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

KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus comparison

Why PeerSpot?
Sponsored
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Configuration Management
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
377
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
KACE Systems Deployment App...
Ranking in Configuration Management
19th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
ManageEngine Patch Manager ...
Ranking in Configuration Management
26th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
18
Ranking in other categories
Software Distribution (7th), Patch Management (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.3%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is 1.3%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is 0.4%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune4.3%
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA)1.3%
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus0.4%
Other94.0%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

HA
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
Centralized device management has automated onboarding and improves remote security compliance
One thing I feel Microsoft Intune could improve is troubleshooting visibility. In many cases, when a policy or application deployment fails, the error messages are a bit generic. So, admins still spend time checking logs manually or testing on devices one by one. Compared to the simplicity of deployment, troubleshooting sometimes feels less mature. I also think reporting and real-time monitoring could be stronger. The dashboard gives useful information, but in large environments, many teams still depend on additional tools or scripts for deeper reporting and analytics. If I had to focus on one area first, I would probably choose troubleshooting and reporting. Deployment through Microsoft Intune is generally straightforward, but when something fails, identifying the exact root cause can still take more time than expected. Error messages are sometimes too generic, and admins often have to dig through logs, sync status, or multiple portals to understand what actually happened. I think user experience and policy management could also improve further. Microsoft Intune has become much better over the years, but sometimes the admin portal still feels fragmented because certain configurations open in different sections or redirect to older interfaces. For new admins, especially, it can take time to understand where everything is located. Another thing is policy conflict handling. In larger organizations, multiple device policies, compliance rules, and configuration profiles can overlap. When conflicts happen, the visibility is not always very clear, so admins spend time figuring out which policy actually won or caused the issue.
MH
Server Administrator III at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
User interface and deployment efficiency save time and reduce staff needs
The best features KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) offers include the ease of operation and the ability to create images for deployment. When I say ease of operation, the user interface is easy to create the images, and the people deploying do not have to have access to the appliance in order to deploy images. KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester. This has saved our team hundreds of man hours and reduced it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA.
ManojNair2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Centralized patching has unified multi‑OS management and delivers detailed security reporting
Based on my experience, a better function would be to address the problem that the product only scans a machine once a day. It has a central scanning activity that scans every laptop for changes in assets, meaning both hardware and software, as well as installed software for patches. However, this activity works only once per day and does not work on local time. If you are a global organization with the UK office and a colleague in the US, for example, and you set the task at 11:00 AM UK time, that translates to 6:00 AM in the US East Coast. If that colleague's laptop is on, the task completes; otherwise, it fails. This represents a major drawback because the task does not run on the local time of the system. Regarding the ability to create multiple tasks, you cannot create them, which is another significant issue. Only one task exists for these two activities. That one task performs both the hardware and software scanning for any changes and also conducts a patch scan. Both activities occur through the same task, but the problem is that if you have a global user base, this becomes a bottleneck.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft Intune has positively impacted our organization by improving our overall security posture through enforcing compliance policies and reducing access from unmanaged devices."
"With Microsoft Intune, we set up the device within 20 to 30 minutes, reducing the provisioning time by 70 to 80%, and it has also reduced the IT workload by 40 to 60%."
"Agile and easy to deploy MDM solution that covers the maximum number of policies. Stable, scalable, and with knowledgeable technical support."
"The solution has reduced the risk of security breaches by 30%."
"The ability to manage devices with different sets of policies is most valuable."
"It has helped with compliance. It has helped to ensure that devices comply with the organization's policy. If they are not compliant and secure, they cannot access the resources."
"The solution is fully integrated with the Microsoft platform and the Autopilot feature, which is a unique feature."
"The best features of Microsoft Intune include continuous implementation of new capabilities each year, covering almost everything."
"I'm just an end-user; I'd recommend the solution to others as it has a good balance between pricing and functionality."
"Its ticketing is pretty good."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) has positively impacted our organization by allowing us to keep labs with over 300 machines all up to the exact same image for every semester, saving our team hundreds of man hours and reducing it down to just a few people doing the deployment compared to how things were done before SDA."
"The most valuable features are patch management and mobile device management."
"The solution has provided the ability to pull updates directly in and push them to the server, which makes it easier for us to complete the patching in a short period of time."
"The tool's most valuable feature is performance."
"The best features in ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus are the connectivity across different platforms, such as connectivity with Rapid7, connectivity with CrowdStrike, and connectivity with the SIEM solution."
"The solution supports patching not only Microsoft products but also non-Microsoft products, which is beneficial for me."
"It is a highly stable solution."
"The pricing for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is reasonable."
"I rate the overall solution a ten out of ten."
 

Cons

"The information we receive at the device level needs improvement."
"The technical support from Microsoft is not good, they take a long time to respond to a case and they do not update you on what is happening on a case."
"Every day, we see a new feature that we want to apply, but what will be great for Intune is to be able to deploy apps in a simple fashion."
"The interoperability or communication with a different platform can be better. It is a two-way street. It is not only about Microsoft. The other platforms also have to be willing to share some information, but that absolutely can be improved."
"I rate Microsoft customer service six out of 10. While some technicians go above and beyond, there is inconsistency, and connecting with the most helpful representatives is occasionally challenging."
"The way the apps are getting deployed, the checkboxes for deleting previous versions are actually creating more conflicts than fixing problems."
"The main differences between Intune and other products are, like I mentioned, in terms of the Mac. If the customers are majorly moving and adopting Mac laptops while they are using the Intune, they are leaving for other platforms, like Workspace ONE and vMOX."
"The reporting and troubleshooting experience with Microsoft Intune could be improved because clearer and more detailed error reporting for failed policies or applications installed would make administration much easier, especially when diagnosing policy sync or device compliance issues across large environments."
"KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing one SDA to service several different departments."
"I have heard feedback that the imaging is slow. It takes somewhere around an hour to image one PC."
"The agent can be a bit more intelligent."
"ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus needs to improve speed."
"There are limitations to this solution when we are working with iOS, Apple laptops or desktops such as the Mac and iMac."
"The tool's support needs improvement."
"I find the user interface a little bit intimidating and not very appealing."
"Patching over the Internet should be improved. If I am traveling, I should have an Internet patching option for control, visibility, and vulnerability management for roaming users."
"The user interface of ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus needs to be made more user-friendly, simplified, and less complicated."
"There is one area that confuses me and can use a lot of improvement in ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Intune's pricing is reasonable considering its benefits and the high costs it helps avoid."
"They have categorized the licenses according to the size of the business. So, if it's a smaller organization, we can choose the license accordingly. If it's a big organization, then we can choose accordingly. Everything is clearly mentioned, and we can decide. It's suitable for all kinds of infrastructure, and that's very goo"
"We have a limited budget for security investments, so Microsoft should consider reducing pricing in our region. This would make investment more viable, especially since larger businesses in other countries can afford it easily."
"We have the business premium licenses for the solution."
"Consider the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite rather than choosing specific sub-components, e.g. only Microsoft Intune."
"Microsoft Intune is reasonably priced for large organizations that already have Microsoft Enterprise licenses, but it is less affordable for smaller businesses."
"The clients pay for a license and each can have a different type of license, such as an E3 or E5."
"It's reasonable. They're not giving it away, but it's reasonable."
Information not available
"The solution cost is around $5,000 per year."
"Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis, and the charge for support is extra."
"The price of this product is reasonable."
"ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is a little bit cheaper."
"I rate the price of the product a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"The pricing for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is on the moderate side."
"I rate the product price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"Patch Manager is cost-effective."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Configuration Management solutions are best for your needs.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
25%
Construction Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business191
Midsize Enterprise63
Large Enterprise187
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
The pricing for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is straightforward, and the setup was easy.
What needs improvement with Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) works well, but it would be nice if it were org based like the SMA, allowing ...
What is your primary use case for Kace Systems Deployment Appliance?
Our main use case for KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) is to deploy workstations as well as lab machines. We u...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?
Pricing for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is pretty reasonable. Currently, I am paying around three dollars per age...
What needs improvement with ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?
Based on my experience, a better function would be to address the problem that the product only scans a machine once ...
What is your primary use case for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus?
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus was the first solution on the cloud six years ago when I started using this product. ...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
No data available
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Information Not Available
IKEA Honda UNICEF The University of Georgia Evander
Find out what your peers are saying about KACE Systems Deployment Appliance (SDA) vs. ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus and other solutions. Updated: October 2026.
915,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.