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Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

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
1.0
Automox delivers significant ROI by streamlining operations, reducing costs, improving compliance, and enhancing efficiency through automated patch management.
Sentiment score
3.8
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services offers cost-effective automation and patch management, centralizing updates to reduce crashes and download traffic.
If they have some bundle options to pay less for more, we will get it and use it.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox's technical support is praised for quick, expert issue resolution and superior, attentive service compared to larger companies.
Sentiment score
4.5
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services support is mixed, with praise for premium help but concerns over wait times and organization.
They are really good because they don't take five days to get back to me; they respond within 24 hours with really good information.
Network & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
Premium support does not have any benefits.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
When you pay for the support, you are guaranteed resolution, and I don't think anybody else does that.
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
There was a time when contacting the support agency was more straightforward.
Network Architect at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox offers effective scalability for managing thousands of devices, though some experience console load time issues.
Sentiment score
5.7
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is praised for scalability and flexibility, though some note performance issues in large-scale environments.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox is stable and reliable, with improved uptime and proactive incident response, ensuring minimal downtime and consistent system health.
Sentiment score
4.9
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is highly reliable with minimal bugs, supporting various setups effectively and requiring low maintenance.
When we schedule our updates, it works, and that's it—nothing irregular or different than what was expected.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Automox users desire improved multi-organization management with profile sync, detailed reporting, enhanced automation, and reduced bandwidth for updates.
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services needs UI improvements, enhanced integration, better client support, and efficient updates to reduce disruptions.
The speed of it is quite painfully slow, so there's not a lot you can do to get Microsoft Windows Server Update Services to work under stress.
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
I would like the updates to be less often and more rarely because they have a high impact on our team.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
 

Setup Cost

Automox offers competitive, cost-effective pricing with a $2 per-endpoint fee and a free trial for evaluation.
Windows Server Update Services is included with Windows Server, offering varied pricing, with differing costs based on licensing models.
It's a free service.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
It's free.
Network Architect at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Automox is a cloud-based platform offering cross-platform patching, task automation, intuitive interface, and scalable remote management.
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services offers efficient, centralized update management with scalability, AD integration, cost-effectiveness, and selective patch downloads.
The ease of use and efficient reporting contribute significantly to my overall productivity.
Lead - Technical Services at Impetus
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is the update for Microsoft Windows Server.
Senior Oracle DBA at a financial services firm with 11-50 employees
Patch management is indeed valuable, however, the process to achieve it could be improved.
Network Architect at a construction company with 51-200 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
12th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.4
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (33rd), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (39th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (12th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Automox is 2.5%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 4.7%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services4.7%
Automox2.5%
Other92.8%
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

RA
Network & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
Provides real-time application updates with exceptional support
Some of the better features with Automox include its nice GUI, which looks intuitive, and it doesn't have a huge learning curve. Automox's real-time visibility and control through its intuitive dashboard is important for our response to emerging threats because it tells us which applications need to be updated on a real-time basis.
NN
IT Manager at Handi Quilter, Inc.
Experience with update service shows need for reliability, but support excels
I wouldn't say any of the update services have great features. The only real advantage I have for having Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is if I know or have been informed of a bad update that's causing software conflicts, I can stop it. But I do not depend on Microsoft Windows Server Update Services to keep my machines updated because the failure rates are too high. I have other tools for reporting and inventory capabilities. The inventory tool and the entire backend of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is poorly coded. It's not very reliable, so you can tell when dealing with bad code, and it may work one day but may not work another. So I had to stop using it because I need something that's reliable, therefore I use other tools for that information. In a pinch, you can use Microsoft Windows Server Update Services tools, but for the most part, they're not reliable enough. I don't believe I've seen any improvement on bandwidth optimization or deployment speed from Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. In fact, the only real improvement comes directly from Microsoft because they stagger the updates. So that helps, but having Microsoft Windows Server Update Services on-premise does not provide any real benefit. Its pricing is just all-inclusive. I don't think about it that way. If somebody tried to sell me Microsoft Windows Server Update Services, I would probably reject it. It's a tool that we have, so we use it, but if I were to pay extra for it, I would say it's not worth it. Some of the main differences between Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and the other tools are that WSUS's backend is based on IIS, which is not a very reliable host method. You're going to have problems getting Microsoft Windows Server Update Services to run when you have a large organization. The speed of it is quite painfully slow, so there's not a lot you can do to get Microsoft Windows Server Update Services to work under stress. The other tools just work. I can tell you what services are running on each of my machines and can stop or restart services. I can inventory the software they have on them with multiple tools, so I know what software is on our machines. I don't have to rely on a tool that works when it wants to and requires so much maintenance to keep it going. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is only to green check updates that I know are fine, but obviously, it could save me in a pinch if something went wrong.
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Top Industries

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

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business7
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise23
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Automox?
I wouldn't be able to tell you how Automox can be improved; it seems to work very nicely already.
What is your primary use case for Automox?
We use Automox to maintain the software on all our computers. We were using Qualys before and we're still using it, but we found Qualys to be a little bit lacking since it wasn't really eliminating...
What advice do you have for others considering Automox?
Since switching over from Qualys, we have seen no positive impacts for our organization other than being able to update the applications on an endpoint. We haven't used Automox's reporting capabili...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I don't know all details about pricing for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services, so I can't answer this question.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I think that an area of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services that could be improved is to make these updates less often and more rarely than now, because we have to do these updates once a mont...
 

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

Find out what your peers are saying about Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,259 professionals have used our research since 2012.