No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

IFS Cloud Platform vs N-able MSP Manager comparison

Sponsored
 

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

Automation Anywhere
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
640
Ranking in other categories
Business Process Management (BPM) (2nd), Robotic Process Automation (RPA) (2nd), Process Mining (1st), Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) (1st), Agentic Automation (1st), Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (1st), AI Legal & Compliance (1st), AI Finance & Accounting (1st), AI Procurement & Supply Chain (1st)
IFS Cloud Platform
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
32
Ranking in other categories
CRM (33rd), Customer Experience Management (9th), Field Service Management (2nd), Help Desk Software (21st), ERP (20th), Activity Based Costing Software (10th), Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) (3rd), Local Government CRM (13th), IT Asset Management (13th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (18th), License Management (2nd)
N-able MSP Manager
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (24th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (21st)
 

Featured Reviews

Venkat Sivaprakash - PeerSpot reviewer
Management Consultant at Accenture
Has significantly improved document-driven workflows and reduced processing time across finance and HR functions
Automation Anywhere has evolved significantly and upgraded itself to provide agentic AI and AI-based automation solutions for document automation. The product has matured considerably over time. We can create workflows that can call an API. We can include prompts in particular workflows for ChatGPT-related functions, connecting to an LLM and RAG to perform tasks. For document automation, modern features are available to train documents, ensuring high accuracy and repeatability over time. The system is very easy to use. I recently completed a course in document automation, typically designed for people involved in coding and technical aspects. Though I understand coding comprehensively, I don't do actual coding. The course was very accessible. Currently, extensive coding isn't necessary due to the hybrid model incorporating GenAI aspects, low-code, no-code capabilities, APIs, and numerous pre-built objects in Automation Anywhere. The features include GenAI-driven prompting methods and workflow creation capabilities. In these workflows, we can create decision boxes and call APIs without coding. We simply pull objects, drop them, connect them, and add minimal coding when needed. The most crucial aspect isn't coding but rather sizing the automation and fleshing out the details. Automation Co-pilot takes notes and performs automated analysis. It can extract details from videos, summarize conversations, and provide detailed information. During calls, it identifies instructions and performs tasks such as preparing reports and reconciliation. Automation Anywhere can also connect with Microsoft Co-pilot. Through Co-pilot, real-time operations can be executed, allowing direct interaction between vendors and automation through this component.
reviewer2268153 - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Operations Engineer
Integrated planning has improved production scheduling and now reduces downtime and costs
The biggest friction point I have run into with IFS Cloud Platform is user adoption, which has been the biggest challenge, as different users in the organization need to get accustomed to the new processes after years of using spreadsheets and legacy systems, requiring training and a mindset shift, along with challenging data migration and process standardization. My advice to someone considering IFS Cloud Platform with a similar workflow is to spend sufficient time understanding and standardizing their business processes before implementing it, as the technology is very powerful, but the real value comes when processes, data, and teams are all aligned. I would rate my overall experience with IFS Cloud Platform as a 9 out of 10.
GK
CTO at InTTrust SA
Ticketing has helped prioritize support tasks while contract and project management have required better integration and pricing flexibility
I don't know if N-able MSP Manager could have some additional features in the future to make it more competitive because it might already be available and I'm not aware of it.I cannot say that N-able MSP Manager dashboard is intuitive, but I don't see any big difference with ManageEngine. From the deployment perspective with N-able MSP Manager, I cannot have higher expectations because it is a SaaS solution, so it was deployed as is from the technical perspective. From the business perspective, the deployment is complex, but I cannot tell you that it is less complex than ManageEngine. The main reason that made me change my mind and proceed with ManageEngine is the availability of add-ons in combination with their pricing.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We had an old ERP which required human interactions because of the lack of a system, and what we did is have the robotics read an invoice and plug it directly into our ERP, avoiding the extra steps, saving about an hour-and-a-half a day and 20 percent of an FTE."
"This RPA solution really stands out because of its functionality, scalability, and stability. It also offers very good technical support, and is always innovating with new features that speak to various operational use cases."
"The biggest benefit of Automation Anywhere is that it makes our processes error-free. Accuracy is how you build efficiency within the system and increase productivity."
"It helps with the speed on improving processes and the results of those processes."
"During the digital transformation of a company, the number of internal portals and applications increases leading to an increased number of data silos."
"This solution has decreased the time that our employees spend on manual processes."
"The recorder feature for front end automation and email packages is the most valuable feature as it has more features and it makes the email server related tasks easier and more independent on the email client."
"My experience with the deployment of the solution is positive; it's fast, and we have not encountered any problems related to that."
"Apart from the pressures of meeting 14 go-live dates, this has been a very positive experience and has led to a streamlined and effective business."
"The solution overall is very versatile and flexible, especially compared to other products."
"There tends not to be a massive weakness in the product itself, as weaknesses can quickly be resolved in the next patch or the next release."
"Individual user profiles that can be configured as templates to minimize data entry."
"When it comes to financing, the solution has helped us to concentrate finance functions like accounting processes in one system. This includes about 70 internal entities around the world."
"The financial posting controls are quite handy. The user interface is really friendly, highly flexible, and pretty intuitive for end users."
"The most valuable features of IFS Applications in the latest version are the new user Arena interface. It's from Apps 9, but it brings more flexibility in usage, especially around different devices, such as mobile usage, which doesn't restrict you from using a computer. We are it for the HR side, and it's proving quite good. It has a new modern feel to it similar to a standard cloud application which enhances the user experience."
"One of our favorite features is the "Info-Zone", which provides operational intelligence in flight and in context to guide both business users and support teams to productivity."
"The best advantage for us, since we use all N-able products, is that the MSP portal centralizes everything."
"We are an MSP, and for what we do, we have one centralized dashboard, and even though we're a small IT team, we can manage a ton of clients with a lot of automated processes, even for patch management."
"I am impressed with the tool's integration with our mail system."
"Don't get scared of the price tag because it's definitely worth it."
"I like that you can do all the things with it. You can patch, and you can run the scheduled tasks. You can remote in, upload files, and download files. You can log onto a computer PowerShell, or command prompt, without having to log into RDP. I also like its ease of use."
"This is a premier product and it has been around for a long time."
"At a significantly lower price, I managed to get project management modules, contract management, and CMDB, which were not all available in N-able MSP Manager."
 

Cons

"There is definitely some room for improvement there. It is sort of a hit and miss with their support engineers, you have some really good ones and some that aren't."
"The OCR component should allow integration with 3rd party OCR. This way we can use the best of breed solution along with AA or allow better control over OCR packages to be customized."
"One day, there will be a message box saying that the application is down or not available on a weekend. The instructions will say read the information and click, "Okay." But a bot doesn't understand the instructions because it is not the IQ system."
"My biggest suggestion would be to allow us to set up test and development licenses or environments that don't use unattended licenses needed for production."
"Currently, there are some vulnerabilities in security that need attention in Automation Anywhere."
"I am looking forward to seeing writing on Linux in the web and WorkBatch in the next release."
"What I don't like about Automation Anywhere is that its troubleshooting tools need to be improved because they usually take a long time to solve problems as they come up."
"We will be running error handling for 8,000 process and the system will fail."
"IFS Applications is not robust enough to handle high-volume transactions, so it's not suitable for larger enterprises."
"There are certain digital features that need to be incorporated, such as IOP."
"Pricing is comparatively or sufficiently higher than maybe all other IT solutions."
"The product requires heavy administrative work."
"It would be ideal if, in the future, the product could incorporate IoT and blockchain elements. We'd like to explore more of these types of features going forward."
"Aspects of HR and payroll could be better."
"The solution's initial setup process was complex...The technical support my company receives from the implementation partners of the solution is not that great."
"IFS uses Crystal Report mostly, which isn't too user-friendly. Developing reports isn't easy and requires a lot of dev time. Since SAP bought it, Crystal Report has become more complicated to use on IFS. You have a dashboard for reporting that is good, but it's incomplete. Most of our clients use Power BI or some additional tooling for BI."
"There are too many products out there. What I would like to see is a simplified solution that is packaged better, where you can easily implement or turn on the functionality that you need."
"The tool needs to improve its customization of the user interface."
"Comparing the pricing of N-able MSP Manager to ManageEngine, it is a little bit too high."
"Its reporting is lousy and bad. It is not as good as it should be."
"Its reporting is lousy and bad. It is not as good as it should be. There is too much work involved to get what you want. Most times, you have to call them to customize some stuff. I just don't like that part. They need to work on their reporting. They have a way to go."
"I'd like to see a way to import contacts in bulk using an Excel sheet or another import method."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Although the initial implementation cost of Automation Anywhere is relatively high compared to other options, its annual subscription cost is lower than UiPath's, which has the opposite pricing structure."
"Despite being less expensive than UiPath, Automation Anywhere remains cost-prohibitive for many small and medium-sized businesses."
"We just did a round of price comparison on a global scale and found it's so hard to compare the license prices. But, Automation Anywhere, in general, is on the same price level as the other vendors, a bit lower in some cases."
"The solution itself is free unless we want to add the support option but we have to pay for the bots we use."
"Pricing is affordable and I would recommend beginning with the Starter Package."
"Complaints are generally about the cost of IQ Bot, which is higher than its competitors. The base model’s pricing is comparable to other platforms with attended, unattended, and IDP capabilities as well."
"The Automation Anywhere license is affordable and not complex."
"Our licensing costs are setup on an annual basis."
"Pricing is an area that could be improved. They could be more competitive."
"I consider it to be a well-priced solution compared to other mid-range or high-end ERP solutions."
"The product is reasonably priced."
"Licensing is on an annual basis, with no additional costs."
"IFS Applications are competitive in terms of pricing compared to other vendors, such as SAP, Oracle, and Epicor. They are generally cheaper, especially for licensing costs."
"Ask for all-inclusive pricing, as they are pretty flexible if you ask for custom models."
"The additional cost that comes with the solution includes the overhead of the people who are trying to fix the tool issues. These people are trying to reproduce the issue and report it to the technical support and testing with them which is huge. It is the cost of quality in the end."
"Compared to SAP, the pricing for IFS Applications was very affordable. People using the solution would find that it's worth the money."
"I don't know the exact cost, but I know it's reasonable. Its cost of entry is not bad. I've had other organizations sign up for it. I don't know how much they paid, but it wasn't bad. You charge for every object. You charge for AV, and you charge for servers. There is a charge for everything or every object in that. I know we make money from it, but I don't know what it is."
"Don't get scared of the price tag because it's definitely worth it."
"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten since it's not the cheapest one in the market."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Help Desk Software solutions are best for your needs.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Construction Company
11%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Construction Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Construction Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Comms Service Provider
7%
Media Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business154
Midsize Enterprise82
Large Enterprise536
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business16
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise10
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
It depends on your use case. Is it simply to automate a couple of processes? Is it to augment a human team? AA is ver...
How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
From my experience using AA tool, it depends on the applications that you want to automate, because there some applic...
How good is Automation Anywhere for RPA processes?
It is a highly preferred RPA tool. You can check my Automation Anywhere Review to know more.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IFS Applications?
The product is reasonably priced. The costs are justified by the value provided, considering the comprehensive featur...
What needs improvement with IFS Applications?
When it comes to AI, I feel that is the area where we expect something more from IFS Cloud Platform. They are working...
What is your primary use case for IFS Applications?
Currently, I am working with Arcwide, which is a service industry that predominantly focuses on IFS consulting, inclu...
What needs improvement with N-able MSP Manager?
I don't know if N-able MSP Manager could have some additional features in the future to make it more competitive beca...
What is your primary use case for N-able MSP Manager?
I am deploying it for my company.I inherited an implementation with N-able MSP Manager that was not quite good. I fac...
What advice do you have for others considering N-able MSP Manager?
I use N-able MSP Manager ticketing system.It has helped to prioritize tasks. At the level that I am aware of the prod...
 

Also Known As

Automation Anywhere, Testing Anywhere, Automation Anywhere Enterprise, Agentic Process Automation System (Now Certified for WorkSpaces)
IFS Applications, Assyst, IFS Cloud
SolarWinds LOGICnow, SolarWinds MSP Manager
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Google, Linkedin, Cisco, Juniper Networks, DellEMC, Comcast, Mastercard, Quest Diagnostics
China Airlines, Electrolux Group, Babcock, Cimcorp, Sky, Multiplex, Veolia. 
Longleaf Systems, ITproMedia, Choice Technology, Halski Systems, Allixo Technologies, Nettech, Concept Technology
Find out what your peers are saying about IFS Cloud Platform vs. N-able MSP Manager and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.