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Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

Automox and Microsoft are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Automox is ranked #18, while Microsoft is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Automox holds a 3.3% mindshare in PM, compared to Microsoft’s 6.0% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Automox users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.
Automox
Read 10 Automox reviews
  • 839 Views
  • 194 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Read 49 Microsoft Windows Server Update Services reviews
  • 2,233 Views
  • 747 Comparison Views
87% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and Automox are two leading solutions for managing and updating software across an organization. Automox seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive features and ease of deployment, despite having a higher cost.

Features: Microsoft Windows Server Update Services offers wide compatibility with Microsoft products, centralized update management, and control over update deployment. Automox provides cross-platform support, automated patching, and a comprehensive approach to endpoint management.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Windows Server Update Services needs enhancements in automation, better reporting functions, and more intuitive user interfaces. Automox could improve its integration options, fine-tuning of update schedules, and provide more detailed documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Windows Server Update Services integrates seamlessly with Microsoft ecosystems but requires more technical expertise during deployment. Automox is easier to deploy across various platforms and offers strong customer support.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is more cost-effective but offers a lower ROI due to manual oversight requirements. Automox has a higher price but delivers a better ROI through automation and reduced administrative overhead.

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To learn more, read our detailed Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services
June 2025
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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

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
18th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
8.1
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (50th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (60th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (20th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Automox is 3.3%, down from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 6.0%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Jack Leung - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and deploy agents but needs more stability
We just need to deploy the agent to the endpoints. We don't need to set up anything. For a single agent, it takes one or two minutes. However, we deployed globally, and you need to take into consideration the time it will take to deploy across each endpoint. It's very simple to deploy. We had three or four engineers take care of the implementation.
Read full review
Chuck Colby - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient patch management, potentially scalable, and free is using Microsoft servers
Whether to use the solution or not is going to be context-sensitive. If you have a strong Microsoft team, you can probably handle this. If, like my team, you also have a dozen other vendors to consider, it's not just the operating system. The pattern I've seen over time with WSUS is that it has the potential to be a fantastic product, yet it doesn't feel finished. People try to implement WSUS, and context is important. In my context, we're a small business without teams of Microsoft-certified people. We are just trying to use what's available to achieve a goal, and WSUS is fine, however, not the best product out there. The business in America often tries to do more with less. I would not recommend it to a team of my size. If a company had half a dozen or a dozen Microsoft-certified people, I'd say, run with it. For a team of my size, no, absolutely not. I would rate the overall solution a solid eight out of ten.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's super easy to use and we haven't found anything easier."
"Coming from prior solutions that were a lot more effort, Automox's patch management abilities are transformational. When I took over patching at my company, they were using on-premise architecture to patch. As the workforce shifted from being in the office into their home offices, I was able to lift and shift with no effort other than deploying the new agent out into the environment."
"The fact that it's just one product that can patch multiple operating systems is really great."
"The biggest improvement to our organization involves the reduction in its man hours... We've probably saved hundreds of hours."
"Among the most valuable features are its ease of use and the Worklets. Both of them are time-savers. Worklets enable us to customize things for a given environment. It's something like when Apple lets other people create applications. Other peoples' Worklets can be used in our environment and in our customers' environments. That saves a lot of time, and it's really cool."
"It's easy to deploy agents to endpoints."
"The flexibility in creating tools to make changes on remote machines is most valuable to me. The reporting feature is also fantastic because on any given day I can bring up a list of machines that don't have patches, for example. Or I can bring up a list of machines that are in my environment on a certain day. The solution helps me with not only my own role, and what I look for internally myself, but it also helps during audits. I can go in and look at the number of machines in there, and their owners and timelines. It certainly helps tell a story for anything that IT requires."
"They've been adding some new features lately, which I'm not nearly as familiar with, but the ability to just deploy patches and exempt certain machines from certain patches is helpful. For instance, for our servers, we may not want to roll out zero-day patches. We are able to exempt those and make sure that they don't get those policies. We've got certain servers that have to run a particular version of Java, and being able to exempt those servers from receiving Java updates is pretty fantastic."
More Automox pros
"The solution's most valuable feature is the ability to set logical rules. These rules allow us to automatically apply updates based on their criticality or assign them to specific computer groups. It allows for automatic deployment to specific groups based on predefined logic, eliminating the need for manual intervention in deployment creation."
"It is a scalable solution."
"The solution has great potential and leaves the user with almost limitless possibilities. It is truly a product with a million uses."
"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is an easy-to-use and stable solution."
"I like that we could evaluate every client and compare some weaknesses and vulnerability exploits in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. This is a useful way to test applications against an attacker attempting to exploit the operating system."
"The most valuable feature is Server Update's stability."
"The most valuable features are that it is included with Windows, and it can be driven by Group Policy Objects (GPOs)."
"It's a scalable product."
More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pros
 

Cons

"Asset management would be a great feature to add to Automox. We would run easier scripts or more out of the box scripts that would help us in audits. \"
"The biggest area they need to fix, without a doubt, is the ability to copy and sync profiles and worklets between all of the organizations you manage, and the ability to have top-level user access control across all of the companies that you manage."
"We would like to see additional detailed reporting for Service providers like us. We had to build our own reports via their APIs to meet our needs."
"As concerns the patching concepts, there's a bit of a learning curve in terms of working out how Automox wants you to work within the console, not only splitting up everything into groups, but then having the various policies assigned."
"When we bring on a new client, we need to go into that client and manually set up my account, my chief engineer's account, three technicians' accounts, and a billing person's account all over again, which is annoying. We have probably up to 15 or 16 of our clients on Automox now. For every single one of those, we have had to go in and set this up. Then, if anything changes, we have to remember to go to Automox and change it 15 or 16 times. So, we just want inheritable permissions, and that is it. We have talked to them about this, and they are like, "Yeah, we hear a lot of complaints about it." I am thinking, "Guys, I have been complaining about this for a year and a half. When are you going to do it?" It must be some tricky thing or not an easy fix, because I can only assume if it were easy, then they would have done it by now."
"The stability has come a long way from what it was like when it started and now it's really good."
"It should have integrated workstation access. So, there should be a remote desktop feature."
"There should be better inventory capabilities. Right now, they only allow you to have insight into software out-of-the-box. It would be nice to also extend that into custom inventory that can be modified and managed by the practitioner."
More Automox cons
"The product must integrate with third-party applications."
"They should offer patch management across platforms."
"The solution's stability could be improved because sometimes, there are some problems in communication and sending updates and patches."
"The security could be improved."
"They could reduce the platform's prices."
"The product needs to improve its user interface."
"More integration with different platforms would be an improvement."
"We can't rely on the product."
More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We're doing it annually directly through Automox. It is per endpoint. It is $2 and some change per endpoint, but I believe the cost is right around $28,000. Everything is covered in this fee."
"The pricing and licensing costs have been great for us... My advice to others who are evaluating or thinking of implementing Automox is to give it a shot. If a free trial is still available, definitely use it, because it makes life a lot easier."
"We are on the premium licensing, which is the one that has the API capability that we use."
"For all these software tools, it is usually a subscription model. There is a monthly charge that we need to pass along to our clients because we are doing all this for their benefit. It is only a couple of bucks a month per computer, and that is a low enough price point where our clients, without exception, have accepted it, and said, "This is great. We will pay that. It sounds like a worthwhile thing.""
"Its licensing for a year was nine grand. There was no additional fee."
"The cost is very reasonable compared to the competition."
"The product is a great value."
"Automox just charges us a set amount per user, per month, for using the product. That is very important to us. Because it's a cloud-native solution, you're saving on the cost of hosting an on-premises solution on your servers."
More Automox pricing and cost advice
"Configuration Manager is less expensive than Microsoft Windows Server Update Services."
"The integration is included in the Windows Server system, and there are no additional fees."
"I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."
"It doesn't need a license. It's offered for free with Microsoft."
"The licensing of WSUS is free of charge because it comes with the Windows Server operating system, included as a feature of the operating system itself. It's simply a role that you enable within Windows Server."
"Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is not an expensive solution."
"The tool could be cheaper."
"The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."
More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
15%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What do you like most about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
We can track the updates of the PC and servers.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
It's a free service. You just buy the Windows Server operating system, and it is an internal feature.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
Sometimes, I encounter issues with the Windows internal database, which occasionally does not load, leading to the Pandit console stopping. I have to repair the database and perform export and impo...
See all answers
 

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Automox
June 2025
Automox reportDownload Automox product report
Buyer's Guide
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services
March 2025
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services reportDownload Microsoft Windows Server Update Services product report
 

Also Known As

No data available
Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft WSUS, WSUS, Microsoft Software Update Services, Software Update Services, Microsoft SUS, SUS, MS Windows Server Update Services
 

Overview

Facing growing threats and a rapidly expanding attack surface, understaffed and alert-fatigued organizations need more efficient ways to eliminate their exposure to vulnerabilities. Automox is a modern cyber hygiene platform that closes the aperture of attack by more than 80% with just half the effort of traditional solutions.

Cloud-based and globally available, Automox enforces OS & third-party patch management, security configurations, and custom scripting across Windows, Mac, and Linux from a single intuitive console. IT and SecOps can quickly gain control and share visibility of on-prem, remote and virtual endpoints without the need to deploy costly infrastructure.

Automox dramatically reduces corporate risk while raising operational efficiency to deliver best-in-class security outcomes, faster and with fewer resources.

Automox

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a patch management tool that simplifies the administrator’s task of deploying the latest Microsoft updates. Administrators use WSUS to manage the distribution of updates released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.

WSUS has features you can use to manage and distribute updates from a management console. The WSUS server can also be a source of updates to other servers within the organization, acting as an upstream server.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Use Cases

The four main use cases that WSUS adds value to businesses are:

  • Centralizes update management.
  • Automates update management.
  • Performs general patch management to ensure compliance and protect against vulnerabilities.
  • Downloads all endpoint updates from data centers to a central location and then distribute them across the organization’s network.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Features

This built-in server includes the following features:

  • Includes Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
  • Features client and server separation, which means you can deliver versions of the Windows Update Agent (WUA) separately from WSUS.
  • Automatic download of updates.
  • Deploy a targeted download of updates to a specific group of computers.
  • Multiple language support.
  • Advanced reporting capabilities.
  • Centralized management of network resources.

Requirements

In order to be able to use WSUS to manage and deploy updates, it is important to use a supported WSUS version, such as:

  • WSUS 10.0.14393
  • WSUS 10.0.17763
  • WSUS 6.2 and 6.3 with installed KB 3095113 and KB 3159706

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Benefits

  • Stable.
  • Ensures servers are always patched and prevents vulnerabilities.
  • Works great for internal updating.
  • Enforces automated updates and patching for applications.
  • Because the solution is used in the cloud, clients are always using the latest version.
  • Highly scalable and configurable regardless of the organization’s layout.

Different Types of WSUS Deployments

  • Simple WSUS deployment: A server inside the corporate firewall serves clients via a private intranet. The WSUS server downloads updates by connecting to Microsoft Update. Using this model, you can configure multiple WSUS servers with a parent WSUS server.

  • Computer groups: You can use computer groups to deliver updates to specific computers. There are two basic computer groups: All Computers or Unassigned Computers. When a client first contacts the WSUS server, it is added to both. You can then create a group from the Unassigned Computers group to the new group.

  • WSUS server hierarchies: The flexibility of WSUS enables the creation of complex hierarchies of servers. To do this, you need only a single WSUS server connected to Microsoft Update. This will serve as an “upstream server,” and the connected servers as “downstream servers.”

    • You can link WSUS servers in two modes: autonomous or replica. In the autonomous mode, the upstream server shares the updates with the downstream servers but doesn’t update status or group information.

    • The upstream server shares updates, status, and group information in replica mode. You cannot administer replica servers apart from the upstream WSUS server.
Microsoft
Buyer's Guide
Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services
June 2025
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