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ConnectWise PSA vs SCSM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 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

ConnectWise PSA
Ranking in Help Desk Software
20th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
Business Management Software (1st), Professional Services Automation (PSA) (1st)
SCSM
Ranking in Help Desk Software
11th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
IT Service Management (ITSM) (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of ConnectWise PSA is 2.5%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCSM is 1.6%, down from 1.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Help Desk Software
 

Featured Reviews

JonMcWilliams - PeerSpot reviewer
Very useful for ticketing and billing purposes
In this case, we have the ability to fire on tasks. An email can be sent, and it is being received into the Kaseya tool or Autotask. Autotask then can parse the email appropriately and route it based on the rules that we set up. In that sense, it's very dynamic, and I can immediately identify which client is making a support request. It can route it to the appropriate queue and then send out the appropriate notifications. As work is done on the ticket, you can also notify the person requesting support or other pre-designated contacts so that they're kept in the loop. ConnectWise PSA is making its updates, and its integration with Office 365 has been really good. I like the fact that the solution integrates with IT Glue. ConnectWise PSA is making improvements, and it's a little bit more dynamic. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
LuisSanchez3 - PeerSpot reviewer
Current setup enables smooth problem-solving but lacks comprehensive guidance and local support
More information about setup procedures and a more user-friendly front end would be beneficial. We need more information for setup processes. It is difficult to do the work independently, requiring us to hire external companies for maintenance hours to fix small issues that could be resolved faster in-house if we had better information. We have been looking for an upgrade version, but finding local service has been difficult. It has been challenging trying to get things done. Speaking with the Microsoft office, we found there are no local companies with substantial experience with SCSM. What we have now was installed five or six years ago. It has been difficult to change configurations and look for upgrades, even with all the manuals. Our office is considering moving away from SCSM and getting a service desk solution outside of Microsoft. For me, it has been a good tool to get help and solve internal problems in the office. It is a very good tool, but the difficulty in getting local service or more information is pushing us to look for another tool.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I like the search function up top where if you know what you're searching for, you can find it pretty quickly. Because you've got the option to change what the search parameters are, whether you're searching for a project, quote, ticket, or an invoice, you can kind of pick and choose what you're looking for."
"The search function is really good. To have a single place where we have the account information stored is probably most valuable."
"It handles ticketing pretty well, and it's not something I have many critiques for."
"The initial setup isn't too difficult."
"The product has been pretty stable so far."
"All the features of ConnectWise Manage are valuable. However, ticketing, customer management, customer communication, technician efficiency, calendars, coding, billing, invoicing, and contract management are available. It's a complete solution. Additionally, the company is responsive with the ability to progress or make necessary changes happen."
"It's a nice ticketing system."
"I also like ConnectWise's ability to set up queries. I can set up all these different queries that look for specific things and end up with a list of results, like feedback from the client or the ticket status."
"SCCM provides remote tool functionality, which is not in Intune."
"I've used SCSM a lot, and its features are valuable."
"The call logging is the solution's most valuable feature. It's very easy to use."
"For our cloud-based deployment of SCSM, the Autopilot is the best feature."
"SCCM provides remote tool functionality, which is not in Intune."
"The most valuable feature is the reporting of incidents."
"This product has helped our organization by allowing people to connect with each other."
"The remote access is one of the features I really enjoy. The pushing of email updates and things like that are very good."
 

Cons

"Has a very outdated 90s interface and not all features are accessible via the mobile app."
"There should be some improvements to the interface. It is not completely intuitive. When you click in a blank area of a screen, you'll find some options."
"Their reporting options aren't great. BrightGauge was something that we added on, and that enhanced the experience."
"The speed could be better, and the reporting could be a lot better."
"The technical support of ConnectWise PSA is not very good."
"Sometimes it is a little bit slow, which is the only complaint I have about it."
"A lot of times, it'll take a couple of moments for things to go through. If you're not patient about it, it may seem like things aren't working."
"ConnectWise Manage can improve third-party integrations and the UI. The UI is good but it could improve in the graphics."
"It would be good if Microsoft added custom attributes or tagging like in Jamf."
"Better integration with other services in Azure is needed because everything is moving from on-premises to the cloud, and as an integrator, we have to help our clients with the migration."
"We would like to see a web-based interface that works on mobile devices."
"Although some engineers at Microsoft are good, the support often lacks expertise, and response times are slow."
"The major issues with SCSM include its severe slowness, especially on the client side, and the lack of comprehensive reporting tools."
"They need more integration with open-source products."
"The user interface needs to be improved."
"The solution could be more simple. For example, it takes a lot of work to create reports. It runs on Microsoft SQL queries. Creating custom reports on ManageEngine takes less work from the administrator."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I have one monthly license for all of the ConnectWise products I use, and it's $85 per user."
"The pricing is not based on my clients so much as it is on how many people I have accessing the system, and I think it's pretty good."
"The cost can be the main barrier. It's not a solution for a three person company. It just isn't going to be cost effective. Because ConnectWise Manage does have everything there, the licensing is a little bit restrictive as far as how they want to granularly assign licenses rather than having more of an all-inclusive package."
"There are some different add-ons and benefits that are optional and come at an additional cost."
"We're paying $940 a month for 14 users."
"The pricing of ConnectWise Manage is reasonable."
"The price of the solution could be better. My organization has an enterprise annual license with Microsoft which provides us support."
"The platform is competitively priced."
"The license for SCSM is cheap."
"Licensing can be complex and confusing."
"It is a lower price vs. other things on the market."
"It comes free with the enterprise agreement that we have, but the expense really is in having to buy another product to sit on top of it to make it work properly. You wind up having to buy additional support and additional product with their own support and maintenance costs on top of that."
"The price should be lower."
"It is an expensive solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
36%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Comms Service Provider
5%
Performing Arts
5%
Government
26%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ConnectWise Manage?
In our case, the solution is priced out by the user we have in the system. The pricing is not based on my clients so much as it is on how many people I have accessing the system, and I think it's p...
What needs improvement with ConnectWise Manage?
The technical support of ConnectWise PSA is not very good.
What do you like most about SCSM?
The solution offers good productivity at a low price point.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCSM?
We acquired SCSM for free with our Microsoft Endpoint Manager purchase, and we only paid for the integration process.
What needs improvement with SCSM?
From an admin point of view, Intune has more features and is easier to manage compared to SCCM. SCCM is a little complex for the admin point of view. Although some engineers at Microsoft are good, ...
 

Also Known As

ConnectWise Manage
System Center Service Manager
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

IT Connexx, High Standards Technology Inc, Solvere One, MyIT, ConnectWise, Simpatico Systems, Fred IT Group, ECS, OneStop, K2 Technologies, Clark Integrated Technologies, Jmark, Geek on Wheels
Fibabanka, UMC Health System
Find out what your peers are saying about ConnectWise PSA vs. SCSM and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.