and productivity, offering rapid ROI by streamlining operations and reducing time, costs, and staffing needs.
Sentiment score
6.0
NinjaOne boosts productivity, saves time and costs, with ROI in six months, enhancing efficiency and quick problem resolution.
Everything we've gained from it makes my job easier day after day, and I see value in it as an engineer.
IT Systems Engineer at Syracuse University
Microsoft Intune not only saves costs by reducing the number of personnel needed but also offers a comprehensive solution for managing laptops, applications, security, individual access, and enrollment.
Subject Matter Expert at Engage IT Services Pvt Ltd
Importantly, when someone leaves the company, it helps protect document access on their devices.
Channels & Alliances Head at Link Development
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
NinjaOne enables significant time savings, reducing my workload by 40% to 50%, primarily due to remote management capabilities.
Owner at AvalisNT AG
I have seen a return on investment with NinjaOne, specifically with fewer employees and less time spent on troubleshooting.
IT Support at Team Trinet
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.6
Microsoft Intune's support is knowledgeable yet varies in responsiveness, with room for improvement in handling complex issues efficiently.
Sentiment score
6.6
KACE SMA support is praised for its expertise and 24/7 availability, with occasional room for flexibility improvement.
Sentiment score
7.3
NinjaOne's customer support is highly rated, with effective documentation minimizing needs; some cite slow response times.
When a support ticket is submitted, it directly reaches someone with Intune support expertise.
Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
When I contacted Microsoft, they had the same expertise, if not more, which is phenomenal because I felt heard and my problem was solved.
IT Systems Engineer at Syracuse University
Sometimes, the support provided is excellent, and the representative is knowledgeable, while other times, the service needs improvement.
Engineer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
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
Our experience with escalation supports, including auto escalation to third-level or engineering support, has been very positive.
Cloud Consultant at i-Community AG
The customer support at NinjaOne is excellent, rated ten out of ten.
Owner at AvalisNT AG
Customer support from NinjaOne is excellent.
Assistant Vice President, Tech Solutions at LPL Financials
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.7
Microsoft Intune is praised for its scalability, effectively managing large user bases and diverse devices without performance issues.
Sentiment score
7.2
KACE Systems Management Appliance efficiently supports various organization sizes, excelling in integration, scalability, and comprehensive network management.
Sentiment score
8.1
NinjaOne offers robust scalability, supporting diverse user needs and organizational growth while being praised for its adaptability.
The scalability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten.
Solutions Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Ideally, we want to automatically segregate devices based on user properties like primary use, but currently, dynamic groups seem limited to device properties.
Engineer, Systems Admin . at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
It supports organizations with 200 endpoints and those with more than 15,000 endpoints.
Director at Provisioned
The product is very scalable as it supports 10,000 thousand endpoints with just one appliance.
Avocat at Star Boxes India Pvt Ltd
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
I would rate the scalability of NinjaOne as ten out of ten.
CEO AND CTO at DeserveIT
We easily install the agent on new servers and can create scripts to automate agent installation.
DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
The scalability of NinjaOne is good; we can add more as we grow.
IT Support at Team Trinet
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Intune is praised for stability and security, despite occasional Azure disruptions and backend deployment challenges.
Sentiment score
8.1
KACE Systems Management Appliance is praised for its stability, reliability, and efficient performance, with swift recovery during incidents.
Sentiment score
8.0
Users regard NinjaOne as highly stable, appreciating consistent updates despite occasional minor issues following updates.
We have not experienced downtime, bugs, or glitches.
Head of IT at TWM SOLICITORS LLP
It appears Microsoft Intune undergoes changes without informing customers.
Support Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Microsoft Intune has been very stable.
Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.
Owner at AvalisNT AG
In the two years I have used it, I have never experienced any downtime or reliability issues.
DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Intune needs improved logging, deployment, integration, security, user experience, interface, and cost-effective licensing to compete effectively.
KACE Systems Management Appliance struggles with scalability, usability, customization, integration, image deployment, and technical support responsiveness.
Users seek improved antivirus integrations, mobile control, intuitive interface, flexible reporting, customization, and better platform support in NinjaOne.
Features like unlocking devices sometimes fail, and the support offered for other operating systems is insufficient.
Strategy & Portfolio Advisor at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now.
Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Many third-party companies offer single-pane-of-glass reporting that shows you what your update environment looks like, how your patch is doing, application status, etc., but Intune's reporting is not intuitive.
Engineer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
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
Security and reporting, including business intelligence tools, are adequate.
Cloud Consultant at i-Community AG
NinjaOne should consider adding notifications about script executions to email, Teams, or Slack channels.
DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
The ability to have more than one NinjaOne agent on a device at a time, as this is a significant issue in our current state.
Assistant Vice President, Tech Solutions at LPL Financials
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Intune provides cost-effective pricing, often bundled with Microsoft 365, offering competitive value and enhanced integration for enterprises.
KACE Systems Management Appliance offers cost-effective enterprise solutions, although potentially expensive for small businesses, with no additional feature costs.
NinjaOne offers affordable, subscription-based pricing with potential discounts, appealing to enterprises and educational institutions with tax exemptions.
Introductory professional services, like a fast-track service, were included with our E5 membership, and there have been no additional costs.
Senior Systems Architect IV at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees
The Intune suite and add-ons, such as batch management and remote help, are costly.
Technical Sales Professional (Microsoft Modern Workplace) at Alnafitha IT
It costs approximately forty euros per user per month.
Cyber Security Officer at Gudu
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
The pricing for NinjaOne is appropriate for small companies.
Cloud Consultant at i-Community AG
NinjaOne is reasonably priced, particularly with the inclusion of TeamViewer, SentinelOne, and Bitdefender.
Owner at AvalisNT AG
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for NinjaOne is fairly cheap and easy.
IT Support at Team Trinet
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Intune excels with seamless Azure integration, advanced security, zero-touch deployment, and enhances efficiency through advanced reporting and analytics.
KACE SMA offers integrated, centralized IT management for efficient software deployment, asset management, and security with customizable inventories.
NinjaOne offers remote monitoring, automation, and integration with features like remote access and an efficient mobile app for management.
Intune excels in configuration and compliance management for Windows 10, ensuring devices receive timely updates and adhere to organizational standards.
Microsoft Practice Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Dynamic groups allow us to set conditions for automatic membership, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual review and ensuring a seamless workflow.
Engineer, Systems Admin . at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Windows Autopatch is the most valuable because it removes the burden of patch management.
Director at Provisioned
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
The software's automation tools have solved critical deployment problems for small businesses.
Cloud Consultant at i-Community AG
A significant feature of NinjaOne is its remote access capability, which is essential for my clients’ home office usage.
Owner at AvalisNT AG
Every month, every quarter, I see new features, and it is always evolving.
CEO AND CTO at DeserveIT
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
310
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (2nd), Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
KACE Systems Management App...
Ranking in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
10th
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), Patch Management (9th)
NinjaOne
Ranking in Unified Endpoint Management (UEM)
6th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
Network Monitoring Software (24th), Server Monitoring (6th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (8th), Remote Access (14th), Vulnerability Management (26th), Mobile Device Management (MDM) (5th), IT Alerting and Incident Management (9th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (1st), Patch Management (7th), MSP Backup (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

AkashKamble - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr MacOS specialist engineer at Cyber24
Enables management of multiple operating systems with a single license
The best feature is that it's a Microsoft product, so if anything goes wrong, we get quick support for anything required. Remote system functionality allows us to sit anywhere and take control of any device via remote management. We can enhance security for clients' laptops with built-in Microsoft Defender, which is available with the Microsoft Intune license. We use it for reporting purposes through endpoint analytics. When pushing scripting, there are two types available: remediation script and reservation script. Through endpoint analytics, you can push defender policies to clients. It helps with reporting, inventory updates, and monitoring tenant status health.
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.
Not Joseph Pearson - PeerSpot reviewer
Assistant Vice President, Tech Solutions at LPL Financials
Has simplified remote software delivery and script management but needs improved reporting flexibility and better Mac support
NinjaOne's best features include ease of use regarding enablement and deployment, a broad selection and ability of software enablement, and API deliveries. Using CrowdStrike, we are able to tie in NinjaOne's API to have these automatically deliver to endpoints upon addition of those devices to a group with that policy deployed to it. NinjaOne has positively impacted our organization by making delivery easier for our end users and improving the ability to create scripts, manage scripts, and check status of devices and their compliance. This easier delivery with NinjaOne gives us oversight on devices without having to be on the call or remoted in directly to a device.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
University
12%
Government
10%
Non Profit
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business120
Midsize Enterprise47
Large Enterprise153
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise20
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise2
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
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, hand...
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 ...
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, a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NinjaOne?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for NinjaOne is fairly cheap and easy.
What needs improvement with NinjaOne?
One challenge I face with NinjaOne is that when remoting in, sometimes the end user has a resolution with very tiny t...
What is your primary use case for NinjaOne?
My main use case for NinjaOne is ticketing. I use NinjaOne for ticketing in my daily work to keep track of all the co...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Dell KACE Systems Management
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King
Status Pros, Mitchell and Company
Find out what your peers are saying about KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) vs. NinjaOne and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,435 professionals have used our research since 2012.