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Atera vs Microsoft Configuration Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.8
Atera boosts client satisfaction and reduces costs by automating tasks, extending hardware lifespan, and offering integrated features.
Sentiment score
2.9
Microsoft Configuration Manager enhances ROI and productivity with efficient software management, despite challenges in Mac support.
With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these processes are automated and managed, reducing the time required by roughly 40 to 50 percent.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.8
Atera's customer service is praised for its responsiveness, technical expertise, reliability, and effective multi-factor authentication and updates.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Configuration Manager support is effective but varies; some prefer premium options or using Microsoft's documentation for solutions.
Their response time and first-level support quality need improvement.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
For technical support from Microsoft, I would rate them a nine.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Atera excels in scalability and versatility, managing endpoints efficiently, but users seek enhancements in ticketing and functionality.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Configuration Manager is scalable, integrates with Intune, but can be costly compared to other solutions, effective for many.
In our organization, which has grown by adding more endpoints, remote users, and hybrid devices, Microsoft Configuration Manager has managed to handle the increased workload without requiring major changes on our side.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The product is suitable for our size, handling 800 devices.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Atera offers stable, reliable performance with minimal downtime, regular updates, and rare minor issues, enhancing user satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.5
Microsoft Configuration Manager is highly stable, reliable, and well-rated by users when infrastructure is properly managed and updated.
There were misconfigurations by our team rather than issues with the product itself.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
 

Room For Improvement

Users seek improved access management, enhanced mobility, integration, customization, better controls, and scalability in Atera's platform features.
Enhancements in UI, performance, cloud integration, automation, and non-Windows support could significantly improve Microsoft Configuration Manager.
Some of the more advanced reports are locked behind higher pricing tiers, which feels restrictive.
IT Manager at Telstra
A better command line interface for Microsoft Configuration Manager would be an additional feature I would to see in the future to make it closer to a perfect score.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Overall, Microsoft Configuration Manager is a powerful and reliable platform.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
I can suggest that Microsoft Configuration Manager should get the Autopilot feature because Autopilot is the main part of Intune, and nowadays everybody is using Autopilot.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Setup Cost

Atera's per-technician pricing allows unlimited devices, offering cost-effective scalability and predictability, ideal for enterprise users.
Microsoft Configuration Manager offers integrated solutions with flexible pricing, justifying costs through automation and management features, enhancing ROI.
The cost is reasonable considering the enterprise-level features, but it scales depending on the number of managed devices and the inclusion of Intune for co-management.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
The setup cost is considered sufficient.
IT Infrastructure Coordinator at NSW Government
The pricing for Microsoft Configuration Manager is okay for me.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Valuable Features

Atera offers powerful RMM, automation, and remote access features, with unlimited endpoints and AI Copilot for efficient IT management.
Microsoft Configuration Manager streamlines deployment and management with automation, integration, inventory, and security, reducing manual effort and ensuring consistency.
Unlimited endpoints for a flat monthly fee per tech is a model that makes sense for us, since we are not paying more every time we add a new endpoint.
IT Manager at Telstra
Atera's automation capabilities stand out because we can create new users and customers efficiently.
Owner at Sytex Ltd.
With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these tasks are automated and managed, allowing deployments to complete in hours rather than days.
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
If I want to get a fetch report for anything, such as hardware-related issues or group policy-related issues, I need to fetch the report by using SCCM's scripting language and remediation part.
Expert at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The most valuable features I find in Microsoft Configuration Manager are mostly patching, deploying software, deploying images, and running custom scripts.
Systems Architect at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Atera
Ranking in Patch Management
11th
Average Rating
9.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
16
Ranking in other categories
Help Desk Software (11th), Network Monitoring Software (39th), IT Infrastructure Monitoring (39th), IT Service Management (ITSM) (10th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (5th), AIOps (19th), Agentic Automation (8th)
Microsoft Configuration Man...
Ranking in Patch Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
Software Distribution (2nd), Server Monitoring (5th), Configuration Management (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Atera is 3.4%, down from 3.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Configuration Manager is 7.0%, down from 13.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Configuration Manager7.0%
Atera3.4%
Other89.6%
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

NC
IT Manager at Telstra
Remote monitoring has streamlined endpoint management and consistently reduced ticket resolution time
The best features Atera offers include the per-technician pricing, which is honestly one of the biggest things. Unlimited endpoints for a flat monthly fee per tech is a model that makes sense for us, since we are not paying more every time we add a new endpoint. The AI Copilot feature has been a nice addition that helps our techs summarize tickets and suggest fixes faster, which has cut our resolution times noticeably. The AI Copilot feature has specifically helped my team because the automation handles a lot of the routine work, such as patch deployments, maintenance tasks, and monitoring alerts. Atera has positively impacted my organization by transforming how our team operates day-to-day, and the pricing model is hard to beat. The outcomes or metrics showing how Atera has made a positive impact include the 30% reduction in ticket resolution time I mentioned earlier.
NS
Senior System Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Centralized endpoint control has streamlined deployments and improved security compliance
In my experience, the best features of Microsoft Configuration Manager are software deployments and updates, OSD, hardware and software inventory, compliance and configuration baseline, reporting and monitoring, and integration with Intune hybrid management. These features make endpoint management efficient and scalable. The feature I rely on the most day-to-day is software deployment and patch management. It keeps endpoints updated and secure with minimal manual effort. Inventory and compliance monitoring are also important, but daily deployments are critical. Microsoft Configuration Manager has had a significant positive impact on our organization in several ways: improved efficiency, enhanced security and compliance, standardization, scalability, and visibility reporting. Overall, Microsoft Configuration Manager has helped us save time, reduce risk, improve operational efficiency, and maintain strong control over our endpoints. One of the biggest impacts Microsoft Configuration Manager has had on efficiency is the reduced manual work for software deployment and patching. For example, deploying a new application or security updates to hundreds or thousands of devices previously required several days of manual effort, including running scripts, checking devices individually, and validating installation. With Microsoft Configuration Manager, these tasks are automated and managed, allowing deployments to complete in hours rather than days. We also have automated reporting for deployment success and compliance which saved the IT team significant time that used to be spent gathering and reconciling inventory data from multiple tools.
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
9%
Educational Organization
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Construction Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Large Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise69
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Atera?
The prices have increased over time. After expressing concerns about pricing to account managers, they offered a 30% discount option for annual commitments. The main benefit we see with this produc...
What needs improvement with Atera?
Reporting is probably the main frustration. Some of the more advanced reports are locked behind higher pricing tiers, which feels restrictive. Atera can be improved in that the remote access can al...
What is your primary use case for Atera?
My main use case for Atera is remote monitoring and management across all our endpoints. We have devices spread across multiple sites, so having one platform where we can see everything, push patch...
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...
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...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCCM?
The setup cost is considered sufficient. It is not significant enough for us to consider a change at the moment.
 

Also Known As

No data available
Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM ), Microsoft SMS
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MSPs, IT consultants, and IT departments worldwide trust and use Atera. 
Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad
Find out what your peers are saying about Atera vs. Microsoft Configuration Manager and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.