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Atera vs Cortex comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 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

Atera
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
13th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.8
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (5th), Patch Management (12th)
Cortex
Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)
21st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of Atera is 2.2%, down from 2.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Cortex is 0.3%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
IT Service Management (ITSM)
 

Featured Reviews

AV
Quick setup and efficient automation boost IT consulting services
It would be beneficial if Atera implemented telephone support for general questions. When onboarding new clients and creating their portal, it would be helpful if presidents or company owners could see the current configuration progress step-by-step, rather than relying solely on email and ticket systems. The task system for technicians could be improved by adding recurring task capabilities. This would allow technicians to have checkmarks and task lists they can mark off as completed. While scalability meets growing needs, there haven't been many additions in the last two years. They are adding new features gradually, but there is always room for improvement.
NikhilSharma1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides comprehensive network visibility and helps us identify threats efficiently
The product could be improved in several areas. The complexity and confusion regarding product variants, such as XDR, Forexiant, and Forexon, must be addressed. There is also a need for clearer differentiation between features and capabilities within Cortex's suite, as the overlap between XDR and XIM can be confusing. Improvements in the user interface and more intuitive KQL query handling could also enhance usability. Additionally, better support for various deployment scenarios and cost management options would be beneficial.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I would say it's the number one tool for all ITMS."
"There are a lot fewer hardware replacements. Once people migrated from old style hard disks over to SSDs, you have things like hard disks filling up faster. So, I run a script to clear out all the waste, e.g., all the temporary files and downloads. A lot of our business runs through a custom web application that we built. This involves people downloading a lot of PDFs and Excel files, and not just having them sitting in folders. With Atera, I can just go through and clean the temporary files out."
"Atera saves money. A trip to the customer costs between $20 to $30. Then, you need to charge the customer $20 to $30 for the travel. However, if you are doing this work remotely, then you are not driving. This makes the process easier and saves money for you and the customer. For example, if it is just one machine, then the savings comes out to $50 to $60. If we are talking about a huge client, who has hundreds of machines and is changing their infrastructure, that is a lot of money."
"I really like the Shared Script Library and automation tasks which they have implemented... because all the Atera users in the community can share their scripts and their automation tasks knowledge. The same goes for the Shared SNMP Template Library."
"Atera has helped me to provide more accurate solutions based on a given problem. For example, we base our solutions on event scenarios, like the alerts. We identify that there's a series of problems occurring in a particular area from the information provided by the alerts."
"It is reliable, and when it is working, it works without issues."
"It's very easy to use, not just for me, but even for people who have claimed, "I'm not very good at IT." Once you have it installed and you have it set up, it pretty much works by itself. It really helps you do what you need to do. It's easy to use for a beginner, compared to some of the other larger RMMs that are a little bit more complicated."
"I have better access when I go to look for something regarding either a specific user or software. It is easier to locate. When I am troubleshooting with my clients on the phone, I am not fiddling around looking through a bunch of ticket notes trying to locate something. It makes me a lot more efficient."
"The solution's most valuable feature is writing playbooks."
"The solution's stability is generally good."
"It was easy to integrate Cortex with existing infrastructure and other tech tools."
 

Cons

"Customization could be improved."
"Having more freedom to perform identity access management would be great."
"The chat solutions need improvement because we first need to connect to the customer. This needs to improve so that there is a particular feature that can provide support to customers even if they are not connected to a computer."
"The one thing that could do with improvement is the reporting. This is from someone who worked in an MSP, where I would want to run a report and be able to just present that to a client."
"Atera could be improved by adding more granular control over technician roles. We need more specific controls on what technicians can access, like limiting their ability to view certain sections or access devices and share files. This feature request has already been made. The IP asset management capabilities need improvement to better manage assets beyond just devices."
"It should improve its processes."
"The solution is scalable. However, in the past, we did have some issues."
"I also use Apple Zoho, which does not require you to download anything. You can get help from Zoho. Atera, on the other hand, requires you to download an applet."
"It's quite lagging and not very fast."
"It would be more beneficial to integrate threat intelligence in Cortex."
"The complexity and confusion regarding product variants, such as XDR, Forexiant, and Forexon, must be addressed."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"As an internal IT, it's gold right there. It is money in the bank."
"Atera happened to have the best pricing model."
"The value of the product is perfect, neither cheap nor expensive. I think it is the right rate. It would be awesome if it continued to be the same price because it is a great solution that I like. I like it because I'm not paying per device. I have some customers on monthly contracts and some of them are on break'n fix. If I have a client who is on break'n fix, and they need to pay per agent, then I am losing money. If they were ever to change structures, going to pay-per-device model, then I would need to think about changing to something else."
"It comes with unlimited devices, so the fixed price cost is taken out of my budget. So, I'm all good."
"The solution cost approximately $200 Canadian per month."
"We pay per user. I am the only user. It is $150 per user. If I need to add one, it is not as costly as expanding with other providers."
"In terms of cost, it's not very expensive. I’d rate it around three or four out of ten, considering its value for money."
"The price is reasonable for what we require."
"Cortex is an expensive solution."
"It's cheaper compared to its competitors."
"Cortex XDR is a costly solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Retailer
7%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Atera?
Pricing is low. It costs around 149 bucks per month.
What needs improvement with Atera?
It should improve its processes.
What is your primary use case for Atera?
Atera is integral to our daily operations. We use it for RMM, PSA, our ticket system, and contact with people. We also integrate it with different products.
What needs improvement with Cortex?
It would be more beneficial to integrate threat intelligence in Cortex.
What is your primary use case for Cortex?
With Cortex, we can automate the analysis of all the alerts. We use it to automate any kind of activity.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MSPs, IT consultants, and IT departments worldwide trust and use Atera. 
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Atera vs. Cortex and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.