GFI LanGuard vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) comparison

GFI and Quest Software are both solutions in the Patch Management category. GFI is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Quest Software is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.0. GFI holds a 3.1% mindshare in PM, compared to Quest Software’s 5.4% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of GFI users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Quest Software users who would recommend it.

GFI LanGuard

Read 10 GFI LanGuard reviews

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608 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Read 38 Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) reviews

1,742 Views
1,097 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

GFI LanGuard

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 9, 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance and GFI LanGuard are prominent competitors in the IT management and security solutions arena. Quest KACE tends to have an edge due to its comprehensive endpoint management features that simplify large-scale management processes, despite GFI LanGuard's robust vulnerability assessment and pricing model.

Features: Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is known for its comprehensive asset management, patch management, and deployment capabilities. Users benefit from its integration with Bomgar and its ability to manage large device numbers efficiently. It also offers powerful scripting and reporting tools. On the other hand, GFI LanGuard excels in vulnerability assessment and patch management. It offers deep insights into potential security risks across network components and is recognized for endpoint control that prevents unauthorized device additions.

Room for Improvement: Quest KACE users mention issues with scalability, complex software deployment, and a need for more intuitive interfaces and improved custom reporting. There are also concerns about the difficulty in using advanced features without better training. GFI LanGuard needs better multi-user access, enhanced cloud functionality, and easier software removal processes. Users report limitations in its rollback features and asset tracking capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Quest KACE offers flexibility with on-premises, cloud, and hybrid deployment options, appealing to diverse IT environments. Its customer support is praised, especially from dedicated technical managers. GFI LanGuard primarily focuses on on-premises deployment but is noted for reliable and responsive customer service, although it lacks the extensive customization services that Quest KACE offers.

Pricing and ROI: Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is viewed as a valuable investment with competitive pricing and quick ROI due to enhanced productivity and reduced manual labor. It offers flexible licensing, which is seen as cost-effective. GFI LanGuard, while fair in pricing, is praised for its bundled pricing structure that offers good value and accessibility. While both products are priced competitively, Quest KACE is seen to justify its investment with broader capabilities.

To learn more, read our detailed GFI LanGuard vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 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

GFI LanGuard

Ranking in Patch Management

12th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Quest KACE Systems Manageme...

Ranking in Patch Management

10th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Client Desktop Management (6th), Endpoint Compliance (7th), Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) (15th)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of GFI LanGuard is 3.1%, down from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) is 5.4%, down from 6.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Patch Management

Featured Reviews

Ted Mbugua

Security Manager at CRAG

Improves network visibility and keeps our products up to date with the latest patches

This is a solution that I recommend. In fact, those without it are at a disadvantage when it comes to managing their network. The biggest lesson that I have learned is in terms of visibility. GFI LanGuard has given me a wakeup call in terms of what is happening on endpoint machines. However, it is more than just having visibility. It is about having control in terms of what you want to block and what you're able to block. It keeps our network stable in that there are no running applications that you don't even know you have. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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Scott Tweed

Windows Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees

Low maintenance, reliable, and easy to create packages

I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it. The deployment process for both deploying and creating a package is straightforward. I believe the inventory in KACE is superior to SCCM's. I know with SCCM I could do things like remote console into machines via the agent's remote console, but that is not a feature that is provided in KACE. I know that at least in the Systems Management Appliance, I can't get to it. I'm not sure how distribution works, with distribution points. I'm not sure if KACE has that feature. You could use an SCCM to set up distribution points at remote sites so that they don't have to download patches or software from across the country. If you have a DP or something similar, they could pull it down.

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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

"The most valuable features of GFI LanGuard are the vulnerability assessment, it provides us with substantial insight into what applications are running on the endpoint systems and what vulnerabilities are there in the running applications. The second would be the assets tracking. I'm able to see in the network whether my endpoint server is operating and if all the other IT equipment is running in the environment. Additionally, GFI LanGuard is not heavy on system resources. It gives a competitive advantage over others."

"The most valuable features in GFI LanGuard are patch management and vulnerability assessment."

"The most valuable feature is that I am able to patch third-party solutions."

"The initial setup was easy."

"It is helpful to patch and scan vulnerabilities."

"The most valuable feature of GFI LanGuard is its email spam feature."

"This product is a great solution at a great price as long as it is only going to be used for a local area network."

"I like that the solution can block users from unnecessarily putting devices on the network."

More GFI LanGuard pros

"We use the Systems Deployment appliance. It's our bread and butter. It is every machine that gets imaged here in this building and out through the whole state goes through the SDA. We rely on it completely. There is no manual process of getting a laptop out of a box, plugging it up, turning it on, and waiting for Windows to start. If you were to go to Best Buy and buy a brand new laptop, you spend the next two to three hours just setting it up. We don't do that. We get a laptop, plug it into the network, connect it to the SDA, and within about three clicks, we're done."

"When vulnerabilities are exploited so much, it is nice to be able to quickly detect or deploy what is needed within our off-work hours or during work hours without a reboot."

"It is excellent in terms of updating and configuring everything the way we need. For anything more complex, we do professional service engagements, and they're exceptional. For anything less complex, we just need to ask questions. Their support division is extremely good too."

"The ability to build scripts right on the deployment center itself, as well as building groups that take those scripts/task chains has been absolutely invaluable and one of the most important parts of my whole environment."

"I like how when you click on the device, it shows you everything that has changed as well as the software versioning. I am really enjoying the inventory aspect of it."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to monitor updates—the software versions—on machines so that we can keep everything compliant."

"We have our KACE agent deployed on all of our workstations and servers, and it provides us with reports on the hardware and software inventory for those."

"The information available via KACE is up to date, critical to our normal operations, and has become the go-to tool of our IT teams for extended support."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pros

Cons

"GFI LanGuard can improve by adding asset tracking."

"The documentation on how to use this solution in a Linux environment is not clear, which is something that should be improved because it is complicated."

"If GFI LanGuard had a cloud version it would be better for people that are working from home."

"This solution is limited to the local area network only and cannot manage remote devices."

"The version we are using only allows one person to use it at a time and does not allow multi-users."

"GFI LanGuard can improve by adding more modules, such as asset control or asset inventory."

"The only drawback with GFI LanGuard is that you cannot directly integrate it from the Outlook email; instead, you have to first log in to the site to make changes."

"When you want to uninstall software from an endpoint, sometimes it becomes very problematic."

More GFI LanGuard cons

"Scalability is my primary concern right now."

"Paying for the product should come with full and extended training anytime it is needed."

"It could be designed a little bit more intuitively in terms of administration."

"It took a little bit of time to figure out how to use the KACE Service Desk. I like the way that I'm able to customize it. But when it comes to how our techs are able to use it, it's not as functional as our current solution, which is BMC FootPrints Service Desk."

"I would sure like them to be able to copy and paste out of OneNote. That drives me nuts. You can't copy from OneNote into KACE."

"There isn't a lot they need to improve with the solution itself at this point. It is pretty close to providing a single pane of glass for everything that we need for endpoint management specifically on all devices. There is very little that it doesn't provide for us, and for those, we have to go to other methods. There are some of the patching solutions that it doesn't take care of for us. So, we have to do those manually on the devices, and that's really the biggest thing. It doesn't do patching really well for non-Microsoft applications. The major application updates, particularly Windows updates, don't function nearly as well, but, for the vast majority of things, it does just fine. If they could improve in this aspect, that'd be great, but I don't know if they're going to be able to do that."

"My biggest complaint is that almost every time they send out a new version, it fixes something and breaks another. Something that wasn't working in the last version now works, but something else stops; or they'll remove some dashboard that I really found to be nice and replace it with something totally different that I could care less about."

"The customization of the interface needs improvement for things like end user tickets. While the functionality is good, some of that UI stuff does need improvement."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"GFI LanGuard has very fair pricing compared to other similar solutions out there."

"We are a gold partner and we receive favorable discounts. The price of GFI LanGuard is competitive. When you evaluate other solutions, such as ManageEngine."

"GFI LanGuard cost approximately $1,000 annually to use the solution."

"GFI LanGuard isn't expensive."

"On a scale of one to five, with one being expensive and five being competitive, I would rate the price as a four."

"I rate the pricing of GFI LanGuard a four out of five."

"We are also saving on the licensing fee, compared to other endpoint management solutions."

"We are a university. So, we have a very good price for the system. I think the price for the system is worth it because of the security patch management. The security patch management is very important for us. The price is very good for KACE SMA, the functionality you get, and the patch management."

"The pricing is great. It's billed annually and it's very reasonable."

"There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"We buy consulting fees from Software Factory, then we pay extra for it."

"Their pricing is per end-point device. There is an initial cost for the license for the server, which is pretty low, and then there is a per end-point device license, which is also fairly low. So, the pricing is still reasonable."

"Based on other solutions that we had implemented, its pricing seems to be quite competitive. It is not inexpensive, but it is also not more expensive than any other solution. They have the standard licensing fees and support fees."

"It was a very attractive price. This is a huge feature of this product. If you would "credit score" this product versus others out there on the market, this one has a very attractive price."

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Photography Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

10%

University

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about GFI LanGuard?

The most valuable feature of GFI LanGuard is its email spam feature.

See all answers

What needs improvement with GFI LanGuard?

The only drawback with GFI LanGuard is that you cannot directly integrate it from the Outlook email; instead, you have to first log in to the site to make changes. Instead of directly white listing...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for GFI LanGuard?

Internally, as a user, I use GFI LanGuard for email and web monitoring.

See all answers

What do you like most about Quest KACE Systems Management?

My company had bought some new machines. We used the tool to do some basic settings to ship every machine the same way and undertake the Windows deployment. We did the scripted installation. The to...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest KACE Systems Management?

The pricing is in the middle range of the market, not too expensive but not the cheapest either.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Quest KACE Systems Management?

The user interface needs improvement as customers have mentioned they do not like the interface since it is not an SMA-based interface and lacks a manual configuration option.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 37% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 22% of the time

Ivanti Patch for Endpoint Manager vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 14% of the time

NinjaOne vs GFI LanGuard

Compared 12% of the time

More GFI LanGuard Competitors

Microsoft Configuration Manager vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 34% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 26% of the time

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 10% of the time

BigFix vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

Compared 5% of the time

More Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard

April 2025

Download GFI LanGuard product report

Buyer's Guide

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 2025

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) report

Download Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA) product report

Also Known As

LanGuard

Dell KACE Systems Management

Overview

GFI LanGuard enables complete patch management of security and non-security patches to Microsoft operating systems, Mac OS X, major Linux distributions and third-party applications. It can also automate patching for all major web browsers too.

GFI

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is a comprehensive tool for managing IT endpoints. It facilitates asset management, software distribution, and endpoint tracking while offering remote access capabilities and a centralized help desk.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is designed for organizations that need efficient endpoint management. It offers a range of features like inventory tracking, automated patch management, and ticketing. By integrating with remote access tools such as Bomgar, Quest KACE helps reduce manual tasks involved in managing software updates and system deployments. Although it faces challenges in scalability and requires improvements in integration and reporting, it remains a versatile choice for asset tracking and endpoint administration.

What are Quest KACE SMA's key features?

Asset Management: Streamline the organization and tracking of physical and virtual assets.
Remote Access: Integrates with Bomgar for secure, remote troubleshooting and management.
Software Distribution: Deploy applications across devices efficiently without physical intervention.
Centralized Endpoint Management: Manage endpoints from a centralized console to ensure compliance and optimization.
Automated Patch Management: Schedule and deploy patches to maintain system security and performance.
Help Desk: Integrated ticketing system for tracking and resolving user issues.
Scripting and Reporting: Enhance administrative tasks through automated scripts and detailed reports.

What benefits should users consider?

Improved Productivity: Reduces manual interference with automated deployments and updates.
Labor Savings: Minimizes labor requirements with efficient remote management tools.
Integrated Reporting: Provides actionable insights through comprehensive reports to optimize IT operation.
User-Friendly Interface: Boosts effectiveness due to its intuitive, easy-to-navigate design.

Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance is implemented across industries for managing IT assets and endpoints, particularly where remote management and compliance are critical. It's employed in healthcare, education, and government sectors for efficient patch management, inventory control, and software deployment, aiding organizations in managing security accreditations and centralizing help desk operations.

Quest Software

Sample Customers

BayView Medical Clinic, FrugalBrothers Software, Zaw, National Theatre, American Red Cross

Waypoint, Mattos Filho, Meetic, Gems Education, Green Clinic HealthSystem, Service King

Buyer's Guide

GFI LanGuard vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

March 2025

Free Report: GFI LanGuard vs. Quest KACE Systems Management Appliance (SMA)

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