Atera vs. KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Atera
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Atera is presented as an Agentic AI platform for IT management, that offers a digital workforce of AI agents that proactively and autonomously support entire IT operations. Atera’s all-in-one IT management platform consolidates RMM, helpdesk, ticketing, and automation, so IT teams and MSPs can manage and protect infrastructure, automate tasks, and boost service quality by reducing downtime and improving SLAs. Atera has shifted focus from automation to AI-powered autonomy in IT. With…
$129
per month (billed annually) per user
KACE Systems Management Appliance
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Quest now offers the KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) as an IT Asset tracking and management appliance (also available as a virtual deployment if hardware requirements are met). Beyond discovery, inventory tracking and license management, KACE emphasizes automating software upgrade distribution with minimal end-user disruption, featuring remote replication for multi-site upgrades and rollouts. KACE SMA may be bundled with KACE Cloud Mobile Device Management (MDM) to form a complete UEM…N/A
Pricing
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Editions & Modules
MSP - Pro
$129
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Professional
$149
per month (billed annually) per user
MSP - Growth
$179
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Expert
$189
per month (billed annually) per user
MSP - Power
$209
per month (billed annually) per user
IT Department - Master
$219
per month (billed annually) per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsUnlimited devices.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Considered Both Products
Atera
Chose Atera
Atera is well designed for remote monitoring and management purposes. The other tools, such as ManageEngine endpoint central, are more focused on managing the endpoints and applications, such as installation or removal of applications, and blocking or whitelisting applications.
A…
Chose Atera
We used Logmein for remote access and used another platform called Fresh Service for our ticketing. Logmein was okay but the ability for us to merge the two together, on top of all of the other features that Atera offers (reporting and monitoring!) has been game changing. We …
Chose Atera
I think Atera is the leader here. The aggressive pricing along with feature set is unparalleled in my opinion. They seem to be headed in the right direction and keep pushing the envelope in what the tool can do. The one thing lacking for me is the Apple integration into …
Chose Atera
Atera is very similar to Syncro in feature set and pricing, but we liked Atera just a bit better. (We switched from Atera to Syncro and then back to Atera, and have stuck with Atera for several years now.) Kaseya gave us bad vibes from their sales department and we ultimately …
Chose Atera
I also used other org suites, but Atera is the winner here. It offers services like IT service management, network monitoring, and billing. We get most of the service under one roof. Hence, Atera is the winner compared to other applications I have used.
Chose Atera
In my opinion, Datto is not a great company to partner with. In my experience, billing is crazy and when you call in for support you get sales.
Chose Atera
Atera Billing of per technician is a great way to save
Atera has 24/7 support that response in a matter of seconds
The Copilot that they have added recently is a game changer and will make anyone wants to associate themselves with Atera
Chose Atera
NinjaOne is a great tool for Remote management and patch management. However, Atera is more polished and gives better functionality for the end user side through things like work from home, and the support portal knowledge base. Also, when using NinjaOne, I don't remember there …
Chose Atera
ManageEngine Endpoint Central and GoTo Resolve
Chose Atera
Because Atera is a much more effective and efficient solution to manage all our IT operations, it automates each of our business processes. It offers us the best support to respond to any problem that may arise. I think Atera is much more cost-effective and reliable; its value …
Chose Atera
Comparison from ConnectWise and Autotask, Atera is more simplified, Cost effective and Integration RMM, PSA and automation features
Chose Atera
In my experience, Atera lured us in with the pricing per technician to try and save us money. They then proceeded to take features away and lock them behind higher-tiers. In addition, in my opinion, their customer support is atrocious. I think if you enjoy long times between …
Chose Atera
It is live in our organization and it works along with Atera in our organization, however I have more trust on Atera due to its stability and ruggedness, so Atera is the only choice most of the IT dept works on.
I would not comment on the ManageEngine PAM solution as I have less …
Chose Atera
The user interface is easier to navigate, and remote desktop capabilities for troubleshooting were the differentiating factor.
Chose Atera
Atera was very similar with Syncro but a bit more user friendly. There were a few features with Syncro I really liked that Atera does not have yet like custom reporting.
Chose Atera
Atera has so many features that are fully functional.
Atera is easy to use.
Chose Atera
Atera is way more user friendly , it has a smooth learning curve and the pricing is favorable. Atera also has a lot of features that make it superior. They even have additional features like the ticketing system that was a pleasant surprise to have. Overall Atera stands out at …
Chose Atera
Atera's pay-per-technician pricing just made sense for us. They don't nickel-and-dime either. NinjaOne, by contrast, was over twice as expensive to start out, but they wanted to charge extra just for a ticketing system and many other things.
Chose Atera
NinjaOne is a great platform but is simple overall versus Atera. Atera is so feature rich that it can be overwhelming at times but is worth the learning curve. Take time to go through the onboarding, reading the help articles, and even reaching out to support directly through …
Chose Atera
Atera pulls the best features from the above systems I have previous experience in and unites them in an All-in-one solution that simplifies and improves everyone's experience.
Chose Atera
Atera was the clear winner for us. The interface and tools were very easy to learn and setup. Atera's licensing incorporates good feature sets and value levels.

Some of the other products were difficult to setup and lacked good flow between tools. The value proposition was …
Chose Atera
In comparing Atera with similar products I've used or evaluated, like SolarWinds, ConnectWise, and Kaseya, Atera stands out for its user-friendly interface and cost-effectiveness. While SolarWinds offers robust features, it can be overwhelming and pricey for smaller setups. …
Chose Atera
Atera was more cost effective, easy to deploy and had all the features and tools we needed. It's still a little rough around the edges but we can work around those considering its a fraction of the cost compared to others.
Chose Atera
This Year I started an IT company and was in need of monitoring and PSA software. In the past I've worked with Datto, Datto RMM and Ncentral so one of these would be a logical choice for me to choose. However their pricing is from a different world. For a starting company, …
KACE Systems Management Appliance
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
More features, better integration into our system(s). Ease of use for not only Techs but also end users.
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
Ease of use and inventory management
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
KACE has been a little bit easier to use and cheaper than when we were looking at Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM). We have had much success with KACE as it has extra services such as the license manager and helpdesk ticketing system. Great value for the …
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
Compared to more robust tools like SCCM, KACE delivers 90% of the value for a fraction of the cost. Not only is the initial upfront investment less it requires significantly less care and feeding to ensure you get what you need.
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
By far it easier to deploy and manage. It makes the process of deployment, software, and patching much easier, and it's an all-in-one solution that is easy to manage and train helpdesk on.
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
For our size organization, KACE offered a more complete solution that was easier to understand and deploy when compared to Ivanti. It was also more affordable to get the features we wanted. Ivanti might be more appropriate in a larger environment. You would definitely need …
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
We liked having the helpdesk portion integrated with our hardware and software inventory instead of having 2-3 different discrete systems that wouldn't talk to each other.
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
We have selected this software because it rolls several different systems into one. We have a helpdesk system with this and an asset and inventory management system as well. We pay one price for the whole system instead of paying multiple companies different amounts that …
Chose KACE Systems Management Appliance
The biggest part to KACE verses these options was the ability to have an agent installed on the endpoint that could communicate back to our primary KACE appliance for updates. As we have customers with different network setups and the machines are never in a direct connect to …
Features
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Application Performance Management
Comparison of Application Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Atera
10.0
Ratings
31% above category average
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
-
Ratings
Virtualization monitoring10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
IT Asset Discovery10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring Tasks
Comparison of Monitoring Tasks features of Product A and Product B
Atera
9.4
Ratings
24% above category average
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
-
Ratings
Remote monitoring8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Network device monitoring9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Activity Monitoring10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Tasks
Comparison of Management Tasks features of Product A and Product B
Atera
8.9
Ratings
18% above category average
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
-
Ratings
Patch Management8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based automation7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Access
Comparison of Remote Access features of Product A and Product B
Atera
7.8
Ratings
14% above category average
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
-
Ratings
Attended device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Unattended device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile device access1.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Virtual device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple-display support7.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple concurrent sessions9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
IT Asset Management
Comparison of IT Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Atera
-
Ratings
KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
8.6
Ratings
9% above category average
Software and hardware inventory tracking00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
License management00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Asset lifecycle monitoring00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Contract management00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Asset relationship management00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
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AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Small Businesses
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Score 9.8 out of 10
Atera
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Score 8.7 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Action1
Action1
Score 9.5 out of 10
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
TeamViewer
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Score 8.5 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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User Ratings
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.6
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.8
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
AteraKACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)
Likelihood to Recommend
Atera is doing well in the monitoring part as it is informing the real time ping of running devices and if any device goes down, it is informing us on the real time. It is helping us to monitor the last reboot status, current logged in users, time zone, IP addresses and other things so that we can track our end devices status. In the patching part Atera is pathing our all devices with the notification stating user to restart device at their convenient time. It is also patching our third party applications. It is good in installing and uninstalling of the third party application but limited to availability in the Atera inventory. Atera is not good in some parts such as in the patching part of applications, sometime it fails to update all 3rd party applications that were not installed via Atera. It is not good if you have to transfer a file to multiple systems at the same time.
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I think it has added value for any organization. It reduced our Tech Support cost by: -Supporting users anywhere -Reducing users downtime as well keep them informed with the status of their tickets -Managing software and hardware actively -Processing automation -deploy mass software installs, patching or updates - Provide approved software's to users to install without IT help
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Pros
  • Remoting in from anywhere, even on my phone or tablet, has enabled me to quickly diagnose, or even fully resolve, problems.
  • The ticketing, once users are set up, is a breeze. It also keeps everything in one place for them.
  • With Atera the need to travel on-site has been dramatically reduced.
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  • Helpdesk ticketing, the software allows not only the building of a portal that the users can log into to submit the tickets, but it also allows them to generate a ticket via email, which is a huge successful implementation that we have had.
  • Live inventory tracking. With an agent installed on a PC, as long as we maintain the data, it can report back information that is crucial to the machine.
  • Web portal makes for easy maintenance and implementation of the software and updates.
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Cons
  • Some basic functions need some extra work
  • Some basic things are behind paywalls
  • Feature board is not credible. Ideas taking very, very long to implement
  • Atera has no clear road map
  • SNMP monitoring needs a make over and needs more options
Read full review
  • Administrative interface can be slow at times, and does require some decent PC specifications to run adequately.
  • The cost of the KACE solution can be very expensive depending on how many agents you plan to deploy
  • There is a learning curve in order to master KACE's capabilities - however Quest does provide lots of resources to dig into. It is not as intuitive as it could be.
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Likelihood to Renew
As of right now, we have found nothing that can offer as many features as Atera does along with the affordability. They are doing monthly releases each month and not just making small changes (shared scripting library, chocolatey support, Install packages, Splashtop SOS support, Scheduled tickets to name a few). The uptimes are great and accessibility to the dashboard has yet to be limited. We are a happy customer and bordering on fanboy status now
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No answers on this topic
Usability
Atera has a user-friendly interface that improves navigation. Support staff can quickly access real-time alerts and remote devices and manage tickets without much training. ​Atera’s usability has positively impacted our organization by increasing operational efficiency and improving response times to resolve issues.
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Overall, the software is simple to understand and use. That said, most vendors have been slowly updating their user interfaces to HTML5 so that they have a clean updated look and feel. This is where KACE falls short in that the UI is great for a packaged software 10 years ago. This isn't a major limitation as the software is really meant primarily for technology users.
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Support Rating
Atera support provides answers to my questions lightning fast. They have never left me feeling like I'm out there on my own. I can ask questions by email, or by chat, or by opening a ticket with them and they are always on it quickly. They also have a forum where other Atera users can help you if you need it, and you can also add feature requests via the forum.
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KACE does exactly what you need it to do, it maintains your computer environment. You can set patch schedules, inventory computers, setup software catalogs; basically everything you need to ensure the computers on your network are being actively managed. This is all with little need for constant configuration or updating the setup.
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Alternatives Considered
Atera is well designed for remote monitoring and management purposes. The other tools, such as ManageEngine Endpoint Central, are more focused on managing the endpoints and applications, such as installation or removal of applications, and blocking or whitelisting applications. Atera is well structured for core monitoring and management purposes. It works like a well designed monitoring tool and at the same time works as a well designed management tool. Price point of Atera is very low as compared to other applications and the main part is that it does not cost you for the number of devices it covered, instead it will cost you on the basis of admin licenses you have. You can have one license and under that you can manage thousands of devices. Apart from this, Atera has a lot of tools that are integrated with it, and they are really useful.
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For our size organization, KACE offered a more complete solution that was easier to understand and deploy when compared to Ivanti. It was also more affordable to get the features we wanted. Ivanti might be more appropriate in a larger environment. You would definitely need someone that was primarily dedicated to run behind Ivanti.
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Return on Investment
  • It helped us considerably increase the pace of onboarding people.
  • Deployment of updates was easier and seamless compared to before the Atera phase.
  • It was easier to control employee laptops to troubleshoot issues remotely since most of our employees worked from home.
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  • The time savings on Windows patching through the KACE SMA alone has helped us in saving hundreds of technician hours.
  • Ticket tracking through the KACE SMA has reduced the amount of calls to our helpdesk asking about the status of a ticket.
  • The tracking of licensed software through the KACE SMA has kept us in compliance and saved time from having to run around and look to see where the software is installed.
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ScreenShots

Atera Screenshots

Screenshot of Atera’s AI-powered solution.Screenshot of Atera's process automation.Screenshot of Atera's real-time monitoring, which gives visibility and control of the IT environment.Screenshot of Atera's ticketing, where users can deliver end-user support and issue resolution at scale.