Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Download the complete report

Helped 884,328 peers since 2012

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

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

Ranking in Patch Management

17th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

KACE Systems Management App...

Ranking in Patch Management

9th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (3rd), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (12th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager is 2.4%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 3.6%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)	3.6%
Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager	2.4%
Other	94.0%

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Muhammad Baber

System Administrator at Alghanim Industries

Enables organizations to install patches easily, but the UI must be more user-friendly

We can push many things from a centralized endpoint system. If we want to install software on multiple servers, we can do it from the centralized system. We can also run commands and push packages from a centralized location. We can automate things. Images are deployed on our laptops through Ivanti. Whenever a new laptop comes, we connect to the network, and the system gets installed with predefined applications. It happens automatically.

Read full review

Michael Huffman

Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Reliability and adaptability enable efficient application deployment and security management

The best features Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) offers include the scripting function, which stands out to me because I can find specific needs and deploy the applications based on those needs. There was a time when scripting really saved me time by allowing me to find specific registry entries and modify them to patch security vulnerabilities. Scripting has saved us hundreds of hours over the years when patching these vulnerabilities compared to how we did it before. I really enjoy the security features that are enabled to deploy Microsoft and other vendor patches, which stand out to me as key functionalities.

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 been doing a lot for us, especially with third-party software patching and scheduling. We create multiple projects for monthly patch distribution and manage it all well."

"When it comes to Ivanti Patch for endpoints, I find peer-to-peer patching valuable. Having a peer-to-peer patching capability is highly beneficial for us."

"Clear visibility regarding the status of the endpoint."

"The product is easy to use, easy to implement, and easy to manage."

"My company had bought some new machines. We used the tool to do some basic settings to ship every machine the same way and undertake the Windows deployment. We did the scripted installation. The tool helped us deploy custom software for specific departments. We also did Windows updates with the product."

"This solution makes it easy to control assets and upgrade all types of software."

"The service desk can be configured and customized to better serve our environment."

"I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it."

"Overall, I rate the solution ten out of ten."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to have an overview of all devices that are accessing our environment."

"The Systems Deployment Appliance is magical when it comes to automating deployment... Not only can we have multiple images, specific to end-users' uses, but we have a plethora of post-installation tasks to install or configure the system, tasks that can be re-used for each system. You just have one basic base image, and then you use the post-install tasks to customize everything else. It is amazing."

"The scripting part increases IT productivity because of the specialized software in our environments for students' courses. You need to use software which is not programmed by developers. A lot of software for building houses or other things is developed by normal guys, who do not have much skill in programming. When you need to install this type of software, it is very difficult. You have to install registry keys, etc. For that, it is very good to use the scripting part of this solution. So, you can automate this part as well."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"Inability to configure a rule-based management."

"It would be great to have an easier way to patch Linux machines within the product."

"The UI must be more user-friendly."

"The major challenges are macOS updates, patching, and backups. And for drawbacks, I wish Patch management was cloud-based instead of hosted on our own server."

"The solution needs to have the ability to push out managed feature updates from Microsoft in a more seamless way."

"Paying for the product should come with full and extended training anytime it is needed."

"It is a little bit difficult to use the license compliances because you need to decide when you are using the software catalog if you are using it with their license compliance or the normal software part. Under the inventory, you can use software as a menu link or software catalog. Most of my specialist software is not in the software catalog. When I try to import them, in my license compliances overview, there are cryptic names for this software that I have to import. That is not very good for the reports that I use. When I take them to my bosses, they see cryptic names of software that they don't understand. It would be much better for me if I could use software and the software catalog as well for the license compliances."

"I would like for there to be improvement when it comes to Microsoft and Windows updates. It has the ability to do it but the control of it is not there like I have in the Windows Server Update Services. The way KACE does it is still very granular. You don't really see the process like it is in the Windows Server Update Services. I think that would be one of the biggest things that I would like to see KACE really put some work into and really make that a big enhancement."

"The problem is that it's harder to directly emulate a lot of the stuff that the group policies do, using the KACE solution. With regular group policies, you just specify the various settings you want to change on the workstations, and then you specify the workstations and—while it's kind of an ugly mess—it does it. Whereas on KACE, you really have to know what you're doing with scripting to effectively script those exact same changes."

"The only hiccups we had were some power issues, where the box was a little under-powered early on."

"My biggest complaint is that almost every time they send out a new version, it fixes something and breaks another. Something that wasn't working in the last version now works, but something else stops; or they'll remove some dashboard that I really found to be nice and replace it with something totally different that I could care less about."

"It took a little bit of time to figure out how to use the KACE Service Desk. I like the way that I'm able to customize it. But when it comes to how our techs are able to use it, it's not as functional as our current solution, which is BMC FootPrints Service Desk."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"In terms of pricing, it is on the expensive side."

"The pricing and licensing are good. It's worth it."

"The pricing and licensing are absolutely fair."

"It may be more expensive, but you get what you pay for."

"We pay annually for technical support."

"We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."

"We need it, so we have to pay the price. It is what it is. If you need a gallon of milk, then you have to pay the price for it. You don't want to buy the cheap stuff. You want to buy the stuff that is organic and good for your body, which doesn't have all this other junk in it. You want it clean for your body. Quest has done that for our deployment and management systems."

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

"Licensing is very straightforward. They don't overcomplicate it. This is not a Cisco product where you have to have 30 different licenses just to open the box. It's pretty much set-and-forget. You pay an annual license... The cost is in the mid to upper range, but the ROI exceeds the outside cost, especially once you've had the system for a while."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Patch Management solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

884,328 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

University

12%

Non Profit

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	15

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Ivanti Patch for Endpoints?

The UI must be more user-friendly.

What is your primary use case for Ivanti Patch for Endpoints?

We use the solution to patch Windows and Linux machines. We download the patches and implement them. We get vulnerability reports after patching.

What advice do you have for others considering Ivanti Patch for Endpoints?

We have one technical person. My team handles the patches for Windows and Linux. The product is good for endpoints. I do not recommend the tool for servers. Microsoft's predefined patching solution...

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that, hands down, it beat all of the others in simplicity and pricing.

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

I wish Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) would have a top-down approach since we use orgs; currently, we have to go into each org to deploy applications when we need them all across the...

What is your primary use case for Quest KACE Systems Management?

My main use case for Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is to deploy applications and maintain security, and we use it day-to-day to handle those tasks. With Quest KACE Systems Managemen...

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Comparisons

Compared 13% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Compared 12% of the time

Ivanti Security Controls vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Compared 12% of the time

GFI LanGuard vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Compared 9% of the time

Patch My PC vs Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Compared 9% of the time

More Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager Competitors

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 8% of the time

BigFix vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 7% of the time

Atera vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 6% of the time

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 5% of the time

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Competitors

Product Reports

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

Download Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager product report

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager report

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Also Known As

Ivanti Patch for Endpoints, Patch for Endpoints, Shavlik Patch for Endpoints

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Patch for Endpoint Manager can swiftly detect vulnerabilities in Windows, Mac OS, Linux, and hundreds of third-party apps (Acrobat Flash/Reader, Java, Web browsers, and more) and deploy expertly pre-tested patches everywhere you need them.

Ivanti

KACE Systems Management Appliance offers integration capabilities, efficient image deployment, and comprehensive asset management. It supports centralized management across diverse devices and locations, simplifying IT processes and enhancing security.

KACE Systems Management Appliance provides single-pane visibility for endpoint management, mass software deployment, automated patch management, robust scripting, and detailed inventory tracking. It streamlines IT management and improves cyber-security compliance through remote software updates and centralized IT request handling. Despite struggles with scalability and the need for interface improvements, it enables efficient device imaging, script automation, and network management through detailed reporting. Organizations find it effective for software deployment, asset management, and endpoint monitoring, serving thousands of IoT devices and desktops.

What are the key features of KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Integration capabilities: Seamlessly connects with existing IT systems.
Efficient image deployment: Facilitates quick and effective distribution of system images.
Comprehensive asset management: Provides detailed tracking and management of IT assets.
User-friendly helpdesk: Simplifies handling IT requests and issues.
Automated patch management: Ensures devices are up-to-date with security patches.
Robust scripting: Allows for automation of complex IT tasks.
Detailed inventory tracking: Maintains accurate records of all IT assets.

What benefits should users expect from KACE Systems Management Appliance?

Simplified IT processes: Centralized management enhances operational efficiency.
Improved security: Streamlines cyber-security compliance through automated updates.
Flexibility in customizations: Adapts to specific IT environment needs.
Increased productivity: Efficient ticketing and reporting ease organizational operations.
Remote software updates: Ensures all devices are current, reducing security risks.

In healthcare, KACE Systems Management Appliance is used for maintaining device compliance and security standards. Educational institutions benefit from its capabilities to manage large numbers of endpoints across campuses. In finance, it aids in strict compliance requirements through automated patch management and detailed reporting. Retail sectors leverage its asset management features to streamline operations across numerous locations.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

InfoPro Digital, Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)