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Compare patch management tools

Action1, Automox, NinjaOne, ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus, Tanium, HCL BigFix and Qualys Patch Management compared side by side — the patching features each one has, the company size each tends to fit, and a neutral RFP question bank. We show features and size fit only; we do not rank the tools. Confirm anything that matters directly with the vendor.

Research date September 6, 20267 toolsNo vendor pays for placement or was briefed on this page

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Showing 7 of 7 tools

Overview

7 of 7 toolsTick up to 4 to compare side by side
Yes Partial Integration No Not itemized
Tools matching the current filters
Action1Cloud-native patch management (SaaS, no on-prem infrastructure)
SaaS (cloud-native)Windows, macOS, LinuxPeer-to-peerSMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
AutomoxCloud-native patch management (SaaS, no on-prem infrastructure)
SaaS (cloud-native)Windows, macOS, LinuxNot statedSMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
NinjaOne (Patch Management)Unified endpoint management / RMM with patching
SaaS (cloud-native)Windows, macOS, LinuxNot statedSMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
ManageEngine Patch Manager PlusDedicated patch product within an IT-management suite
SaaS (cloud), On-premisesWindows, macOS, LinuxDistribution ServerSMB, Mid-market, Enterprise
Tanium PatchEnterprise endpoint platform with peer/relay distribution
SaaS (Tanium Cloud), Self-managed / on-premisesWindows, macOS, LinuxLinear-chain P2PEnterprise, Global enterprise, Government
HCL BigFix (Patch)Enterprise endpoint platform with peer/relay distribution
On-premises, Virtual, CloudWindows, macOS, Linux, Unix (AIX / Solaris)Relays + throttlingMid-market, Enterprise, Global enterprise, Government
Qualys Patch ManagementCloud-native patch management (SaaS, no on-prem infrastructure)
SaaS (cloud-native), Government cloud (FedRAMP)Windows, macOS, LinuxPeer-to-peer (Windows)Mid-market, Enterprise, Global enterprise, Government

Features and size fit only; the tools are not ranked. The order is the order of the research.

Pricing

Published Estimated Quote only

Published means the vendor shows the price. Estimated means this research's planning figure, not a vendor quote.

Pricing per tool
ToolBasisPublished or estimated figure
Action1
PublishedPublished Price (free tier) + quote-based above 200 endpointsFree for the first 200 endpoints ('Free forever,' no feature limits, no expiry). Above 200 endpoints, pricing is quote-based - Action1 does not publish a paid per-endpoint figure.
Automox
PublishedPublished Price (Patch OS tier) + custom-quoted higher tiersPatch OS is $1 per endpoint/month with an annual commitment (Windows, macOS, and Linux OS patching). Automate Essentials and Automate Enterprise are custom-priced. Monthly (no-commitment) billing is available; annual saves 25%.
NinjaOne (Patch Management)
PublishedPublished Price (indicative range) + quote-based full pricingNinjaOne does not publish a full price list, but states an indicative per-device range of roughly $1.50/month at 10,000 endpoints up to $3.75/month at 50 or fewer endpoints (tiered, with volume discounts); a 14-day trial and quotes are offered.
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
PublishedPublished Price (full price list) + Free editionProfessional and Enterprise editions are published per-computer and per-server (on-prem annual/perpetual and cloud monthly/annual). Illustrative on-prem annual entry points: Professional per-computer from $245, Enterprise per-computer from $345 (rising with volume). Cloud is subscription-only.
Tanium Patch
Quote onlyQuote / demo-based (no public price)No public price. Tanium does not publish a per-endpoint price; the site directs prospects to request a demo or contact sales.
HCL BigFix (Patch)
Quote onlyQuote-based (no public price)No public price. HCL BigFix pricing is quote-based (typically per client device, tiered); official pages direct prospects to contact HCL for a quote.
Qualys Patch Management
Quote onlyQuote-based (no current public price)No current public price. Qualys Patch Management is quote-based and does not display a current per-asset figure; the only official figure found is historical ($29.95 per asset at the 2019 launch).

Capabilities

18 capabilities in 4 groups

Each cell is the research's own descriptor, never a grade. Yes = documented. Not stated = not on the vendor's official pages at the research date. Nothing here ranks the tools.

Coverage
ToolWindows patchingmacOS patchingLinux patchingUnix patchingThird-party app patchingThird-party catalog size
Action1
YesYesYesNot statedYesNot stated
Automox
YesYesYesNot statedYes580+ / 630+
NinjaOne (Patch Management)
YesYesYesNot statedYesNot stated
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
YesYesYesNot statedYes1,100+
Tanium Patch
YesYesYesNot statedVia Tanium DeployNot stated
HCL BigFix (Patch)
YesYesYesYesYesNot stated
Qualys Patch Management
YesYesYesNot statedYes300+

Before you rely on this

Research date September 6, 2026 Request a correction

Independent Comparison Notice: EVULNABLE is an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the vendors listed on this page unless explicitly stated otherwise. Vendor names and trademarks are used solely to identify the products and services being discussed.

See outdated information? Patch-management features, supported applications, certifications, and pricing change frequently. If you represent a vendor or notice information that may be outdated, use the link below to request a review or correction.

Important disclaimer

Patch-Management Tool Disclaimer: EVULNABLE provides independent informational comparisons of patch-management tools. Product capabilities, supported operating systems and third-party applications, automation and distribution features, integrations, deployment models, pricing, data residency, and security authorizations can change. Information labeled Official/Verified is based on the vendor's official documentation available as of the listed research date. Information labeled Published Price is a price the vendor currently displays and may not reflect discounts, minimum commitments, add-on modules, taxes, or professional services. Company-size fit is labeled EVULNABLE Assessment because it is this tab's own independent opinion, not a vendor claim or endorsement, and it is the only comparative opinion offered: this page does not rank the tools or state that any tool is better than another. Organizations should validate current capabilities, licensing, regional availability, and technical coverage directly with the vendor before purchase.

Confirm with the vendor

Confirm before you rely on it: patch-management features, supported operating systems and applications, distribution options, integrations, hosting regions, certifications, and pricing all change often. Every capability below is drawn from the vendor's own current pages (linked under each tool), but the authoritative and most current source is always the vendor. Go directly to the vendor to confirm anything that will drive a purchasing or deployment decision.

What was independently fact-checked before publishing

Every capability statement on this page was checked against the vendor's own official product pages and documentation on the research date; the sources are linked under each tool's profile. A few points worth flagging for readers: Automox publishes two different third-party title counts on its own site (580+ on the patching pages, 630+ on the pricing page) - both are shown with their source. Action1 and NinjaOne do not publish a specific third-party application count, so none is invented here. NinjaOne and Action1 publish only indicative or free-tier pricing (full pricing is quote-based); Tanium and HCL BigFix do not publish per-endpoint pricing at all. HCL BigFix's own pages give two single-server scale figures (250,000 in the platform docs, 300,000 on the Remediate product page) - both are shown. Because vendor pages change quickly, treat every figure here as provisional and confirm it directly with the vendor.

How these estimates were arrived at

This tab is a best-effort compilation from public vendor documentation to make a side-by-side feature comparison easier. It is not official information from any vendor, it does not rank the tools or declare any tool better than another, and it is not a substitute for a vendor engagement or RFP. For the most accurate or current information, visit each vendor's own website.

Market pricing context

Patch-management tools price on very different bases, which makes a direct head-to-head price comparison difficult: per-endpoint/month, per-computer and per-server tiers, free tiers, and pure quote-based enterprise deals all appear below. Figures labeled **Published Price** are numbers a vendor currently displays publicly; where a vendor does not publish a figure, this page says so rather than estimating one. - **Action1** is free for the first 200 endpoints ("Free forever, no feature limits"); above 200 endpoints, pricing is quote-based. - **Automox** publishes **$1 per endpoint/month** (annual commitment) for its Patch OS tier; the Automate Essentials and Automate Enterprise tiers are custom-quoted. - **NinjaOne** is quote-based and does not publish a full price list, but states an indicative per-device range of roughly **$1.50 to $3.75 per month** depending on volume. - **ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus** publishes a full price list for its Professional and Enterprise editions (per-computer and per-server, on-prem and cloud), and has a Free edition for up to 20 workstations and 5 servers. - **Tanium** and **HCL BigFix** do not publish per-endpoint pricing; both are quote/demo-based enterprise deals. - **Qualys Patch Management** is a licensed module alongside VMDR and is quote-based; the only official figure is historical (**$29.95 per asset** at the 2019 launch), and no current per-asset price is displayed. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor - published figures change often and rarely reflect discounts, add-on modules, or minimum commitments.

Category definitions
Cloud-native patch management
Delivered purely as a SaaS service with a lightweight endpoint agent and no on-premises servers, relays, or appliances to run. Endpoints check in over the internet, so remote and off-network machines are patched without a VPN. Action1 and Automox are built this way.
Unified endpoint management / RMM with patching
Patch management is one module inside a broader cloud endpoint-management / remote-monitoring-and-management platform that also does things like remote access, software deployment, and monitoring (NinjaOne). Useful where one team wants patching alongside general endpoint management in a single console.
Dedicated patch product within an IT-management suite
A purpose-built patch-management product, offered in both on-premises and cloud editions, that is part of a larger family of IT-management tools (ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus). Distribution servers can be placed at branch offices to save bandwidth.
Enterprise endpoint platform with peer/relay distribution
A converged endpoint-management platform whose single agent covers many capabilities and whose distribution architecture (Tanium's linear-chain peer-to-peer, BigFix's relays) is designed to move patch content across very large, distributed estates with limited bandwidth. Tanium and HCL BigFix are built this way.

RFP questions

34 vendor-neutral questions in 8 groups

Written to paste into a request for proposal. Each question presumes no answer and points at no tool. The PDF and Excel exports include them.

Coverage 6
  1. Which operating systems and versions are supported for OS patching?
  2. Which third-party applications are supported, and is the list published?
  3. How often is the third-party patch catalog updated?
  4. Are servers, workstations, and laptops all supported equally?
  5. How are remote and off-network endpoints patched (VPN required)?
  6. Is Unix (AIX, Solaris, HP-UX) or ESXi patching supported?
Automation & scheduling 5
  1. How are patch policies defined and scheduled?
  2. Can approval be automatic, by severity, or manual?
  3. Are maintenance / deployment windows configurable?
  4. How are Patch Tuesday and out-of-band patches handled?
  5. Can deployment be staggered to control load?
Testing, staging & rollback 4
  1. Is there a test/pilot group or ring-deployment workflow?
  2. How is a patch promoted from a pilot group to production?
  3. Can installed patches be rolled back or uninstalled, and on which OSes?
  4. What happens when a patch fails on a subset of endpoints?
Distribution & bandwidth 4
  1. How is patch content distributed to endpoints?
  2. Is peer-to-peer or relay/distribution-server distribution available?
  3. Can bandwidth be throttled for constrained or branch sites?
  4. Is any on-premises infrastructure required for distribution?
Reboot & end-user experience 3
  1. What reboot controls are available (defer, prompt, force, exclude)?
  2. Can end users postpone a reboot, and within what limits?
  3. How are unattended/headless devices handled for reboots?
Reporting & compliance 4
  1. What patch-compliance and patch-status reports are provided?
  2. Can reports be scheduled and exported for audits?
  3. Which compliance frameworks does the reporting map to?
  4. Is vulnerability/CVE context shown alongside missing patches?
Integration 3
  1. Which ITSM/ticketing systems are integrated (ServiceNow, Jira, others)?
  2. Can findings from external vulnerability scanners be ingested?
  3. Is there a documented API for automation?
Deployment, data & pricing 5
  1. Is the tool SaaS-only, on-premises, or both?
  2. Which hosting regions are available, and can data residency be chosen?
  3. Which security certifications does the service hold?
  4. What is the licensing metric (per endpoint, per server, tiers)?
  5. Is there a free tier or trial, and what does published pricing cover?

Export

PDF and Excel files carry their own methodology, sources and disclaimer. They include the tools you tick, or every tool that matches the filters when none are ticked.