N-able MSP Manager vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX) comparison

N-able and OpenText are both solutions in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category. N-able is ranked #29, while OpenText is ranked #16 with an average rating of 7.3. N-able holds a 0.6% mindshare in ISM, compared to OpenText’s 2.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of N-able users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 83% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

N-able MSP Manager

Read 4 N-able MSP Manager reviews

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130 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

OpenText Service Management...

Read 6 OpenText Service Management (SMAX) reviews

825 Views
336 Comparison Views

83% willing to recommend

N-able MSP Manager

OpenText Service Management...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 19, 2025

N-able MSP Manager and OpenText Service Management (SMAX) compete in the IT management space, each offering unique capabilities. N-able MSP Manager holds an advantage in pricing and customer support, while OpenText SMAX is preferred for its comprehensive features, justifying a higher cost.

Features: N-able MSP Manager focuses on ticket management, automation, and streamlined scheduling, benefiting small to medium-sized businesses. OpenText SMAX offers robust ITSM capabilities, advanced analytics, and AI-driven functionalities, catering to enterprises needing extensive solutions.

Room for Improvement: N-able MSP Manager could enhance its advanced analytics and AI functionalities, expand ITSM capabilities, and offer more deployment options. OpenText SMAX might streamline its setup process, improve cost-effectiveness for smaller businesses, and enhance customer support response times.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: N-able MSP Manager's cloud-based deployment model allows rapid setup and straightforward integration, with responsive customer support. OpenText SMAX offers cloud and on-premises options, requiring more initial setup time but providing flexibility for diverse environments.

Pricing and ROI: N-able MSP Manager presents a budget-friendly setup cost, promising quick ROI for smaller organizations and aligning with cost-conscious businesses. OpenText SMAX involves a higher upfront investment but offers significant long-term ROI for large enterprises needing advanced ITSM functionalities.

To learn more, read our detailed N-able MSP Manager vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

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

N-able MSP Manager

Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)

29th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Help Desk Software (25th)

OpenText Service Management...

Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)

16th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of N-able MSP Manager is 0.6%, down from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is 2.1%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Featured Reviews

Yazan Albaw

Customer Success Director at We Cybers

N-able MSP Manager centralizes service management, automates ticketing, and enhances client communication for streamlined IT operations.

For improvement, there's a feature I've already requested from N-able that I'd love to see in future releases. When adding a client, there should be a way to add multiple contacts under each client. Currently, we have to manually enter each contact’s details one by one, including their name, last name, password, and other information. It would be much more efficient if we could import contacts in bulk, perhaps using an Excel sheet or another import method. Additionally, it would be highly beneficial if MSP Manager could integrate with multiple RMM solutions. At the moment, we're limited to integrating with just one RMM, Expanding this capability would greatly enhance the versatility and value of MSP Manager.

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Evgeniy Kolotilov

Managing Director at Intracom Telecom Ukraine

Offers a range of tools for sales and configuration that can be used in banks and telecom companies

The deployment takes three months. In this process, customers need to allocate resources like networks, data storage, and images. They then need to decide which business functions they intend to use in production and perform some basic configurations. Custom documentation is prepared and provided for user renewals and administration. I would rate the experience of the initial setup a nine 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

"The best advantage for us, since we use all N-able products, is that the MSP portal centralizes everything."

"I am impressed with the tool's integration with our mail system."

"This is a premier product and it has been around for a long time."

"I like that you can do all the things with it. You can patch, and you can run the scheduled tasks. You can remote in, upload files, and download files. You can log onto a computer PowerShell, or command prompt, without having to log into RDP. I also like its ease of use."

"This is a cordless application that can be used throughout any organization."

"The tool is very easy to use."

"The product provides an interface for the end users to make requests."

"It offers a range of tools for sales and configuration. It's like a business process improvement platform, suitable for various lines of business operations."

"The most valuable features of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) are that it is user-friendly, easy to configure, and adaptable."

"OpenText Service Management Automation X provides valuable features such as topic analytics for incident and problem management. It also includes natural language processing for analyzing technical descriptions. Additionally, it features a virtual chatbot capable of processing natural language to interact effectively with end users. This service enhances customer support and is not subject to the limitations often found in offerings from other vendors."

Cons

"I'd like to see a way to import contacts in bulk using an Excel sheet or another import method."

"Its reporting is lousy and bad. It is not as good as it should be. There is too much work involved to get what you want. Most times, you have to call them to customize some stuff. I just don't like that part. They need to work on their reporting. They have a way to go."

"What I would like to see is a simplified solution that is packaged better, where you can easily implement or turn on the functionality that you need."

"The tool needs to improve its customization of the user interface."

"The initial setup of Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX) is complicated, but once it is set up the configuration is straightforward to adapt to the users' or customers' needs."

"The product's connectivity with third-party products is an area of concern where improvements are required."

"The solution lacks sufficient documentation."

"The contract management feature can be improved."

"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Don't get scared of the price tag because it's definitely worth it."

"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten since it's not the cheapest one in the market."

"I don't know the exact cost, but I know it's reasonable. Its cost of entry is not bad. I've had other organizations sign up for it. I don't know how much they paid, but it wasn't bad. You charge for every object. You charge for AV, and you charge for servers. There is a charge for everything or every object in that. I know we make money from it, but I don't know what it is."

"The cost of the license for SMAX varies depending on the configuration, including the number of seats for users and the customer's specific requirements. It's not a fixed cost and can vary."

"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."

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858,038 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

14%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with N-able MSP Manager?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for N-able MSP Manager?

At We Cybers, we utilize multiple N-able products, including RMM, EDR, and Passportal. N-able MSP Manager seamlessly integrates our ticketing system with both RMM Insight and N-central, enabling au...

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What advice do you have for others considering N-able MSP Manager?

N-able MSP Manager also shines with its robust automation and workflow capabilities, which I find truly impressive. Users can automate the conversion of RMM triggers and alarms into tickets, automa...

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What do you like most about Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

The tool is very easy to use.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

The solution is used for the end-user portal. It is used for incident management, requests, and other informational purposes.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)?

The tool is appropriate if we don't have a complicated use case. It is the right tool for simple use cases. It's a lot cheaper than ServiceNow. It is an appropriate tool for a smaller business or m...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 55% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs N-able MSP Manager

Compared 45% of the time

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ServiceNow vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 36% of the time

JIRA Service Management vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 25% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 22% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 11% of the time

HaloITSM vs OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Compared 6% of the time

More OpenText Service Management (SMAX) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Help Desk Software

May 2025

Download N-able MSP Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

May 2025

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) report

Download OpenText Service Management (SMAX) product report

Also Known As

SolarWinds LOGICnow, SolarWinds MSP Manager

OpenText Service Manager, Micro Focus Service Management Automation X (SMAX)

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

N-able

OpenText

Overview

Managing your business and providing excellent support shouldn’t bog you down. MSP Manager’s ease of use will free your team to deliver on your promise of great service.

Intuitive, lightweight ticketing with seamless RMM and N-central^®platform integrations.
Painless time tracking with convenient timers and functionality for recurring tickets and appointments.
Closed-loop email with automatic ticket monitoring and routing, with a streamlined Microsoft 365 setup via OAuth.
Complete customer and knowledge management with a branded portal.
Accounting integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero.

N-able

OpenText Service Management Automation X delivers efficient service management automation with user-friendly configurability across IT, IoT, HR, and finance sectors. It enhances business processes through integrated incident management and natural language processing with virtual chatbots.

OpenText SMAX blends user-friendly design with broad language support and robust storage. It enables organizations to deploy in both on-premise and cloud environments using Kubernetes. SMAX excels in business process improvement, incident management, and uses intelligent agents for autonomous alerts and issue resolution. However, it requires enhancements in integration capabilities and documentation, third-party product connectivity, and contract management. Users face challenges with process automation and search functionality, demanding greater customization and flexibility.

What are the key features of OpenText SMAX?

User-Friendliness: Simplifies service management across departments.
Configurability: Allows customization to meet specific needs.
Adaptability: Effective across IT, IoT, HR, and finance.
Language Support: Broad language capabilities for diverse users.
Storage Capabilities: Efficient and reliable data management.
Process Improvement: Tools for streamlining business operations.
Incident Management: Effective handling and resolution of issues.
Natural Language Processing: Chatbots that enhance customer support.
Automation: Facilitates seamless logistics and service catalog management.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Enhanced Efficiency: Streamlines service management processes.
Improved Customer Support: Virtual chatbots provide superior assistance.
Scalability: Adaptable to growing business needs.
Cost Reduction: Optimizes resource usage and reduces operational costs.
Employee Onboarding: Simplifies and accelerates onboarding processes.

Banks and telecom companies primarily employ OpenText SMAX for service management automation, leveraging its ESM and ITSM capabilities. Deployed on-premise and via cloud, organizations in regions such as Saudi Arabia focus on integrations and upgrades, using SMAX as an end-user portal for incident management.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Longleaf Systems, ITproMedia, Choice Technology, Halski Systems, Allixo Technologies, Nettech, Concept Technology

Zurich Airport, Envirosuite, Norsk Helsenett, Achmea, University of Milan, World Vision, Petroleum Development Oman, Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT).

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

June 2025

Free Report: N-able MSP Manager vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX)

Find out what your peers are saying about N-able MSP Manager vs. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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