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ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus vs Symantec Client Management Suite comparison

 

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:
 

Mindshare comparison

Client Desktop Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ManageEngine Endpoint Central18.4%
Symantec Client Management Suite12.4%
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)12.1%
Other57.1%
Client Desktop Management
Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus4.2%
NinjaOne7.6%
Microsoft Configuration Manager7.4%
Other80.8%
Patch Management
Client Desktop Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Symantec Client Management Suite12.4%
ManageEngine Endpoint Central18.4%
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)12.1%
Other57.1%
Client Desktop Management
 

Featured Reviews

MS
Solutions Consultant at Team Computers
Experience improves with intuitive setup and comprehensive features but needs enhancements for Apple integration
From a ManageEngine perspective, there is room for improvement regarding the Platform SSO technology introduced by Apple, which allows you to integrate your hardware with your identity providers. It used to be only a few selected ones via OIDC protocols or some other protocols, which are not necessary anymore. If a customer is already using Microsoft 365, they can integrate with any MDM for Platform SSO, which essentially hardens their device identity with the person logging in for the first time. It also helps automate enrollment and provide a zero-touch experience. Currently, while some MDM tools InTune and Jamf support this feature, ManageEngine still does not fully support Platform SSO via Microsoft or Google. I have customers using ManageEngine who are looking forward to this solution, and if ManageEngine can provide it, it would enhance the overall product value. For enterprise users, the solution needs improvement. For SMB, it is straightforward; if it is a small company of 100 to 500 users, anything below 1,000, they do not have much of a compliance or security requirement—they just want to manage their devices and push applications. Simple tasks are easier to accomplish. However, when it comes to enterprise-grade deployment, many complex configurations need to be considered, such as Wi-Fi configurations, network configurations, VPN configurations, and advanced certification deployment, such as ACME certification deployment practice introduced by Apple. These are a few things that can be improved on that side, but from a basic user perspective, if someone is in the SMB market or a company just starting off pre-IPO, without going into compliance, they typically find Zoho and ManageEngine to fit their needs. For enterprise-grade deployments, it is more than enough for Windows, but for Apple, it is still in development and not up to the mark.
ManojNair2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder/Director at Augesys Solutions Pvt Ltd
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.
Sathish-Holla - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Consultant at a real estate/law firm with 51-200 employees
Knowledgeable support, easy client management, and straightforward agent installation
Symantec Client Management Suite is used for Microsoft Windows patches and inventory management. The solution can be deployed on-premise and on the cloud Yes it helped to update systems remotely  The most valuable feature of Symantec Client Management Suite is the ease of client management and…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Its cross-platform capabilities and the ability to do both OS-level patching and third-party patching are valuable. It is difficult to find a software product that will do all that for you out of the box, and you don't have to do any configuration other than your initial setup. Once you do that, there is a very minimalistic approach to getting it operational. You can have it up and running within a 20-minute time span."
"The ROI was three months for us."
"Everything is easily centralized and managed under this one product."
"Windows patching and inventory management are the most valuable features."
"Patch management is the most useful aspect of the product."
"The mobile functionality is very easy."
"The reporting tool is very good."
"ManageEngine Desktop Central is stable."
"The solution's technical support is top-notch. Whenever I have a question, they get back to me immediately, which is probably one of the best features of the solution's technical support."
"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 most valuable feature of this solution is centralized management."
"The initial setup was easy."
"The fetch repository is a good feature."
"It does not restart unexpectedly, allowing automation anytime, even during weekends."
"You can create remote sessions for client systems."
"ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus provides patching for Windows, Mac, and Linux from a single console, including cloud servers like AWS EC2, which makes it particularly valuable because you can patch and monitor all platforms from one tool."
"This is a very strong solution, and the most important thing for us is that it is very easy to use, as well as the availability of it in our support centers."
"The most important thing for us is that it is very easy to use, as well as the availability of it in our support centers."
"We can track the incidents, we can track the changes, we can track the assets from cradle to grave and give some kind of accounting as they get older."
"We can track the incidents, we can track the changes, we can track the assets from cradle to grave and give some kind of accounting as they get older."
"The most valuable feature of Symantec Client Management Suite is the ease of client management and agent installation."
 

Cons

"Often I had issues with user configurations."
"Some times, when adding new programs to Desktop Central, it can be somewhat costly."
"Usability is the main issue when comparing ManageEngine with BlackBerry RIM."
"ManageEngine Endpoint Central setup is a little bit complex at the beginning, but that is normal because we have to set up different aspects of the solution and clean up our organization."
"The user interface could be improved because it's quite hardware based."
"Sometimes it happens that the agent got corrupted on the systems, and we have to manually uninstall and push it to the systems again."
"The team I've currently got is not using it particularly well, due to the fact that they don't know how to use it particularly well."
"Overall, our experience has not been good. The solution isn't fully stable, and, when it goes down, it's hard to get it up and running."
"The ability to do out of network patching needs to be added to the solution."
"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."
"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 solution's UI is an area that requires improvement."
"The cloud version should have option to add all the endpoints using the agent. Not only for Windows, but also the Linux version. There are some versions which are not compatible with SaaS Manager. So some customers do not want to use the latest version of Linux latest version of CentOS. Actually, CentOS is not available. But some are using and patch manager is compatible for some versions only, not older older versions. So there are some pros and cons that are referred to patch management."
"The commercial aspect of ManageEngine is challenging due to their lack of presence in Brazil, which makes obtaining proposals difficult."
"Based on my experience, a better function would be to address the problem that the product only scans a machine once a day."
"The technical support has been troubling for me. I would rate them a six out of ten."
"Some parts are working okay, some of the other components aren't. Workflow isn't working properly."
"Some parts are working okay, some of the other components aren't. Workflow isn't working properly. Different people accepting changes and being able to close it has some issues. Putting hot fixes and installing it usually breaks the system."
"The technical support is in need of improvement."
"Symantec Client Management Suite can improve by adding more network devices."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are multiple flavors of the app. They have a distributed version for enterprises. It depends on your size. They price it on a per machine basis. 250 or 500 is probably their least amount."
"Compared to other products, ManageEngine Endpoint Central is a very cheap solution."
"The pricing is average."
"The licensing is very easy to understand and pricing is right for what you get."
"The price is moderate."
"The solution is very affordable."
"I have been using the free version and am in the stage where I have to decide if I will proceed with the paid license, or instead choose another product."
"The initial purchase was around $6,000 or $7,000. We most probably are not on an annual subscription. We bought it, and then we pay for the maintenance. I'm not 100% sure how that's working out."
"The pricing for ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is on the moderate side."
"Our licensing fees are on a yearly basis, and the charge for support is extra."
"The price of this product is reasonable."
"Patch Manager is cost-effective."
"The solution cost is around $5,000 per year."
"I rate the product price a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is low price and ten is high price."
"I rate the price of the product a five on a scale of one to ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is a little bit cheaper."
"The price of the solution is competitive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
9%
University
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
8%
University
14%
Government
12%
Hospitality Company
8%
Non Profit
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business26
Midsize Enterprise15
Large Enterprise35
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise3
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?
ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. Wh...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine Endpoint Central?
I would rate the pricing as seven; it is quite expensive from my point of view for ManageEngine Endpoint Central.
What needs improvement with ManageEngine Endpoint Central?
It would be great to see some additional options within ManageEngine Endpoint Central. A better monitoring tool to an...
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. ...
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Also Known As

ManageEngine Desktop Central, Desktop Central, ManageEngine Desktop Management MSP
No data available
Symantec Altiris Client Management Suite
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Strathallan School, BMI Healthcare, Comercial Kywi, First Priority Federal Credit Union, Gerab National Enterprises
IKEA Honda UNICEF The University of Georgia Evander
Alghanim Industries, Asia Pacific Telecom Co. Ltd, Barnabas Health, Berry Plastics Corporation, BNY Mellon, Borealis, British American Tobacco Italia S.p.A, Cabela's Inc., Carrington Holding Company, College of Science, Technology, and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), Comparex, Cybercom Plenware Oy, DHL Hub Leipzig GmbH, Dickinson Dees LLP, Farmington Area Public Schools, Fazer Group, First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, ForceTEC Co. Ltd., Frucor Beverages Ltd, Hadassah University Hospital, Hillsborough County Public Schools, Hutchison Whampoa (China) Commerce Limited, Indian River School District, Johnson County Community College, JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, Kier Group plc, Kwizda Holdings GmbH, Lake Health, Lansky Ganzger & Partner, Mobilezone, Molina Healthcare Inc., Nanyang Technological University, NASDAQ OMX Group Inc., Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology, Pima Community College, Regional council of Franche-Comt_, Shanghai Pudong International Container Terminals Co. Ltd., Siemens Professional Education, Symantec Corporation (Endpoint Security 12.1), TIVIT, Travelport, University of Oxford
Find out what your peers are saying about ManageEngine, Broadcom, Quest Software and others in Client Desktop Management. Updated: April 2026.
887,041 professionals have used our research since 2012.