Atera vs NinjaOne: side-by-side comparison for IT managers

For any IT department, it’s essential to choose an IT management platform that aligns with your goals, needs, and IT budget. But this decision can be tricky, especially in today’s crowded marketplace, where IT management platforms abound. Of course, not all of these platforms are created equal.

Atera and NinjaOne are two of the leading IT management platforms on the market today. Each one offers unique features and capabilities designed to meet the needs of modern IT departments. While they might seem similar at first glance, these platforms differ in important ways.

We’ll provide an in-depth comparison of features, usability, RMM pricing, and support so that you can make an informed decision about which platform is right for YOU. And we promise to do our best to be as objective as possible.

Let’s get right into it and look at G2’s user satisfaction rating. The platform compares their performance metrics, user reviews, capabilities and munch more. Blow you can have a glimpse of their comparison. If you want the extensive analysis click on link after the screenshot.

See the full comparison here.

Pricing and value for money

The pricing models used by Atera and NinjaOne vary significantly. Atera uses a pay-per-technician model, while NinjaOne employs a pay-per-endpoint model. For larger companies, NinjaOne’s pricing system can add up quickly. Unfortunately, the ability to compare ends there, as NinjaOne does not share its pricing publicly.

On the other hand, we believe in Atera’s transparent pricing. Enterprise clients may receive a custom quote, but our standard plans range from $129/month to $209/month per technician.

We also offer a 30-day free trial with no credit card required so that MSP’s and IT department decision-makers can gain a better understanding of the product before committing.

In terms of return on investment, or ROI, Atera’s per-technician licensing system means that companies pay a fixed cost regardless of how many devices are on the system. This makes scaling cheaper and more flexible, and you can add more devices as you grow without increasing your bottom line. The robust patch management system also saves money over time, and third-party integrations help increase the feature set of our base sytem.

User interface and usability

Atera and NinjaOne both offer innovative solutions that provide IT departments with RMM (remote monitoring and management) capabilities, patch management tools, and more. However, many users have reported that Atera has a more intuitive UI.

Some users have expressed that NinjaOne’s dashboards can be difficult to navigate at first and require additional training to get new users onboarded. With Atera, we have put in the work to create intuitive dashboards and user interfaces that are easy to navigate and require less ramp-up time to get everyone on the same page.

On Atera’s platform, users can be up and running within a few minutes!

Features and capabilities

Both Atera and NinjaOne offer a suite of features oriented specifically toward the needs of IT departments. However, Atera is the only one of the two that has AI integrations, and is partnered with Microsoft. Atera’s top offerings include patch management for Linux, MacOS and Windows, helpdesk and ticketing, cybersecurity, IT automation, and remote access. NinjaOne offers endpoint management, patch management, remote control, helpdesk, and endpoint backup.

A recent review on G2 noted that they “moved from Ninjaone which I loved, to Atera which I like even more,” and also praised the amount of features Atera offers. 

These two platforms have received much praise for their successful RMM solutions, which allow users full visibility and control to promote proactive IT management, solidifying their reputation as the best RMM solution providers. For example, Atera’s intuitive dashboard helps users receive real-time monitoring and alerts, as well as conduct patch management and other automated procedures.

And for some of our customers, our AI-powered IT feature has been a game-changer. Take SWNS Media Group, for example. Prior to working with Atera, the team would need to sift through the mountain of results that Google to find a script to perform the function they needed. 

But now, they simply ask the Atera IT for a script that will do what they need, and plug it in. John Mellick, the Technical Lead at SWNS Media Group, shares that [Atera] has dramatically improved the company’s resolution time. If you want to learn more about John and SWNS Media Group’s story and their experience working with Atera, you can read the full story here.

Performance and reliability

As any IT professional knows, reliability is the key to smooth IT operations. Excessive downtime can lead to security risks and more problems, so it’s important to choose a platform that sets you up for success. Both Atera and NinjaOne offer scalability to meet the needs of growing organizations, although their pricing models differ significantly – more on this momentarily.

But as we mentioned, downtime can really throw a wrench in your day–which is exactly what happened in early 2024 when NinjaOne servers went down for agent updates. This caused mayhem for MSPs around the globe who were using NinjaOne, with one Reddit user sharing;

and we totally agree. But listen, no software is perfect, and we’re not trying to claim to be. On July 19th, 2024, Atera was not affected by the infamous Crowdstrike outage, compared to other IT tools. We worked very hard to provide a solution for affected users. Find here our solution we found.

While both platforms have strong support, Atera stands out in terms of our support offerings. With 24/7 support from live agents and a treasure trove of digital resources, Atera makes troubleshooting easy.

Customer support and community

Customer support is an essential piece of reliability when it comes to IT products. Both Atera and NinjaOne have robust user communities and forums where customers can share scripts, troubleshoot issues, and discuss common questions and concerns. Where Atera truly shines, however, is in our stockpile of resources, tutorials, and knowledge bases, making it a robust NinjaOne alternative.

Another big piece of an IT community is IT events, which is why at Atera, we love getting involved with the community by attending and putting on events that help IT professionals excel in their craft. Whether it be in-person IT conferences, meet-ups, or online events, there will always be an IT event coming up where you can connect with Atera staff and other IT professionals who are also looking to learn and grow.

With an active community of users who take pride in supporting one another, 24/7 help available from live agents, and numerous digital resources for self-serve learning and assistance, we have an abundance of options for anyone who needs a hand getting things up and running. We’re proud of our IT community, and we look forward to welcoming you into the Atera family.

Security and compliance

You may have heard of NinjaOne’s reputation as a security-focused product, but you might not know (yet!) that Atera offers cybersecurity measures as well. Both of the platforms have encryption, two-factor authentication, and data privacy features to ensure data integrity.

At Atera, we have doubled down on our commitment to security and compliance. We prioritize adherence to industry standards such as MFA, and we offer smart logging and reporting. We are always growing and expanding our offerings so that you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your organization is not at risk.

User feedback and reviews

Users generally comment that Atera’s pricing model makes our product much more accessible – for both startups looking to scale without breaking the bank and larger companies whose costs would add up fast with NinjaOne’s pay-per-endpoint structure. Overall, users find Atera easier to use and set up, while they believe that Ninja has more features for companies with extremely specific needs.

Related to pricing, here’s why one customer preferred Atera over NinjaOne:

Review via Capterra

AI-powered IT: only with Atera

We hope that this side-by-side comparison has helped you understand why Atera is a strong NinjaOne alternative. While both platforms are leading IT department management products that offer comprehensive solutions and automation, we’re partial to Atera. Why?

Atera’s suite of products comes at a more approachable cost due to our disruptive pay-per-technician pricing model. We’re able to offer a top-quality platform — powered by AI end-to-end — at a much more attainable price, and with our constant growth and expansion of platform offerings, you’re sure to find everything you need with Atera.

Atera’s AI ticketing system offers 10X efficency for IT teams, and customers have reported 95% faster ticket resolution times! It even offers.

Of course, we encourage IT department decision-makers to conduct further research to find out which platform best aligns with your organization’s goals. Whether that is requesting demos, exploring online resources, or signing up for free trials, it’s crucial that you evaluate the platforms firsthand. And we’re happy to assist you in that process.

One easy step to take? Get in touch with our team today to discuss your specific requirements and how Atera can help.