ConnectWise Automate vs. ScreenConnect

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ConnectWise Automate
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
ConnectWise Automate, formerly LabTech, is a remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform. It provides powerful automation to discover and manage devices, monitor for problems, and scripts repetitive action.
$700
ScreenConnect
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
ConnectWise ScreenConnect is a remote support, access, and meeting solution. With it, users can utilize remote support and access to repair computers, provide updates, and manage machines. Users can also conduct online seminars and presentations using remote meetings.
$39
per month
Pricing
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Editions & Modules
Agents
$1.00-$6.00
per month/per agent
Implementation Fee
$700
One
$39
per month
Standard
$59
per month
Premium
$69
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Considered Both Products
ConnectWise Automate
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Enable has a clunky interface more suited for management reporting versus technician toolbox and Ninja is very basic and lacks any significant bells and whistles behind basic remote command interface. Very poor in features to the point if being quite disappointing during a …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
If we have to do it again, we would not choose to Automate due to the number of efforts and monetary investment (3rd party consultants) to implement it as well on going managing it. But, in comparison to the other RMM products we used in the past, Automate offers more …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
I regret using ConnectWise Automate since we can't effectively add and remove clients and I feel like we're locked into a multi-year contract where only ConnectWise seems to be happy.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
I have evaluated NinjaRMM, but it was after I was already familiar with ConnectWise Automate. While it seems like a good product, I found that ConnectWise Automate was more flexible in allowing me to make custom configurations to meet various business needs across different …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Formerly used Lansweeper, Solarwinds Orion, BMC track-it, which were all replaced with Connectwise offerings.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
I believe the monitoring and alerts in Continuum command is better, but [ConnectWise Automate (formerly LabTech)] does have stronger scripting, and perhaps a better interface. N-Central is inferior on all fronts to both. I did not make the purchasing decision. I would myself …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
It just seems like Automate is a tool for professionals who want to be the best proactive solution for their customers. There are so many different things built into Connectwise Automate which makes it a superior tool compared to anything else on the market currently. Once …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
So as you can see from this review my experience is mostly with its desktop sharing aspect; however the IT support team use this more comprehensively as a monitoring, inventory, reporting, even application deployment tool that the above-mentioned apps don't have.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Automate is by far the best of all RMM solutions we have tried. The overall ease of use and support is much better than we have experienced with other RMM vendors.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
I touched on this in the previous section some. Kaseya's choice of managed antivirus was very poor (KAV, a tweaked version of Kaspersky) when it first started. It took them a long time to fix anything, and the fixes usually produced new and different issues. Kaseya kept …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
We have used Kaseya. It is not nearly as functional or reliable as ConnectWise Automate.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
It is, by far, the best solution we have ever used. The others are not even close.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
We ended up choosing ConnectWise because LogMeIn which is part of Continuum is slow and requires a lot of system resources and the patching is all that great within Continuum.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
ConnectWise Automate helps you do more with less by leveraging ConnectWise Control® to remotely manage multiple machines simultaneously.

Eliminate blind spots in your supported environments before they become a problem.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Automate is one of the best when it comes to RMM-applications in terms of features and ability to execute, however, where it is weak is in the necessity for an SME to run and maintain it and while it is quick and gets the job done, it is difficult to stack it up to a full …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Automate is the most well-established platform among its peers. Because it is part of a native ecosystem, you know that everything from remote management to ticketing to quoting an invoicing will work together. I have used other platforms, and many of them share core …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
We switched from Kaseya to Automate 7-8 years ago - it was no contest at the time and Kaseya wasn't cutting it in a number of areas at that time that was really hurting us. I'm sure it's improved since then.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
We have only previously deployed HoundDog/GFI and Autotask but evaluated all that we found. In the long run, none of the others compare with the features of ConnectWise Automate. Many others are less expensive but simply do not do all that ConnectWise Automate can do. We …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
ConnectWise Automate (formerly LabTech) took us a while to implement and adopt, but it was worth the time, cost, and effort.
Chose ConnectWise Automate
The Continuum RMM is very simplistic in comparison to Automate. The scripting engine in Continuum doesn't compare at all with the scripting in Automate. Continuum has a single level of agent grouping (all agents for a client are in a single group). For clients that have …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
Automate is the most flexible and customizable tool on the market - but it's also the most complex and requires the most care and feeding to run smoothly...
Chose ConnectWise Automate
We selected ConnectWise Automate over Kaseya as it provided many of the same features but less of the headache. Often times, scripts would not work in Kaseya or updates would not push. We have not had this experience with Automate, scripts and such just run when scheduled. …
Chose ConnectWise Automate
ConnectWise has a wider scale and more functionality than LogMeIn. ConnectWise is better suited to large organizations. Training using the software is fairly simple getting techs off the ground.
ScreenConnect
Chose ScreenConnect
ScreenConenct is easier to use and simply allows you to connect easily. ScreenConnect also allows you to save the access session or make it a one off session. LogMeIn always wanted to save the session and sometimes the customer could get lost in the shuffle.
Chose ScreenConnect
AnyDesk, TeamViewer and Chrome Remote Desktop
Chose ScreenConnect
We prefer ScreenConnect as it is much better for an MSP with thousands of client machines, the other options don't provide an easy way of accessing a machine quickly enough. We have also had an issue with the other software's reliability to connect. ScreenConnect's integration …
Chose ScreenConnect
I used anydesk when i was in my previous company. I dont know much about anydesk, but it was almost similar to this. Most of the features that are there in ScreenConnect are also there in anydesk.
Chose ScreenConnect
Its lightweight and it is slightly cheaper than TeamViewer at least at the time of buying ScreenConnect. But we are exploring any desk and splash top again.
Chose ScreenConnect
For cost and management capabilities, I found ScreenConnect to be the best option. Some of the other services offered easier connection opportunities for my clients, but overall, I liked the tools and price point of ScreenConnect.
Chose ScreenConnect
TeamViewer is more more limited than what ConnectWise ScreenConnect offers. ConnectWise ScreenConnect has more trust built into it by installing running processes on the client computers. The tools work reliably and TeamViewer is not the better choice for use across multiple …
Chose ScreenConnect
I think ConnectWise ScreenConnect is by far the superior product to all of these. It is way ahead and does do not even come close. It has way more options and features and is much easier to use and manage.
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise Control is far superior just on price alone. Logmein Rescue's pricing is ridiculous in comparison. The ease of use from the end user is similar with both products. However, the technician side of the software is significantly better on the ConnectWise Control …
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise Control gives you a lot of the features that the other products provide, but nothing that you won't use. Nothing is worse than a clunky remote session where you are fighting for CPU/RAM resources, and ConnectWise Control beats them all hands down. This product is …
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise Control was more reliable and cheaper than TeamViewer and LogMeIn however the support wasn't as good when there was an issue.
ConnectWise Control is a faster solution however we did experience crashes every now and again.
Chose ScreenConnect
TeamViewer is great functionality-wise, but for new users, it's difficult to install and start using it. Also it turns out to be very pricey.
Chose ScreenConnect
We have used Beyond Trust occasionally for one of our White Label clients, but have found it is not as robust as ConnectWise Control. The seamless integration of Control with ConnectWise Automate makes it the best and most effective choice for our technical teams to deploy and …
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise Control does a better job with on demand access with our clients PCs, than BeyondTrust. However they have better access when it comes to PCs we dont have anything installed on and need them to go to our website to access their PCs.
Chose ScreenConnect
In terms of overall ease of use ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect), is so much easier to setup and use. Create and download the installer, and then run it once. I've never had any issues with remote machines being behind a firewall or having to be on the AD. There are …
Chose ScreenConnect
We like the functionality of ConnectWise and the ability to create custom groups and packages that help with deployment of the agent on our client workstations. Overall it's a more robust and flexible solution that suits our needs.
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise is easy to implement, the software functions and feature support our users equipments. Deployment agents is simple, can be run on demand with url and email. Agent could be pre-install and provide constantly remote access to user PC or equipment. It also offer a …
Chose ScreenConnect
To be honest it holds it's own against Teamviewer, Teams, Timbuktu, Anydesk etc, but has nothing that makes it better or worse.
Chose ScreenConnect
RDP is fine for what it is, but there's a lot you can't usually do like connect from outside the network without opening up the firewall.
As for Kaseya, I can't recall what their remote options were, but they left a lot to be desired. One method was similar to an RDP session and …
Chose ScreenConnect
ConnectWise works very well. As well as any other remote connection software I have used. It's biggest draw back is lack of support for Chrome/Mobile OS's. This is something that a competitor I have used does very well and it be great if they added this in the future. I am …
Chose ScreenConnect
There's no comparison. ConnectWise Control is the clear winner. The interface is much more intuitive and easy to use.
Chose ScreenConnect
We used a few other products before we found ConnectWise Control. While the other products worked well for us, the vendors kept raising the prices to the point that they became unaffordable for a small company like mine.
Features
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Application Performance Management
Comparison of Application Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise Automate
8.5
Ratings
15% above category average
ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Virtualization monitoring8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
IT Asset Discovery9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Monitoring Tasks
Comparison of Monitoring Tasks features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise Automate
7.4
Ratings
0% below category average
ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Remote monitoring10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Network device monitoring8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Activity Monitoring8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Management Tasks
Comparison of Management Tasks features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise Automate
7.8
Ratings
4% above category average
ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Patch Management10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Policy-based automation9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Access
Comparison of Remote Access features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise Automate
8.0
Ratings
16% above category average
ScreenConnect
-
Ratings
Attended device access10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Unattended device access8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile device access5.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Virtual device access8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple-display support9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple concurrent sessions8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Remote Administration
Comparison of Remote Administration features of Product A and Product B
ConnectWise Automate
-
Ratings
ScreenConnect
7.0
Ratings
15% below category average
Screen sharing00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
File transfer00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Instant message00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Secure remote access with Smart Card authentication00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Access to sleeping/powered-off computers00 Ratings4.50 Ratings
Over-the-Internet remote session00 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Initiate remote control from mobile00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Remote management of servers & workstations00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Remote Active Directory® management00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Centralized management dashboard00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Session record00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Annotations00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Monitoring and Alerts00 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Multi-platform remote control00 Ratings4.90 Ratings
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User Ratings
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
3.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(0 ratings)
8.2
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.5
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ConnectWise AutomateScreenConnect
Likelihood to Recommend
I recommend it to all IT colleagues; regardless of the size of the PCs with which you work most of the time, the application allows connection stability between computers that make it possible to continue working or taking care of the infrastructure from afar.
Read full review
I feel [ConnectWise Control (formerly ScreenConnect)] works on all sizes of implementations. I've used it with about 1000 endpoints and I've even used it for managing a couple family machines to make remote support easier. It works super well and does exactly what you want it to. It has not disappointed me at all and I'd recommend it to any employers I work for as well.
Read full review
Pros
  • Automated patching. The patch management is very robust and doesn't let us down. We can rely on it to do its job.
  • Scripting. The scripting engine and layout is excellent. It's very easy to work with and adapt Powershell scripts and other script to the native format with its functions. It also gives detailed logs to help determine why something went wrong if there's issues.
Read full review
  • Self-hosted - this is great for me and makes it easy to control my data, which is important for my clients.
  • Mobile Access - being able to quickly diagnose and resolve an issue while on the road is great.
  • Persistent - "always on" connections with screen capture.
  • Great User Interface and chat works exceptionally well.
Read full review
Cons
  • You can track all your clients information and every single job you do for them. You can do quotes, send them, add providers to compare prices, manage the calendar of the employees, assign tickets to the correct person, there is nothing you can't do with this tool.
  • Inside all the greatness, there are some works around that you have to do for specific duties that could be automated.
  • Make sure you keep notes on each client profile, you can use the private note section, it is secure and it works as a reminder of everything you need to do about that specific client, only you and your employees will see those.
Read full review
  • If CWC integrated with more RMM software other than LabTech it would be great as LabTech is way too expensive and convoluted at this point so we discontinued using it in favor of a simpler and much less expensive option.
  • Though it does support multiple monitors well, it would be nice to have the ability to have it automatically pop each remote monitor out to the local monitors if so desired.
  • Right now it uses email for multifactor authentication, I would rather it use an electronic key that can be stored on cell phone or user desktop.
  • The ability for it to automatically login to a Windows desktop would be a big help as well. It will store a username and password but you must manually send a control-alt-delete and then click a button to have it fill. Tying to something like Lastpass along with an autologin feature would be great.
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Likelihood to Renew
Support and the Speed of supporting the latest technology is the main reason for not giving this a 10. But the product is powerful and flexible. The best way that I can sum it up is "You can get out of it what you put in to it"
Read full review
I would recommend this product for both internal remote control of end user workstations and remote access to other clients over the internet. It provides a secure and feature rich product that allows me to complete any necessary tasks without ever leaving the office. I will continue to renew as I'm eager to see what they do next. I would however wish the cloud service had a better API to work in conjunction with team collaboration or chat services to make it easier to connect with end users who use multiple workstations. (Slack or Stride provide this functionality)
Read full review
Usability
Basic use of the product is fairly easy. Information about the machines you manage can be found in customizable dashboards, which can be unique for each user, and, therefore, properly suited to the users' needs/job function. This is not a 10 because some of the interfaces are very clunky (Patch Management), and some features are not intuitive and not well documented (reporting). Scripting and Patch Management have a fairly steep learning curve (For structure in patch management and syntax in scripting), but once learned, they work well.
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If you're a support noobie or a seasoned admin, this product is everything you are looking for. Join with a code - CHECK! Hop onto a permanent session installed on a PC/Server - YOU GOT IT! Wake up a remote sleeping computer - no problem. Need to customize access to different roles in your organization - BUILT RIGHT IN!
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Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
In my 5 years of using the product, I am only aware of one time when the service was down and is was due to a backbone outage upstream.
Read full review
Performance
It used to be great, but then they broke reporting, speed and responsiveness with version 11 and the new Patch Manager. It's really bad and their support people are way behind on fixing so many bugs. They have really gone downhill. If they don't get it together soon, we'll start looking around.
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It performs well. It also has full control over windows security and does not get hung up like GoToMeeting when trying to install remote software at the prompt to install as admin / override. I have used TeamViewer, WebEx, LogMeIn and GoToMeeting. This is by far the best at spontaneous, remote control. It is also very easy to get a novice user connected to the session.
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Support Rating
Far too many issues that take ages to get resolved. Even their chat support takes a long time to get in contact with someone. When you do chat with a support rep they generally can't help you and just escalate the ticket. At least everything you've chatted about is now in the ticket.
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There have been two times when something has went wrong and I needed immediate assistance in order to be able to use Screenconnect to be able to help clients and response has not been immediate. The response time has been within 24 hours. Both times if there had been easier to navigate self help I would have been able to help myself. With better self help and a speedier response it would definitely be a 10 as they always respond and help. Just a little more difficult or slow than it should be at times
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Online Training
LabTech online training is very very thorough in training and helping individuals understand the theory and practical side of using a Remote Monitoring & Management. The training has multiple methods of explaining each section which helps to re-enforce everything about the Training Modules. I have had some Engineers lose their interest after a number of modules because they said that it was too much, that was too similar. I've found that the training is tailored towards a technical background but the Sales training does help NON technical individuals familiarize themselves with the Remote Monitoring and Management components and how it relates to Managed Services.
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the one I attended didn't grab my attention the way I thought it would. Maybe because of the way I use the product; or because of how I am using an online instance, not a locally installed version. Some of the discussion got more technical and off the topic, it seemed.
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Implementation Rating
ConnectWise Automate was already implemented at all organizations I have used it at when I started at those MSPs. At my current MSP, we used professional services for a period after I took over management of it, and they assisted with changes that I saw needed to be made. While not specifically implemented, those services were well organized and well scheduled, and all things we discussed were tracked and recorded, allowing for good change management/tracking.
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ConnectWise has done everything they could to help us in any situation. Great support team and their new updates are always providing features that we need. Its a simple solution that works the way we need it to. Their legacy pricing model is still much better than their subscription based model however it is still fair pricing
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Alternatives Considered
I have evaluated NinjaRMM, but it was after I was already familiar with ConnectWise Automate. While it seems like a good product, I found that ConnectWise Automate was more flexible in allowing me to make custom configurations to meet various business needs across different clients. I have also evaluated Addigy. While I think Addigy does a better job of managing apple devices, it is clunkier, and customization is harder in Addigy than in ConnectWise Automate.
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We have used Beyond Trust occasionally for one of our White Label clients, but have found it is not as robust as ConnectWise Control. The seamless integration of Control with ConnectWise Automate makes it the best and most effective choice for our technical teams to deploy and manage our client machines.
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
As far as I can see there are no real barriers to scaling up - as and when we need more subscriptions, we can add them in with no negative impact to the existing way that we're using the tool
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • As mentioned briefly previous there have been a couple of times where accessing servers at different sites due to point to point connectivity going down where this has been a big life saver
  • Ease of management of servers
  • Made deployment of applications rule based easier
Read full review
  • Quite simply our business could not function without a form of remote control software. Control has done an amazing job at filling a core foundation pillar of our business model as an MSP, having some clients in very remote destinations, we can still service them through the use of Control.
  • We pay per technician for an unlimited number of endpoints, and this pricing model has served us very admirably. As a smaller startup MSP, the cost of paying per endpoint would only serve to hurt our growth. Being able to pay a flat rate based on staffing is very desirable.
  • The whole experience using Control is polished and speedy. I couldn't imaging going back to a slower solution, the value Control brings is palpable in our business model.
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ScreenShots

ConnectWise Automate Screenshots

Screenshot of Monitor: Find problemsScreenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

ScreenConnect Screenshots

Screenshot of the guest page, where end-users enter a code to join a session with a technicianScreenshot of connecting from a Windows machine to a macOS machineScreenshot of the Extension Marketplace, where administrators can install and configure new features and integrationsScreenshot of the Access view of the Host page, where a technician can connect to unattended machinesScreenshot of the toolbox menu, which allows technicians to store and run executables, scripts, and other frequently-used filesScreenshot of the Host page, where a command can be run directly without connecting to the machine