Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

Microsoft Configuration Manager and Microsoft Windows Server Update Services are both solutions in the Patch Management category. Microsoft Configuration Manager is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.3. Microsoft Configuration Manager holds a 13.9% mindshare in PM, compared to Microsoft Windows Server Update Services’s 6.0% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Microsoft Configuration Manager users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Read 81 Microsoft Configuration Manager reviews

3,525 Views
1,117 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Read 49 Microsoft Windows Server Update Services reviews

2,233 Views
747 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Microsoft Configuration Man...

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

In the field of IT configuration and update management, Microsoft Configuration Manager and Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) both offer distinct capabilities. Microsoft Configuration Manager has the upper hand with its extensive features and scalability, suiting enterprises with complex IT infrastructures.

Features: Microsoft Configuration Manager provides software deployment, patch management, operating system deployment, a centralized console, integration with Intune, and hardware/software inventory. WSUS specializes in facilitating cost-effective updates for Microsoft products with minimal additional licensing requirements.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Configuration Manager could benefit from better PowerShell integration, more streamlined application deployment, and improved compliance reporting. Users of WSUS express the need for more flexible reporting, an easier setup process, and broader support for non-Microsoft operating systems like Linux.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both solutions are primarily deployed on-premises with some hybrid cloud use. While Configuration Manager offers centralized management, it faces challenges in setup complexity and resource requirements. Users find customer service generally positive, though there are occasional reports of inconsistent response times.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Configuration Manager involves significant investment with a complex licensing structure, justified by automation and management efficiency gains. WSUS is included with Windows Server, providing an economical option with no extra licensing fees, leading to higher ROI for basic update needs.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

June 2025

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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 Configuration Man...

Ranking in Patch Management

1st

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Server Monitoring (7th), Configuration Management (4th)

Microsoft Windows Server Up...

Ranking in Patch Management

3rd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 13.9%, down from 17.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 6.0%, down from 12.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

MikeNelson2

IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government

Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements

While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six out of ten.

Read full review

Chuck Colby

Network Architect at a construction company with 51-200 employees

Efficient patch management, potentially scalable, and free is using Microsoft servers

Whether to use the solution or not is going to be context-sensitive. If you have a strong Microsoft team, you can probably handle this. If, like my team, you also have a dozen other vendors to consider, it's not just the operating system. The pattern I've seen over time with WSUS is that it has the potential to be a fantastic product, yet it doesn't feel finished. People try to implement WSUS, and context is important. In my context, we're a small business without teams of Microsoft-certified people. We are just trying to use what's available to achieve a goal, and WSUS is fine, however, not the best product out there. The business in America often tries to do more with less. I would not recommend it to a team of my size. If a company had half a dozen or a dozen Microsoft-certified people, I'd say, run with it. For a team of my size, no, absolutely not. I would rate the overall solution a solid eight out of ten.

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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

"It lets you know what your infrastructure is like and what state you are in."

"This solution captures all the devices in our infrastructure."

"The product is very stable compared to older versions."

"The initial setup is fairly straightforward."

"This solution has made life easy with respect to patching, compliance, and OSD."

"It does the job and meets our needs. With everybody working remotely these days, we are using this solution to deploy everything. The deployment of PCs is easy."

"Offers good patching."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is the availability of being able to manage the Microsoft estate. It handles many areas, such as asset management and tracking."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pros

"It is a scalable solution."

"PowerShell is a valuable feature."

"Instead of leaving each server to download their own updates, with WSUS you have a centralized management tool for all the updates alongside a log for all the servers. By creating and deploying a WSUS server that will download the updates from the internet and dispatch them to the other servers, you can have control over the entire deployment process."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is easy to use."

"The tool's most valuable feature is Active Directory."

"The solution's most valuable feature is the ability to set logical rules. These rules allow us to automatically apply updates based on their criticality or assign them to specific computer groups. It allows for automatic deployment to specific groups based on predefined logic, eliminating the need for manual intervention in deployment creation."

"I like that we could evaluate every client and compare some weaknesses and vulnerability exploits in Microsoft Windows Server Update Services. This is a useful way to test applications against an attacker attempting to exploit the operating system."

"Setup is very simple and straightforward."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pros

Cons

"The analysis is something that can be integrated. Their report analysis can be improved a little bit due to the fact that most of the time complaints policies are saved by the admins. It's something that we need to look into and search for."

"The setup was complex and I faced a lot of problems initially because I was new to the solution."

"It should provide the ability to remotely connect to mobile devices. There are some solutions that are doing that, but with Microsoft Intune, the only way to remotely connect to devices outside the organization and mobile devices is by using TeamViewer. It is pretty strange for a big company like Microsoft to not have something for that."

"The operations could be faster and you need some patience with this tool."

"We'd like the solution to make it easier to manage remote users."

"It needs to be able to load faster during deployment."

"The main thing is that SCCM has to become an appliance instead of a server. When I say appliance, it has to come preconfigured so that it is drop-shipped into the enterprise and then you activate the feature sets that you want. It should pull down all the latest binaries. Once that is all there, it should have a discovery tool which goes out and discovers the assets within an enterprise. If the server, workstation, and applications are all coming from the same vendor, why not have the vendor do this work for us and automate it as much as it possibly can?"

"It would be better if automation options were available. For example, in Nexthink or SysTrack, there is an analytical tool. Creating dashboards would be very easy if you implement the same thing in Microsoft. That report will be a daily cost to the customers and good revenue for our organization. The price also could be better. In the next release, we need to include some features like tables, dashboards, surveys, services, and metrics in the dashboard. Whatever we are implementing will be downloaded by a report. Apart from the report, we will telecast from the dashboard. It's very easy to compare, and it will be easy to telecast to the end-users."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager cons

"The main problem with WSUS is that the management console doesn't allow you to do a lot of operations. It's actually quite a primitive console, and has been since day one. In order to be more effective, you need to use another tool from Microsoft that can take advantage of WSUS and also offer you the extra features you need."

"The challenges exist according to the planning. For example, if you plan to implement and apply updates to your infrastructure, including servers and clients, you must provide storage information and have a clear plan for that from start to end."

"The security could be improved."

"Could be improved with additional features such as an update alarm."

"The product should improve its third-party management."

"We have some problems when we update the servers."

"While the product is generally effective, I believe the integration with other applications could be enhanced."

"Microsoft should improve their support for the product. A lot of guys are installing their products, especially Xero. If you have a real problem, though, it's quite difficult to find someone who you can support you."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There is an annual license needed to use the solution."

"The solution is expensive. Microsoft Configuration Manager would likely be considered high-priced for small businesses because they may not fully utilize all of its features and capabilities."

"There is not a license needed to use the solution."

"The price could be better."

"SCCM comes with its own version of SQL Server. If you use that SQL Server with SCCM and don't use it for another applications than you get an SQL Server for free."

"The license price could be reduced for Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager They should make the price more affordable for smaller companies, most companies would be able to use the solution if it was priced better. There are more people on this cloud because you don't have to have either a server room or an on-premise server. You can have one IT person handle this without any local infrastructure."

"We use the tool's free license. It is expensive."

"We have to pay for a license."

More Microsoft Configuration Manager pricing and cost advice

"I rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten."

"The solution is expensive, and the licensing costs are yearly."

"Because it is not open-source, it has to compete with open-source solutions. Relatively it is expensive to open-source."

"The WSUS cost is included in Microsoft Windows, and there are no licensing fees."

"It doesn't need a license. It's offered for free with Microsoft."

"We need one single key for Windows deployments, which is a better option. Buying a license with the same key for all systems, like Windows and Windows Desktop, makes configuring easier. Otherwise, it isn't easy to manage multiple keys for different systems."

"The integration is included in the Windows Server system, and there are no additional fees."

"Microsoft's operating model determines the solution's pricing, and we use it based on our enterprise agreement, which incurs an annual cost."

More Microsoft Windows Server Update Services pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...

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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. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...

See all answers

What do you like most about SCCM?

One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

We can track the updates of the PC and servers.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

It's a free service. You just buy the Windows Server operating system, and it is an internal feature.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?

Sometimes, I encounter issues with the Windows internal database, which occasionally does not load, leading to the Pandit console stopping. I have to repair the database and perform export and impo...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 5% of the time

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 18% of the time

GFI LanGuard vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 8% of the time

Ivanti Security Controls vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

Compared 7% of the time

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Compared 4% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager

May 2025

Download Microsoft Configuration Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

March 2025

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services report

Download Microsoft Windows Server Update Services product report

Also Known As

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )

Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft WSUS, WSUS, Microsoft Software Update Services, Software Update Services, Microsoft SUS, SUS, MS Windows Server Update Services

Overview

Microsoft Configuration Manager helps IT manage PCs and servers, keeping software up-to-date, setting configuration and security policies, and monitoring system status while giving employees access to corporate applications on the devices that they choose. When Configuration Manager is integrated with Microsoft Intune, you can manage corporate-connected PCs and Macs along with cloud-based mobile devices running Windows, iOS, and Android, all from a single management console.

New features of Configuration Manager, such as the support of Windows 10 in-place upgrade, co-management with Microsoft Intune, Windows 10 and Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise Servicing Dashboard, integration with Windows Update for Business, and more make deploying and managing Windows easier than ever before.

Microsoft

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) is a patch management tool that simplifies the administrator’s task of deploying the latest Microsoft updates. Administrators use WSUS to manage the distribution of updates released through Microsoft Update to computers in their network.

WSUS has features you can use to manage and distribute updates from a management console. The WSUS server can also be a source of updates to other servers within the organization, acting as an upstream server.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Use Cases

The four main use cases that WSUS adds value to businesses are:

Centralizes update management.
Automates update management.
Performs general patch management to ensure compliance and protect against vulnerabilities.
Downloads all endpoint updates from data centers to a central location and then distribute them across the organization’s network.

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Features

This built-in server includes the following features:

Includes Windows PowerShell cmdlets.
Features client and server separation, which means you can deliver versions of the Windows Update Agent (WUA) separately from WSUS.
Automatic download of updates.
Deploy a targeted download of updates to a specific group of computers.
Multiple language support.
Advanced reporting capabilities.
Centralized management of network resources.

Requirements

In order to be able to use WSUS to manage and deploy updates, it is important to use a supported WSUS version, such as:

WSUS 10.0.14393
WSUS 10.0.17763
WSUS 6.2 and 6.3 with installed KB 3095113 and KB 3159706

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services Benefits

Stable.
Ensures servers are always patched and prevents vulnerabilities.
Works great for internal updating.
Enforces automated updates and patching for applications.
Because the solution is used in the cloud, clients are always using the latest version.
Highly scalable and configurable regardless of the organization’s layout.

Different Types of WSUS Deployments

Simple WSUS deployment: A server inside the corporate firewall serves clients via a private intranet. The WSUS server downloads updates by connecting to Microsoft Update. Using this model, you can configure multiple WSUS servers with a parent WSUS server.
Computer groups: You can use computer groups to deliver updates to specific computers. There are two basic computer groups: All Computers or Unassigned Computers. When a client first contacts the WSUS server, it is added to both. You can then create a group from the Unassigned Computers group to the new group.
WSUS server hierarchies: The flexibility of WSUS enables the creation of complex hierarchies of servers. To do this, you need only a single WSUS server connected to Microsoft Update. This will serve as an “upstream server,” and the connected servers as “downstream servers.”
- You can link WSUS servers in two modes: autonomous or replica. In the autonomous mode, the upstream server shares the updates with the downstream servers but doesn’t update status or group information.
- The upstream server shares updates, status, and group information in replica mode. You cannot administer replica servers apart from the upstream WSUS server.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services

June 2025

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