The best patch management software in 2024

As we navigate the complex digital landscape of 2024, IT professionals face an ever-growing challenge: keeping systems secure and up-to-date across increasingly diverse and distributed networks. 

Ponemon Institute research found that 57% of data breaches were caused by attackers exploiting known vulnerabilities that were not patched, demonstrating the importance of effective patch management.

Enter patch management software – the unsung hero of cybersecurity and system maintenance. These tools have become indispensable for IT pros, automating the tedious process of identifying, downloading, and applying patches across multiple systems and applications. But with a plethora of options available, which solutions truly stand out? In this article, we’ll explore the 10 best patch management software tools that are empowering IT professionals to maintain robust, secure, and efficient systems in 2024.

What is patch management software?

Patch management refers to the process of acquiring, testing, and installing software updates (patches) on computer systems to enhance performance, improve security, and fix bugs. Instead of doing this manually, patch management software tools help to automate the entire patching process, which is also their main purpose.

Types of patch management software

The types of patch management software can be divided into automated, open-source, and cloud-based patch management software. Let’s discuss what each of them means and who they’re suitable for.

1. Automated patch management

Automated patch management tools automatically identify, download, and deploy patches without significant manual intervention. These tools can schedule patch deployments at convenient times to minimize disruptions and keep systems up-to-date.

Humans cannot monitor IT environments 24/7, but an automated patch management system can. One such tool is Atera, which offers automated patch management. 

Suitable for:

• IT departments
• Managed service providers (MSPs)
• Small and midsize businesses (SMBs)
• Enterprises

2. Open-source patch management

Open-source patch management tools are free software solutions that allow anyone to manage patches. One advantage of open-source patch management tools is their cost-effectiveness. 

The disadvantages of most open-source solutions include the lack of advanced customization, insufficient customer support, limited integrations, and vulnerability to security threats. These shortcomings make them unsuitable for IT teams and MSPs that prioritize customer satisfaction and security.

Suitable for:

• IT departments
• Small and midsize businesses (SMBs)

3. Cloud-based patch management

Cloud-based patch management tools are hosted on the cloud and accessible via the Internet. These solutions enable scalability, ease of deployment, and management across multiple locations without on-premise infrastructure.

The best cloud-based patch management software often includes automated patch management. For example, Atera is cloud-based but also offers automated patch management.

Suitable for:

• IT departments
• Managed service providers (MSPs)
• Small and midsize businesses (SMBs)
• Enterprises

Why do you need patch management software?

Investing in patch management software has numerous benefits. Let’s examine the most notable ones.

1. Enhances cybersecurity

Microsoft’s data analysis reveals that the organizations most affected by ransomware attacks had significant gaps in their security operations, including ineffective patch management, which 68% of organizations cited as the main problem.

Patch management software automatically scans for missing patches and vulnerabilities, ensuring that security gaps are identified and addressed immediately. Automated patch management solutions go even further by automatically updating systems with the latest patches without human oversight.

Essentially, this increases your uptime, removing one of the most common attack vectors cybercriminals use.

2. Increases operational efficiency

Maintaining patches manually requires substantial employee resources both in terms of time and budget. Patch management software reduces the time and effort required by IT staff to identify, test, and deploy patches, leading to increased operational efficiency.

Automated patch management solutions take this step further by running in the background, requiring minimal effort from IT administrators. This improves overall productivity and helps IT staff to focus on more strategic initiatives.

3. Cost savings

Patch management software helps automate patching from end to end, with alerts for missing patches that can be manually corrected. However, the work is done 98% behind the scenes, which will lead to huge cost savings.

Patch management tools also reduce the risk of security incidents and system failures, thereby reducing costs associated with data breaches, ransomware attacks, and unplanned downtimes.

4. Regulatory compliance

Many industries have strict regulatory requirements for patching. While specific requirements may vary across industries, they demand up-to-date system maintenance for all software applications.

The top patch management solutions demonstrate the implementation of updates within the deadlines of GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), and so on.

5. Better reputation

Effective patch management shows a commitment to cybersecurity and operational excellence, enhancing your reputation amongst customers and stakeholders. Adhering to patch management best practices is especially important for managed service providers (MSPs), who manage multiple clients’ IT infrastructures

The top patch management software also includes patch reporting and analytics, which help IT professionals demonstrate the patch status of their systems and devices.

The 10 best patch management software for IT pros in 2024

This article cuts through the noise to bring you the top 10 patch management solutions that are making waves this year, according to our own research and findings. 

Whether you’re overseeing a small business network or managing enterprise-level infrastructure, these tools offer the features and capabilities needed to streamline your workflow and strengthen your organization’s security posture. Let’s dive in and explore the best options available to IT pros in 2024.

1. Atera

Atera is a cloud-based IT management solution that provides automated patch management for both IT departments and managed service providers (MSPs) respectively. With it, you can automatically scan, identify, download, deploy, and verify system patches. Atera’s reporting and analytic tools give you an overview of your patch status and a list of missing patches.

Unlike many competing solutions that focus solely on patch management, Atera is an all-in-one IT management solution. In addition to patch management, it also includes remote monitoring and management (RMM), remote access, IT ticketing, network discovery, contracts, and billing.

Atera is the first IT management solution to incorporate AI into its platform through the Atera Copilot. Atera Copilot helps users create context-specific scripts in seconds, troubleshoot IT issues with real-time device diagnostics and AI-recommended actions, and even automates IT ticketing.

Features and capabilities

Atera’s core patch management features include patching for Windows, Linux, and MacOS devices, IT automation for setting up custom schedules, reporting and analytics on patching status, and software bundles for automating repetitive tasks.

While various patch management tools are available offering similar feature sets, Atera’s AI-driven features, powered by Atera Copilot, set it apart from the competition.

Atera Copilot provides a new way of managing your entire IT infrastructure, and scripting is one of the areas where this is valuable. For example, if you face an issue like slow device performance, Atera Copilot can be used to create precise and customized scripts to resolve the issue. Normally, diagnosing and resolving such issues can be time-consuming and challenging.

Additionally, Ateras’ AI-powered capabilities immediately enhance the efficiency and productivity of IT teams. By automating routine tasks such as script generation, ticket summarization, and command-line translation, Copilot frees up valuable time for IT professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives. This leads to faster resolution times, with ticket resolutions being three times quicker, and significant time savings, averaging 11-13 hours per week.

User interface and usability

Whether you’re new or experienced with IT management solutions, navigating around Atera is straightforward, thanks to its intuitive user interface. Customer reviews support Atera’s ease of use, as it has won plenty of G2 awards for both ease of use and implementation.

From the “Admin” section on Atera’s left sidebar, you can manage patches and create IT automation profiles.

Atera’s patch management automation profile

Although Atera has an intuitive interface, occasionally customers may still want to chat, which is why Atera offers 24/7 live chat support. Atera also provides a wealth of self-help documentation, including Atera’s knowledge base and an active IT community that can assist with troubleshooting IT issues.

Pricing and value for money

Atera’s all-in-one IT management platform pricing plans include patch management capabilities. Atera uses pay-per-technician pricing, where you pay a fixed price no matter how many endpoints you manage. This differs from most other IT management solutions that charge by the number of endpoints, which increases the price as more endpoints are added. A number of Capterra users report significant cost savings after switching to Atera.

Atera offers tailored pricing plans for IT departments and MSPs. The pricing plans for the MSP software range from $99/month to $169/month, while the plans for IT departments range from $149/month to $199/month. Enterprise customers can receive a custom quotation for more tailored solutions.

Atera G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (550+ reviews)

What Atera users are saying on G2:

One G2 user mentions running scheduled automated weekly patches with Atera’s automated scripts. The ability to exclude and remove patches automatically is mentioned as helpful. The same reviewer mentions setting up scripts in Powershell or CMD to monitor and automate specific services on servers.

Atera Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (350+ reviews)

What Atera users are saying on Capterra:

One Capterra user mentions that Atera’s patch management and remote management features do a great job. The reviewer mentioned that being able to PowerShell into a computer to restart services and run commands without interrupting users is a big help. Atera’s dashboard is also praised for its ease of use and user-friendliness.

Atera pricing:

Pricing plans for IT departments:

• Professional: $149 per month, per technician
• Expert: $169 per month, per technician
• Master: $199 per month, per technician
• Enterprise: Custom quotation. Contact sales for pricing.

Pricing plans for MSPs:

• Pro: $129 per month, per technician
• Growth: $179 per month, per technician
• Power: $209 per month, per technician
• Superpower (Enterprise): Custom quotation. Contact sales for pricing.

Get started with Atera with a 30-day free trial with no credit card required.

2. ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus automates the process of patching Mac, Windows, and Linux operating systems and third-party applications. It also includes customizable patch management policies and reports that help you track the status of your patching and demonstrate the benefits to your clients.

While ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus focuses entirely on patching, you can integrate it with other ManageEngine products to get more capabilities. The obvious downside of this is the increased cost since you need to pay for multiple software subscriptions. If this is a dealbreaker for you, you may want to consider all-in-one solutions, such as Atera.

G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5.0 stars (150+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (300+ reviews)

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus Pricing:

• Free plan: Suitable for small-scale patch management
• Professional and Enterprise plans: Custom pricing is available; contact ManageEngine’s sales team to find out more.

3. SysAid

SysAid is an IT service management solution for MSPs, SMBs, and IT departments, and it helps automate patch management and security updates for Windows-based PCs and servers. Similarly to Atera, SysAid has an IT ticketing functionality powered by AI that assists technicians in categorizing, prioritizing, and assigning tickets.

SysAid focuses mostly on IT asset management, which arguably excludes other important features such as advanced PSA and RMM. However, if you just need asset management capabilities accompanied by patching, SysAid might be a suitable solution. 

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5.0 stars (600+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5.0 stars (400+ reviews)

SysAid pricing:

• Book a demo call to receive custom pricing.

4. Action1

Action1 assists in remediating vulnerabilities by sourcing, distributing, and applying software updates for OS and third-party apps. It aims to automate the entire patch management process, from scanning for outdated patches to installing updates and reporting on compliance. It also assists IT departments in managing and securing endpoints.

You get access to real-time reports that show which systems lack critical updates. You can create a patch management policy that prioritizes patches according to their security severity. If you just need the patch management functionality, Action1 can be a great option. However, it lacks more advanced IT management features.

G2 Rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (150+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.9 out of 5.0 (80+ reviews)

Action1 Pricing:

• Custom quotation: To get pricing from Action1, you need to request a quote from their website.

5. SolarWinds

SolarWinds Patch Manager is designed to help IT professionals manage patching and updating software on servers and workstations. It supports both Microsoft and third-party application patching and automates the scheduling and deployment of patches.

A SolarWinds user on G2 reports being able to use the software easily but encountering problems when using the patching feature. The same reviewer mentions that the available reports are not great, and while pre-canned reports are available, they do not meet their needs.

G2 Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 stars (50+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.3 out of 5.0 stars (10+ reviews)

SolarWinds Patch Manager Pricing:

• Custom pricing: Pricing starts at €1851 for a software license. To get an accurate estimate, contact the SolarWinds sales team.

6. NinjaOne

NinjaOne is a remote monitoring and management (RMM) tool for MSPs and IT departments. It includes automated patch management capabilities and helps you identify, evaluate, and deploy patches to Linux, Windows, and Mac servers, workstations, and laptops.

Similarly to Atera, patch management is part of NinjaOne’s IT management solution. NinjaOne uses pay-per-endpoint pricing for its software, for which you must subscribe to use the patching functionality. A downside of the pay-per-endpoint pricing structure is that if you manage dozens of devices, the price increases rapidly. 

G2 Rating: 4.8 out of 5.0 (1,000+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.8 out of 5.0 (200+ reviews)

NinjaOne Pricing:

• Pricing is based on custom quotation. To learn more, visit their website.

7. Kaseya VSA

Kaseya VSA is an IT management and RMM solution for MSPs and IT departments. It also includes patch management for remediating software vulnerabilities. Kaseya VSA automates patch management by scanning, analyzing, downloading, and deploying applications automatically.

One of Kaseya VSA’s strengths is that it can do more than patching since it is primarily used for remote monitoring and management. It also easily integrates with other Kaseya and Datto products, such as Datto Autotask PSA, for IT ticketing functionality.

G2 Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0 (250+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 (200+ reviews)

Kaseya VSA Pricing:

• Custom pricing system in place. Visit their website to learn more.

8. ConnectWise Automate

ConnectWise Automate is an RMM software designed for IT departments and MSPs. One of its key features is automated patch management, which enables you to configure, test, and install Windows and third-party software updates on all devices. Like Atera, ConnectWise leverages AI scripting to assist IT staff in generating PowerShell scripts to resolve IT issues faster. 

ConnectWise is known for offering robust functionality, so it’s often considered the best enterprise patch management software. However, a few users on G2 report that it has quite a long learning curve, which can be problematic for organizations with limited resources.

G2 Rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 (120+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.1 out of 5.0 (125+ reviews)

ConnectWise Automate Pricing:

• Custom quotation: To know ConnectWise Automate pricing, you need to request a quotation from their team

9. Datto RMM

Datto RMM is a remote monitoring and management solution for MSPs and SMBs and it has automated patch management capabilities. With it, you can deploy the latest patches to protect against ransomware attacks and other security threats. You also get access to patch reporting and analytics for a comprehensive overview of patching.

If you prefer strong customer support, Datto is known for having one since it offers 24/7 live chat support. While Atera offers the same, most competitor solutions do not offer the same level of support.

G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (70+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars (20+ reviews)

Datto Pricing:

• Custom pricing available. Contact Datto’s sales team to get the pricing.

10. Ivanti Endpoint Manager

Ivanti Endpoint Manager is an endpoint management solution designed to help IT departments manage and secure devices efficiently. It offers patch management, and you can schedule and automate the deployment of patches for operating systems and third-party applications.

The main disadvantage of using Ivanti for patch management is that patching is an add-on feature that comes with an extra cost. If the associated extra cost isn’t a problem for you, Ivanti may be a good option for you. You can also integrate the Endpoint Manager with other Ivanti products for more functionality.

G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5.0 stars (130+ reviews)

Capterra Rating: 3.0 out of 5.0 stars (1 review)

Ivanti Endpoint Manager Pricing:

• Custom pricing. To get the pricing, fill out your details on Ivanti’s website.

The ultimate patch management software

Atera’s automated patch management helps IT organizations reduce downtime, enhance compliance, and free up IT resources for more strategic initiatives. The patching functionality can be accompanied by the other features Atera offers, including remote monitoring and management (RMM), IT ticketing, remote access, network discovery, and more.

Instead of investing in redundant software or paying multiple subscriptions, Atera offers all the capabilities you need for IT management, which is what most IT teams actually require. Additionally, Atera is the first IT management platform to power its platform with AI through Atera Copilot. The AI features enable a new way to manage IT environments and improve nearly all aspects of IT management. 
If you want to try Atera firsthand, you can start your 30-day free trial today or contact our sales team for a demo!