N-able MSP Manager vs SCSM comparison

N-able and Microsoft are both solutions in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category. N-able is ranked #23 with an average rating of 6.0, while Microsoft is ranked #11 with an average rating of 7.0. N-able holds a 1.3% mindshare in ISM, compared to Microsoft’s 1.8% mindshare. Additionally, 75% of N-able users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 64% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

N-able MSP Manager

Read 5 N-able MSP Manager reviews

946 Views
624 Comparison Views

75% willing to recommend

SCSM

Read 27 SCSM reviews

1,523 Views
1,127 Comparison Views

64% willing to recommend

N-able MSP Manager

SCSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

SCSM and N-able MSP Manager compete in the IT service management and MSP operations category. Data comparisons suggest N-able MSP Manager has the upper hand due to its cost-effective features and operational efficiency.

Features: SCSM offers comprehensive integration within Microsoft's ecosystem, enabling advanced customization and extensive reporting capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with components like Active Directory and Microsoft System Center platforms, ensuring a coordinated infrastructure. N-able MSP Manager is noted for its intuitive ticketing system, efficient time management, and unified portal that centralizes workflows, making it ideal for smaller enterprises needing streamlined operations.

Room for Improvement: SCSM could benefit from simplifying its complex deployment process and reducing dependency on technical resources. Enhancements in user-friendliness and faster adaptation to various IT environments would be advantageous. N-able MSP Manager might improve by offering more extensive integration options beyond current capabilities, enhancing SLA customization flexibility, and providing more robust customer support tools to handle larger-scale operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SCSM's deployment is complex, demanding significant technical knowledge and resources, which can be a barrier for some businesses. Its customer service can be slow due to the level of technical understanding required. N-able MSP Manager stands out with a straightforward deployment process and responsive customer service, which appeals to businesses seeking quick implementation without extensive IT involvement.

Pricing and ROI: SCSM requires higher upfront costs, presenting itself as a long-term investment with substantial returns once integrated thoroughly. N-able MSP Manager offers a budget-friendly setup with quicker ROI, particularly valued by smaller to mid-sized businesses focused on cost-efficiency. This affordability enhances its attractiveness for businesses prioritizing operational simplicity over extensive feature sets.

To learn more, read our detailed N-able MSP Manager vs. SCSM Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager vs. SCSM

January 2026

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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

N-able MSP Manager

Ranking in Help Desk Software

21st

Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)

23rd

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SCSM

Ranking in Help Desk Software

10th

Ranking in IT Service Management (ITSM)

11th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the IT Service Management (ITSM) category, the mindshare of N-able MSP Manager is 1.3%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SCSM is 1.8%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

IT Service Management (ITSM) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
SCSM	1.8%
N-able MSP Manager	1.3%
Other	96.9%

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Featured Reviews

GeorgeKanellopoulos

CTO at InTTrust SA

Ticketing has helped prioritize support tasks while contract and project management have required better integration and pricing flexibility

I don't know if N-able MSP Manager could have some additional features in the future to make it more competitive because it might already be available and I'm not aware of it.I cannot say that N-able MSP Manager dashboard is intuitive, but I don't see any big difference with ManageEngine. From the deployment perspective with N-able MSP Manager, I cannot have higher expectations because it is a SaaS solution, so it was deployed as is from the technical perspective. From the business perspective, the deployment is complex, but I cannot tell you that it is less complex than ManageEngine. The main reason that made me change my mind and proceed with ManageEngine is the availability of add-ons in combination with their pricing.

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LuisSanchez3

Director Metropolitano de Gobierno Digital at a government with 10,001+ employees

Current setup enables smooth problem-solving but lacks comprehensive guidance and local support

More information about setup procedures and a more user-friendly front end would be beneficial. We need more information for setup processes. It is difficult to do the work independently, requiring us to hire external companies for maintenance hours to fix small issues that could be resolved faster in-house if we had better information. We have been looking for an upgrade version, but finding local service has been difficult. It has been challenging trying to get things done. Speaking with the Microsoft office, we found there are no local companies with substantial experience with SCSM. What we have now was installed five or six years ago. It has been difficult to change configurations and look for upgrades, even with all the manuals. Our office is considering moving away from SCSM and getting a service desk solution outside of Microsoft. For me, it has been a good tool to get help and solve internal problems in the office. It is a very good tool, but the difficulty in getting local service or more information is pushing us to look for another tool.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I am impressed with the tool's integration with our mail system."

"At a significantly lower price, I managed to get project management modules, contract management, and CMDB, which were not all available in N-able MSP Manager."

"The best advantage for us, since we use all N-able products, is that the MSP portal centralizes everything."

"This is a premier product and it has been around for a long time."

"I like that you can do all the things with it. You can patch, and you can run the scheduled tasks. You can remote in, upload files, and download files. You can log onto a computer PowerShell, or command prompt, without having to log into RDP. I also like its ease of use."

"SCCM provides remote tool functionality, which is not in Intune."

"Many more features than other comparable products."

"We've been in contact with Microsoft technical support mainly. After doing the research ourselves and troubleshooting, etc., if we can't find a permanent solution, we contact Microsoft to help us fix the issue. Sometimes the issue never gets fixed even by Microsoft. It can sometimes require us to reinstall the solution. However, these are very rare instances."

"It is a simple solution that is easy to configure."

"If it is correctly configured, you can access and give service quickly to all the end users."

"SCSM helps us keep organized by tracking all user demands and change requests. However, the reporting is not sufficient to provide a clear view of ongoing projects. It helps with daily operations and change request management."

"The support from Microsoft is good and we also have local support on the ground in Nigeria."

"It is one of the most stable solutions in the market."

More SCSM pros

Cons

"The tool needs to improve its customization of the user interface."

"I'd like to see a way to import contacts in bulk using an Excel sheet or another import method."

"Comparing the pricing of N-able MSP Manager to ManageEngine, it is a little bit too high."

"Its reporting is lousy and bad. It is not as good as it should be. There is too much work involved to get what you want. Most times, you have to call them to customize some stuff. I just don't like that part. They need to work on their reporting. They have a way to go."

"What I would like to see is a simplified solution that is packaged better, where you can easily implement or turn on the functionality that you need."

"Although some engineers at Microsoft are good, the support often lacks expertise, and response times are slow."

"The major issues with SCSM include its severe slowness, especially on the client side, and the lack of comprehensive reporting tools."

"The price of this solution is high and it needs to be cheaper."

"They might be looking for additional functionalities that SCSM could integrate."

"The user interface needs to be improved."

"The patch management aspect of the solution should be improved. It's quite complicated and not user-friendly. If your systems are not patched properly, you are unable to pull reports."

"It would be good if Microsoft added custom attributes or tagging like in Jamf."

"It has not helped reduce the burden on IT resources."

More SCSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I don't know the exact cost, but I know it's reasonable. Its cost of entry is not bad. I've had other organizations sign up for it. I don't know how much they paid, but it wasn't bad. You charge for every object. You charge for AV, and you charge for servers. There is a charge for everything or every object in that. I know we make money from it, but I don't know what it is."

"I would rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten since it's not the cheapest one in the market."

"Don't get scared of the price tag because it's definitely worth it."

"The price should be lower."

"Licensing can be complex and confusing."

"It is a lower price vs. other things on the market."

"The price of the solution could be better. My organization has an enterprise annual license with Microsoft which provides us support."

"It comes free with the enterprise agreement that we have, but the expense really is in having to buy another product to sit on top of it to make it work properly. You wind up having to buy additional support and additional product with their own support and maintenance costs on top of that."

"The license for SCSM is cheap."

"It is an expensive solution."

"I would rate the pricing as two out of five."

More SCSM pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Government

17%

University

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	14

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with N-able MSP Manager?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for N-able MSP Manager?

I am deploying it for my company.I inherited an implementation with N-able MSP Manager that was not quite good. I faced problems managing the contracts, translating them into technical topics, and ...

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What advice do you have for others considering N-able MSP Manager?

I use N-able MSP Manager ticketing system.It has helped to prioritize tasks. At the level that I am aware of the product capabilities in N-able MSP Manager, I can't say that the centralized custome...

See all answers

What do you like most about SCSM?

The solution offers good productivity at a low price point.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SCSM?

I am not sure about the pricing as I do not have experience with it.

See all answers

What needs improvement with SCSM?

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 23% of the time

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Compared 11% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs N-able MSP Manager

Compared 8% of the time

Samanage vs N-able MSP Manager

Compared 4% of the time

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ServiceNow vs SCSM

Compared 22% of the time

ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus vs SCSM

Compared 16% of the time

IBM SmartCloud Control Desk vs SCSM

Compared 8% of the time

BMC Helix ITSM vs SCSM

Compared 7% of the time

Ivanti Neurons for ITSM vs SCSM

Compared 5% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager

January 2026

Download N-able MSP Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

SCSM

January 2026

Download SCSM product report

Also Known As

SolarWinds LOGICnow, SolarWinds MSP Manager

System Center Service Manager

Overview

Managing your business and providing excellent support shouldn’t bog you down. MSP Manager’s ease of use will free your team to deliver on your promise of great service.

Intuitive, lightweight ticketing with seamless RMM and N-central^®platform integrations.
Painless time tracking with convenient timers and functionality for recurring tickets and appointments.
Closed-loop email with automatic ticket monitoring and routing, with a streamlined Microsoft 365 setup via OAuth.
Complete customer and knowledge management with a branded portal.
Accounting integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero.

N-able

System Center Service Manager is a software product by Microsoft to allow organizations to manage incidents and problems. Microsoft states that the product is compliant with industry best practices such as the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) and in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). SCSM has integrated ITIL compliant fulfillment of service requests. Service requests are submitted by the end user in order to obtain information, access to a new application or the most common of all, password reset.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Longleaf Systems, ITproMedia, Choice Technology, Halski Systems, Allixo Technologies, Nettech, Concept Technology

Fibabanka, UMC Health System

Buyer's Guide

N-able MSP Manager vs. SCSM

January 2026

Free Report: N-able MSP Manager vs. SCSM

Find out what your peers are saying about N-able MSP Manager vs. SCSM and other solutions. Updated: January 2026.

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