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Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs Qualys Patch Management 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
8.0
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services automates updates, reduces downtime, minimizes costs, and simplifies management without additional purchase or effort.
Sentiment score
8.3
Qualys Patch Management boosts security, reduces vulnerabilities by 80%, saves 90% time, and improves efficiency and resource allocation.
With Qualys, we can save around 70 percent of time and between 30 to 40 percent of money.
We have a 50 percent return on investment due to reduced operational complexity and increased efficiency in patching and detection.
We have achieved significant time savings of 90 percent, primarily due to comprehensive oversight and visibility of security issues.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.5
Users find Windows Server Update Services user-friendly, but opinions on support quality and speed are mixed, with documentation helpful.
Sentiment score
7.4
Qualys Patch Management provides efficient support with quick resolutions, though users occasionally report delays or inconsistency in assistance.
Microsoft Update provides one of the worst support experiences among all tech companies that I have experienced.
There was a time when contacting the support agency was more straightforward.
The support team is experienced and responsive.
The support team is responsive and provides detailed information.
Whenever we raise a request and mention the priority of the ticket, they respond immediately via email or call.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services effectively supports scalable enterprise needs but may face challenges in very large organizations.
Sentiment score
8.5
Qualys Patch Management excels in scalability with high user ratings but may face challenges in cost and usability.
Though there are options to use Microsoft MS SQL, it does not support more than 3,000 clients.
It scales efficiently across different machines globally, ensuring patches are deployed smoothly.
Qualys Patch Management is a globally scalable product, easily handling increasing workloads and users.
They introduce new modules as needed, making Patch Management highly scalable.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is generally stable with strong performance but may face minor issues with specific versions or hardware.
Sentiment score
8.1
Qualys Patch Management is highly stable and reliable, with minimal downtime and effective management of rare technical issues.
I would rate the stability of Qualys Patch Management nine point five out of ten.
The stability of Qualys Patch Management is impeccable.
Overall, it is reliable.
 

Room For Improvement

Windows Server Update Services needs improvements in user interface, integration, stability, security, automation, and update efficiency.
Qualys Patch Management needs better integration, accuracy, and support, faster deployments, and improvements in interface, reporting, and pricing.
There is a limitation where Qualys may not always offer solutions for remediation, particularly for end-of-life or end-of-service applications.
It would be better if Qualys Patch Management identifies whether the process has failed at the first instance and provides a retry button or retry mechanism, allowing retries for failed patches.
For critical options, they could make them red, green for medium, and blue for less significant options.
 

Setup Cost

WSUS is included with Windows Server licenses, but costs differ based on deployment complexity and Microsoft's enterprise agreements.
Qualys Patch Management is seen as cost-effective for its robust features and scalable pricing, despite varying opinions on support.
It's a free service.
It's free.
We get many more features at the same price as other solutions such as Microsoft SCCM.
The pricing is reasonable and less expensive than the previous tool.
We found it costly compared to other vendors.
 

Valuable Features

Effective Group Policy integration ensures stable performance, centralized management, efficient updates, scalability, enhanced security, and cost-effective deployment.
Qualys Patch Management offers automated patching, comprehensive reporting, and seamless integration, enhancing efficiency and asset management for multi-OS environments.
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.
We leverage this functionality to deploy scripts that adjust registry values, effectively patching vulnerabilities and enhancing the security of our machines.
We have been able to apply workarounds for zero-day vulnerabilities efficiently.
It provides insight into the organization's security posture and keeps databases updated with new CVEs.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Windows Server Up...
Ranking in Patch Management
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
49
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Qualys Patch Management
Ranking in Patch Management
4th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
34
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Patch Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Windows Server Update Services is 6.5%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Qualys Patch Management is 4.4%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Patch Management
 

Featured Reviews

Chuck Colby - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficient patch management, potentially scalable, and free is using Microsoft servers
Whether to use the solution or not is going to be context-sensitive. If you have a strong Microsoft team, you can probably handle this. If, like my team, you also have a dozen other vendors to consider, it's not just the operating system. The pattern I've seen over time with WSUS is that it has the potential to be a fantastic product, yet it doesn't feel finished. People try to implement WSUS, and context is important. In my context, we're a small business without teams of Microsoft-certified people. We are just trying to use what's available to achieve a goal, and WSUS is fine, however, not the best product out there. The business in America often tries to do more with less. I would not recommend it to a team of my size. If a company had half a dozen or a dozen Microsoft-certified people, I'd say, run with it. For a team of my size, no, absolutely not. I would rate the overall solution a solid eight out of ten.
Revathi VeeraRaghavan - PeerSpot reviewer
Provides a centralized platform for managing assets and vulnerabilities, enabling assessment, prioritization, and remediation
Qualys Patch Management system requires several improvements. Firstly, the inability to download asset patches and the lack of third-party application integration limit patch accessibility. Additionally, rollback options are unreliable, and pre-deployment patch testing is crucial. Reporting needs enhancement, particularly with group-based compliance percentages and clearer, VMDR-like reporting in the Patch Management module. Furthermore, detection speed should be improved, as patches are released 24 hours after QIDs are published. The user interface could be more functional, with dashboards for patch compliance visualization and simplified error code language. Finally, the Mac patch catalogue needs expansion, and automated workflows, policy enforcement, and testing procedures should be streamlined for seamless, user-independent operation.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
It's a free service. You just buy the Windows Server operating system, and it is an internal feature.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Windows Server Update Services?
Sometimes, I encounter issues with the Windows internal database, which occasionally does not load, leading to the Pandit console stopping. I have to repair the database and perform export and impo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Qualys Patch Management?
Qualys Patch Management comes as part of a bundled package with several modules, making it a cost-effective deal for us. I cannot speak to the separate cost, as we have always used it as part of th...
What needs improvement with Qualys Patch Management?
I deploy patches to endpoints and servers every month. However, despite a job showing as successful, I need to examine the job in detail. For instance, if I have deployed patches to 100 endpoints, ...
What is your primary use case for Qualys Patch Management?
I use Qualys Patch Management as a single platform for patch management. We have Microsoft, Adobe, and various other apps. I create a scheduled task to push all the required patches to the laptops ...
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Windows Server Update Services vs. Qualys Patch Management and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.