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

Ivanti and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Ivanti is ranked #19, while Quest Software is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5. Ivanti holds a 2.2% mindshare in PM, compared to Quest Software’s 3.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Ivanti users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

Read 4 Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager reviews

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100% willing to recommend

KACE Systems Management App...

Read 40 KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

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2,817 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint M...

KACE Systems Management App...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance and Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager compete in IT management solutions. KACE SMA appears favorable due to pricing and customer support advantages.

Features: KACE SMA provides software distribution, asset management, and automates inventory. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager offers advanced patching, extensive integration options, and robust security automation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: KACE SMA has straightforward deployment and outstanding customer service. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager focuses on specialized onboarding assistance.

Pricing and ROI: KACE SMA offers competitive upfront pricing. Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager, while likely higher in cost, provides substantial ROI with its security features.

To learn more, read our detailed Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: June 2026).

Buyer's Guide

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

June 2026

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Helped 903,807 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

19th

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 (2nd), Endpoint Compliance (6th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (11th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (12th)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager is 2.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 3.3%, down from 4.2% 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)	3.3%
Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager	2.2%
Other	94.5%

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

PraveenRajan

Director of Infrastructure at Elevate Services

Smoothly handles software patching and scheduling, enabling monthly patch distribution across multiple projects

We face some challenges, particularly with non-domain-joined macOS devices. Patching, updating, and syncing with the server can be tricky for them. So, 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. If Ivanti Patch had a cloud-based option instead of requiring an on-premises server and software. Hosting it in the cloud would simplify management, eliminating dependence on VPNs or other connectivity issues. Similar to Microsoft's EMS licensing, offering a cloud-based solution like Azure Active Directory or Endpoint Management Suite (EMS) would be ideal. EMS allows us to manage policies, batching, and software distribution entirely through the cloud, minimizing server downloads. If Ivanti considered a cloud-based approach, it would be hugely beneficial in today's hybrid work environment, where employees use desktops, laptops, and various locations. It's not just about patching office PCs anymore; mobile workers and backups need seamless access as well. Cloud-based patching would be much easier in a hybrid environment. Imagine updates coming directly from the cloud instead of relying on individual VPN connections. It would streamline the entire process.

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AdityaJain

Security Administrator at EbixCash

Centralized software deployment has simplified endpoint control but needs stronger security alerts

What I like best about KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is that it allows pushing custom-made applications to all computers that have KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) endpoint installed. This makes it easier for the organization to push patches and updates. If I need to push EDR updates, I can use KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), as it automatically updates the EDR on that endpoint, and that is a great feature. Overall, KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) helps streamline my processes by allowing me to check the uptime and downtime of machines, whether they are connected to the internet or not, and how long a machine has been switched off. I can also gather hardware details and software inventory from it. I can show a live demonstration if a video conference can be arranged. Incident resolution capabilities with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) have improved operational efficiency for system administrators, as it makes it easier to track machines with KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), gather their IP addresses, and push several updates, patches, or software deployments at once. I can design compliances as per my requirements, such as ensuring passwords are reset after 45 days.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"Because of the internet gateway, we were able to get clear visibility regarding the status of the endpoint which we needed to do recently when everyone was working from home."

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

"Clear visibility regarding the status of the endpoint."

"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."

"My primary use case of this solution is to help us obtain accreditation in the UK of Cyber Essentials Plus, a program sponsored by the UK government which encourages UK companies to obtain a certain level of cyber-security within their cyber environment."

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

"We can get the majority of what we need with this product and do not have to spend money on something else."

"Every year, the system becomes so much more valuable for us; maybe the quality of our service is much better now, the students at our university can use more software, so the knowledge of students using state-of-the-art software is much better than in the past."

"Patching is definitely the most valuable feature. It gives us good, centralized software, which comes in very handy since we are doing 400 servers at a time. It enables us to manage all the servers, and to deal with the application team regarding reboots and scheduling."

"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."

"Quest KACE has provided us with a managed environment that surpasses all expectations."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"The UI must be more user-friendly."

"I'm currently struggling with one of the issues related to Linux or Ubuntu. Ivanti does not support Ubuntu and it has a limitation of CentOS to a specific version, which is CentOS 7, not 8."

"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."

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

"Inability to configure a rule-based management."

"The software asset management functionality is an area that needs to be improved. It could be more automated because when connections need to be made, such as when I connected Adobe and my malware removed, the process was pretty much manual."

"The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface and lacks a manual configuration option."

"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."

"On the patching, the Systems Management appliance, I noticed whenever there is something new that the vendor has to do, he always has to call KACE for help with it."

"The K1000 doesn't communicate well with some clients without SMB."

"The K1000 doesn't communicate well with some clients without SMB. There are some issues with getting things to image correctly because they rely on SMB, and SMB is a protocol that is being removed due to security reasons. Organizations are trying to rely less and less on SMB. I know Quest is aware of it. They've talked about having a new version that wouldn't rely on SMB for connection to the clients, but they haven't gotten there yet."

"The setup process was not good with the Dell people. We had horrible training and the setup was not right on a bunch of stuff."

"The only pain point I have is with their salespeople. They call too often. They're too aggressive in trying to upsell. We know what we need, and we know if we want to expand. I don't mind quarterly calls from them, but sometimes, it is weekly. They need to get their sales team under control. The main goal of their support people and professional services is to make sure they deliver the service, and they deliver it well, whereas their salespeople are so interested in making a sale that they're wasting my time."

More KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"n terms of pricing and licensing, my advice is that you need to assess what you need and then look at what they offer. It's easy to get caught up in the things that you want, but don't really need."

"There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"The pricing is great. It's billed annually and it's very reasonable."

"Some of the other solutions were just astronomical in price compared with KACE and didn't necessarily have the ease of use either. So, we chose Quest KACE for its easy-to-use features and cost."

"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."

"The pricing is fair."

"The pricing and licensing are absolutely fair."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Outsourcing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

10%

Construction Company

Non Profit

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	16

Questions from the Community

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

In terms of cost-effectiveness, considering a situation where I want to deploy KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) for just pushing updates, it is completely fine. However, apart from that, I d...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

For improvements in KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA), I would want to see it become a standalone software agent. I am curious about why it does not offer EDR functionality. Additionally, the...

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

I have deployed KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) around 230 plus PCs, and I use it to push Windows updates and scripts. I have designed various scripts for tasks such as password resets afte...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager

June 2026

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager report

Download Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

June 2026

KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

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

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager provides a robust solution for managing and automating patch deployment across network devices. It reduces security risks and improves compliance by efficiently updating systems and software with minimal disruption.

Focused on enterprise needs, Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager offers centralized control over patch management. It ensures that network endpoints are up-to-date, enhancing security and operational efficiency. This expertly configured tool uses automation to streamline processes, minimizing manual interventions and reducing the potential for errors. By integrating with current management infrastructures, it facilitates seamless patching workflows, helping organizations maintain a high level of cybersecurity.

What are the most important features of Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager?

Automated Patch Deployment: Streamlines the patch process by automating the deployment of updates.
Compliance Reporting: Provides detailed reports to ensure systems adhere to compliance standards.
Cross-Platform Support: Manages patches for various operating systems and applications.
Scheduling Flexibility: Customizes when patches are deployed to minimize disruption.
Vulnerability Assessment: Identifies and addresses security weaknesses.

What benefits or ROI should users consider?

Enhanced Security: Reduces vulnerabilities by maintaining up-to-date systems.
Operational Efficiency: Saves time with automated processes and reduces manual efforts.
Cost-Effectiveness: Reduces the cost of security incidents and management overhead.
Improved Compliance: Assures adherence to industry regulations with comprehensive reporting.

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager finds application in various industries, including healthcare, finance, and education, where it supports compliance with industry-specific regulations. By automating patch management, each sector ensures its systems are secure and compliant, reducing the risk of breaches and enhancing operational stability.

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

Buyer's Guide

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

June 2026

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

Find out what your peers are saying about Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.

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