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Automox vs Microsoft Windows Server Update Services comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 16, 2024

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
1.0
Automox delivers significant ROI by streamlining operations, reducing costs, improving compliance, and enhancing efficiency through automated patch management.
Sentiment score
3.3
Windows Server Update Services automates updates, reducing costs and crashes, while requiring minimal management due to its cloud-native design.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox's technical support is praised for quick, expert issue resolution and superior, attentive service compared to larger companies.
Sentiment score
4.5
Windows Server Update Services support varies, with some praising it and others citing delays and complex processes.
They are really good because they don't take five days to get back to me; they respond within 24 hours with really good information.
When you pay for the support, you are guaranteed resolution, and I don't think anybody else does that.
Premium support does not have any benefits.
There was a time when contacting the support agency was more straightforward.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox offers effective scalability for managing thousands of devices, though some experience console load time issues.
Sentiment score
5.6
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is scalable and integrates well, but faces performance issues in large deployments.
Though there are options to use Microsoft MS SQL, it does not support more than 3,000 clients.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
1.0
Automox is stable and reliable, with improved uptime and proactive incident response, ensuring minimal downtime and consistent system health.
Sentiment score
4.5
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is highly stable and reliable, with occasional minor issues but generally trusted by users.
 

Room For Improvement

Automox users desire improved multi-organization management with profile sync, detailed reporting, enhanced automation, and reduced bandwidth for updates.
Users seek enhancements in WSUS's GUI, reporting, patch management, integration, stability, automation, documentation, and performance for better usability.
The inventory tool and the entire backend of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is poorly coded. It's not very reliable, so you can tell when dealing with bad code, and it may work one day but may not work another.
 

Setup Cost

Automox offers competitive, cost-effective pricing with a $2 per-endpoint fee and a free trial for evaluation.
Windows Server Update Services is free but additional server licensing and deployment costs may impact budgeting for smaller enterprises.
It's a free service.
It's free.
 

Valuable Features

Automox is a cloud-based platform offering cross-platform patching, task automation, intuitive interface, and scalable remote management.
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services simplifies update management with AD integration, centralized deployment, policy control, automation, and scalability.
The ease of use and efficient reporting contribute significantly to my overall productivity.
Patch management is indeed valuable, however, the process to achieve it could be improved.
 

Categories and Ranking

Automox
Ranking in Patch Management
19th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
2.4
Number of Reviews
11
Ranking in other categories
Vulnerability Management (50th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (58th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (20th)
Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Automox is 3.1%, down from 3.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 5.5%, down from 10.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Jack Leung - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to use and deploy agents but needs more stability
We just need to deploy the agent to the endpoints. We don't need to set up anything. For a single agent, it takes one or two minutes. However, we deployed globally, and you need to take into consideration the time it will take to deploy across each endpoint. It's very simple to deploy. We had three or four engineers take care of the implementation.
DilipMishra - PeerSpot reviewer
Manages security and compliance effectively for small to medium organizations
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services should improve its patching solution by providing offline patches because most customers are not willing to provide direct internet access to Microsoft cloud and don't want to expose their workstations through the internet. In those situations, Microsoft has limitations; most patches are totally dependent on internet access and they are not providing offline patches. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is lacking detailed information such as different patch information, CVSS values, and an approval mechanism; some are giving classification wise, and some are giving product wise. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services does not provide detailed patching information. Individual machine-wise details are available, but for any centralized deployment, that is not available. It is only available on the WSUS server which has its limitations.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
Regarding the cost, Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is reasonable.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
I wouldn't say any of the update services have great features. The only real advantage I have for having Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is if I know or have been informed of a bad update ...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Windows Server Update Services, Microsoft WSUS, WSUS, Microsoft Software Update Services, Software Update Services, Microsoft SUS, SUS, MS Windows Server Update Services
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Automox vs. Microsoft Windows Server Update Services and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.