Atera vs. SolarWinds comparison for IT decision-makers

When you’re considering IT management platform options, it’s important to conduct thorough research on the platforms you’re considering. Both Atera and SolarWinds stand out in today’s marketplace of IT technology solutions. 

While each platform offers a suite of tools for users looking for strong IT management capabilities, each platform has strengths that you need to consider when picking a platform for your organization.

To find out which IT management platform is the best fit for your specific needs, you’ll want to generate a complete picture of your needs, use cases, and budget so that you can make an informed decision about which platform is right for you. 

In this article, we will present a side-by-side comparison of Atera and SolarWinds, giving you an in-depth overview of the strengths and weaknesses of these two platforms. 

As the team working behind the scenes in one of the largest IT management platforms, we know what’s important when it comes to this big decision.

User interface and usability

Atera and SolarWinds both offer a range of capabilities to benefit users, including remote monitoring and management (RMM) and security features. But while some of their features are similar, the two platforms are comprised of entirely different dashboards and user interfaces, making their usability quite distinct from one another. 

For instance, take a look at this dashboard that is part of the SolarWinds platform… and now compare it to the Atera dashboard displayed below. While some users appreciate the comprehensive nature of the SolarWinds dashboard, many have noted that Atera’s dashboard is much more up-to-date and modern, making it easier to learn and use. Take a look at this user’s recent review of Atera on trusted site G2:

Like this user, Raymond M., many others have reported that Atera’s user interface (UI) is more intuitive, providing a quicker onboarding time and a lower barrier of entry. 

With Atera, we have put extensive time and effort into ensuring that our dashboards and user interfaces are easy to navigate. We want to help you get up and running in just a few minutes! 

Features and capabilities

SolarWinds offers solutions for small business and enterprise clients — and while this diversity can be the right fit for some users, many IT teams prefer the streamlined tools that Atera provides, which are made more specifically for IT departments and managed service providers (MSPs). 

Atera’s industry-leading features include complete remote monitoring and management (RMM), AI-powered IT, patch management, Network discovery, PSA, helpdesk, IT security, and many native integrations to expand your capabilities seamlessly. 

SolarWinds offers features that include observability, network management, systems management, database management, IT service management, application management, and IT security. 

Atera’s AI capabilities are one of the key features that really differentiate it in today’s crowded IT management space. It is currently the only AI-powered IT management platform in the world! 

With a partnership with Microsoft, Atera is at the forefront of transforming the IT industry. AI integrations have allowed Atera users to experience unmatched productivity, boost response times by 95%, and enhance workflows.

Performance and reliability

As any IT professional knows all too well, performance and reliability are key when it comes to choosing the best IT management tool for you. Excessive downtime can be a thorn in your side, leading to more security risks and problems down the line — that’s why you need to ensure that your next IT investment will protect you from these stressors.

Both Atera and Solarwinds offer fully encrypted data backups to the cloud, while we also offer the option of a local backup at Atera. Equally important to backing up your data, recovering your data with both Atera and Solarwinds is easy.

When comparing Solarwinds vs Atera, you will find that both platforms have strong scores when it comes to reliability and performance. They both offer reliable support teams and have committed to serving customers with the utmost reachability and professionalism to ensure your organization can continue working productively without the threat of downtime.

At Atera, we’ve earned a 9.17 likelihood of recommendation score via our GetApp.com reviews due to the reliability of our platform. Solarwinds’ reviews display a slightly lower, but still impressive 8.74/10 likelihood of recommending the platform.

Pricing and value for money

As you evaluate IT management platforms, like the Atera vs SolarWinds RMM platforms, you will want to consider the budget in your decision. 

At Atera, we believe in transparent pricing — we want you to fully understand what you will be paying and the value proposition that we provide. Plus, with our unique pricing model, we make growth and scalability possible without breaking the bank.

We at Atera use a pay-per-technician model that starts at $129/month per technician. There are different tiers to our services, ranging from professional to enterprise. At SolarWinds, you can also find options for pay-per-technician pricing. Their products start at $39/month per technician for SolarWinds Service Desk, but with SolarWinds, the pricing model is more piecemeal. You will want to evaluate total costs to find what’s best for your organization.

The big difference? At Atera, our pricing is all-inclusive — you won’t need to handle numerous add-on charges and different packages to get our full capabilities. Instead, you will get everything you need in one fell swoop. 

In action, our pricing model can end up saving organizations because of how quickly different add-ons can rack up. As evidenced by many of our customer reviews, offering a more all-inclusive RMM pricing model ends up saving our customers time and money.

Customer support and community

We already covered the importance of reliability as related to IT products — and customer support is a crucial piece of the reliability equation. Both Atera and SolarWinds have strong resources online — blog posts, guides, and knowledge bases that users can access at any time of day (or night). 

Where Atera shines, however, is in our active community of users who support each other around the clock. Our community has received plentiful praise from users, who find that the community is an excellent place to troubleshoot issues and receive feedback from others who have dealt with similar situations. 

We are incredibly proud of the tight-knit Atera community of IT professionals, and we look forward to welcoming you into the Atera family should you choose our product. With real-time help available from live agents as well as the user community, plus numerous digital resources to harness self-serve learning and assistance, you are sure to find help whenever you need it.

SolarWinds also has a strong community branch of their organization, known as THWACK. It even has a forum, where you can constantly find users discussing the latest and greatest in optimizing and managing their IT network.

Security and compliance

SolarWinds has a reputation as a solution that’s focused on cybersecurity, but that reputation was semi-upended in recent years with the infamous SolarWinds hacking incident in 2020. 

Hackers were able to enter SolarWinds’ Orion system, impacting numerous customers across both the private and public sectors for months to come. Since then, SolarWinds has continued to develop its security offerings, but this incident has marred user perception of the product. 

At Atera, we are increasingly focused on our commitment to compliance and security. With smart logging and reporting as well as adherence to industry standards like MFA, we can give our customers the ultimate peace of mind so that you know your organization is not under fire from malevolent actors. 

One important part of maintaining security in the IT space is patch management. Ensuring your networks and endpoints are up-to-date with the latest patches helps ensure that nobody can take advantage of any deficits. With our automated patch management capabilities, it is easier than ever to ensure that your systems are safe and sound. 

With our patch management tools, you can elevate your cybersecurity practices to the top tier of the whole industry. Our automation settings allow you to create customized patch management schedules for each endpoint. Not only will you gain complete control over your busy IT environment, but you will also achieve the ultimate best practices in cybersecurity by minimizing downtime and vulnerabilities throughout your network. 

But don’t just take our word for it. Check out this review from IT project manager Isha, who commented that Atera’s real-time dashboard insights help her to proactively address issues and avoid downtime:

Need help with ensuring your IT environment is safe and secure? Our 24/7 live support agents are here to help – and with countless resources in our online knowledge base and blog, you can always find more information about getting the most out of Atera’s security features.

User feedback and reviews

Generally speaking, users have found Atera to be an incredibly robust suite of IT solutions. With best-in-class pricing, Atera appeals to both start-up and enterprise customers. Plus, with a quick learning curve, the setup time associated with Atera’s products is much shorter than what you might see with other platforms. 

Atera beats SolarWinds in every category, according to reviews on the customer review website G2.

Screenshot from Reddit

And here is another customer’s review of SolarWinds:

Screenshot from Reddit

One G2 user’s review of Atera simply says it all: “Atera is super simple to use and get the hang of, while still being an absolute powerhouse.” Reviewer Jared J. also loves the AI integrations that power Atera, noting that the AI-powered tools help him simplify his workday tenfold:

In addition to its strong user reviews, Atera has received countless awards from trusted user feedback platforms like G2. In 2024 alone, our award list consists of items like “Momentum Leader,” “High Performer” in France and Canada as well as the whole of Europe, “Best Mid-Market Relationships,” “Best Mid-Market Results,” “Most Implementable” and many more. Users across the board – and across the globe – love Atera, and for good reason.

Atera is the ultimate solution for future-proofing your IT 

As you analyze Atera vs. SolarWinds MSP, we hope that you have found this guide helpful in highlighting the differences between the two platforms and the areas where each one shines. 

While the platforms have similar pricing models, Atera offers an enhanced range of features, increased functionality, and capabilities, as well as a lower barrier to entry in terms of setup time and difficulty. 

Users also enjoyed Atera’s robust online community of fellow IT professionals, who can help with troubleshooting — plus the live support available via live chat. Overall, Atera offers a strong alternative to SolarWinds and can meet the needs of growing organizations at every stage in their growth journeys.

While you make your final decision about which IT software to purchase, it’s important to conduct thorough research. We encourage you to request demos, sign up for free trials, and speak with company representatives to gain an even fuller picture of each platform’s capabilities. Where to start? Get in touch with Atera’s sales team today!