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 #22 with an average rating of 6.0, while OpenText is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.6. N-able holds a 1.3% mindshare in ISM, compared to OpenText’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of N-able users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 87% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

N-able MSP Manager

Read 5 N-able MSP Manager reviews

756 Views
507 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

OpenText Service Management...

Read 8 OpenText Service Management (SMAX) reviews

1,172 Views
1,160 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

N-able MSP Manager

OpenText Service Management...

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

N-able MSP Manager and OpenText Service Management (SMAX) compete in the IT service management space. N-able MSP Manager is preferred for its pricing and support, whereas OpenText SMAX is chosen for its comprehensive features and workflows.

Features: N-able MSP Manager offers streamlined ticketing, billing automation, and resource management focusing on simplicity. In contrast, OpenText Service Management (SMAX) provides comprehensive service delivery, workflow automation, and advanced analytics, catering to complex IT environments.

Room for Improvement: N-able MSP Manager could enhance its project management, contract management, and CMDB features. OpenText SMAX would benefit from improved ease of configuration for non-technical users, better support for third-party tools integration, and advanced reporting capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: N-able MSP Manager is known for quick setup and intuitive cloud deployment with reliable customer support. OpenText SMAX offers in-depth customization but may require a more complex deployment process, supported by extensive customer service to assist with its functionalities.

Pricing and ROI: N-able MSP Manager presents lower setup costs, offering attractive ROI for small to medium enterprises seeking cost-effective management solutions. OpenText SMAX requires a larger initial investment but justifies this with extensive feature offerings and potential for higher long-term value, appealing to organizations prioritizing advanced capabilities.

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

Buyer's Guide

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

December 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)

22nd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Help Desk Software (22nd)

OpenText Service Management...

Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)

9th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of N-able MSP Manager is 1.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is 2.3%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Service Management (ITSM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
OpenText Service Management (SMAX)	2.3%
N-able MSP Manager	1.3%
Other	96.4%

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Featured Reviews

GeorgeKanellopoulos

CTO at InTTrust SA

Ticketing has helped prioritize support tasks while contract and project management have required better integration and pricing flexibility

I don't know if N-able MSP Manager could have some additional features in the future to make it more competitive because it might already be available and I'm not aware of it.I cannot say that N-able MSP Manager dashboard is intuitive, but I don't see any big difference with ManageEngine. From the deployment perspective with N-able MSP Manager, I cannot have higher expectations because it is a SaaS solution, so it was deployed as is from the technical perspective. From the business perspective, the deployment is complex, but I cannot tell you that it is less complex than ManageEngine. The main reason that made me change my mind and proceed with ManageEngine is the availability of add-ons in combination with their pricing.

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HiteshKumar

Technical Lead at Bharti AXA Life Insurance

Supports seamless ticket routing and team collaboration across departments

Maybe something in OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is not perfect. Some small changes could be done. There could be improvements in workflow changes. When a customer needs to change a workflow issue, we can change the workflow relationship accordingly. A customer might need a workflow where if I accept the permission, then close the ticket, and the escalated ticket is not directly assigned to anyone. Different scenarios require different workflow configurations.

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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

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

"At a significantly lower price, I managed to get project management modules, contract management, and CMDB, which were not all available in N-able MSP Manager."

"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."

"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."

"The tool is very easy to use."

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

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

"The customization features are quite good, and we have a very good local vendor helping us in this regard."

"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."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is effective for all sectors, such as IT and HR."

Cons

"Comparing the pricing of N-able MSP Manager to ManageEngine, it is a little bit too high."

"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."

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

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

"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."

"The tool has negatively impacted our productivity."

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

"The contract management feature can be improved."

"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 solution lacks sufficient documentation."

"The reporting functionality is not the best as it is not easy to use."

"OpenText Service Management (SMAX) has some stability challenges that are crashable and not stable at times."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

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

"The solution is somewhat cheaper than the competitors."

"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."

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881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with N-able MSP Manager?

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

I am deploying it for my company.I inherited an implementation with N-able MSP Manager that was not quite good. I faced problems managing the contracts, translating them into technical topics, and ...

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

I use N-able MSP Manager ticketing system.It has helped to prioritize tasks. At the level that I am aware of the product capabilities in N-able MSP Manager, I can't say that the centralized custome...

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

The tool is very easy to use.

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

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is what I refer to when I say SMAX, and it is from OpenText. I work with OpenText Service Management (SMAX) and other tools. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) ca...

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

OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is effective for all sectors, such as IT and HR. OpenText Service Management (SMAX) is good, and I do not see any negative side. It is possible to discuss some ot...

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager

January 2026

Download N-able MSP Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

IT Service Management (ITSM)

December 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)

December 2025

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

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