How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Action1 is free for the first 200 endpoints, which makes it the default first test for small Windows estates.
- Microsoft Intune at $6 per user per month suits shops already licensed for Microsoft 365.
- NinjaOne and Atera fold patching into full RMM platforms with remote access and monitoring included.
- ManageEngine Endpoint Central is the closest like for like replacement for PDQ's deploy and inventory pairing.
- BatchPatch stays closest to PDQ's original agentless, one console spirit for pure Windows patching.
Quick comparison
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The best PDQ alternatives in 2026
#1Action1
Best for: Free patching for smaller estates4.9/5 on
G2 (1,206 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit action1.com
Starting priceFree
Free planYes
Action1 is the alternative most PDQ users should test first, because the test costs nothing. It patches Windows and a wide library of third party applications from a cloud console, and the first 200 endpoints are free with the real feature set, not a demo cut. For a small business or a single admin, that can simply replace the PDQ bill.
The limits are scope and depth. Its heritage is Windows patching, and while the platform has widened into vulnerability reporting and remote access, estates with heavy Mac fleets or strict audit reporting will feel the edges. Beyond 200 endpoints pricing is quoted per estate, so get the number for your full count before you fall in love with the free tier.
What we like- First 200 endpoints are free, permanently, with full patching features, cloud based, so no server to maintain beside your endpoints, covers third party applications as well as Windows updates, deploys in minutes compared with an on premises console build
Watch out for- Windows focused, with Mac support newer and thinner, reporting is functional rather than deep for auditors, pricing past 200 endpoints is quote led, so growth costs need a conversation
#2Microsoft Intune
Best for: Microsoft 365 shops going cloud4.5/5 on
G2 (272 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit microsoft.com
Starting price$6/month
Free planNo
Intune is the alternative that may already be in your building. It is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and several enterprise suites, and the standalone Plan 1 licence is $6 per user per month. Software deployment, update rings and compliance policies all run from the same cloud console that manages your phones, which is a consolidation PDQ cannot offer.
The honest trade is patch depth. Intune handles Windows updates and Microsoft applications well, but third party patching and the kind of at a glance patch compliance view PDQ users are used to need add ons or acceptance of thinner reporting. If your estate is Microsoft through and through and the licence is already paid, Intune is the rational default. If patching is the whole job, the specialists here do it better.
What we like- Already bundled in many Microsoft 365 business and enterprise plans, manages Windows, Mac, iOS and Android from one cloud console, application deployment and update policies sit beside identity and compliance, no separate vendor or agent estate to justify
Watch out for- Patch reporting and third party application coverage trail dedicated patch tools, console is powerful and correspondingly complex to learn, per user pricing can punish device heavy, user light environments
#3NinjaOne
Best for: Patching inside a full RMM platform4.7/5 on
G2 (5,037 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit ninjaone.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
NinjaOne is the step up to a full remote monitoring and management platform, where patching is one module among monitoring, remote access, scripting, documentation and backup. Teams leave PDQ for NinjaOne when the real problem is not deployment but the whole job of looking after endpoints across sites and clients, and they want one agent doing it.
Pricing is quote based and per endpoint, and NinjaOne does not publish a rate card, hence See website. Expect to pay more per device than patch only tools, in exchange for retiring separate remote access and monitoring subscriptions. Ask for the quote at your true endpoint count and your three year growth figure, because RMM contracts reward honesty about scale.
What we like- Patching, monitoring, remote access and backup in one agent platform, automation and scripting reduce the manual work PDQ leaves to you, strong fit for MSPs managing many client estates, onboarding and support get consistently good reviews
Watch out for- No published pricing, everything runs through a quote, per endpoint cost at scale needs watching against patch only tools, more platform than a single site team usually needs
#4Atera
Best for: Per technician pricing for small IT teams4.6/5 on
G2 (1,123 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit atera.com
Starting price$149/month
Free planNo
Atera's difference is arithmetic. At $149 per technician per month billed annually on its Pro tier, a two person IT team covering five hundred devices pays for two seats, where per endpoint tools charge for five hundred. Patching, remote access, monitoring and a helpdesk all ride on that one per technician price, which is why small MSPs like it.
Run your own numbers before assuming the win. A ten technician team covering three hundred endpoints pays Atera for ten seats and NinjaOne style tools for three hundred devices, and the ranking can flip. Atera's patching is also a module in a suite rather than its whole identity, so compliance heavy buyers should test the reporting against their auditor's actual questions.
What we like- Charges per technician, not per endpoint, so device growth is free, patching sits beside remote access, helpdesk and ticketing, built for small teams and MSPs without an IT department behind them, AI assistance features are included on current plans
Watch out for- Per technician maths reverses once the team grows, patching depth and reporting trail dedicated patch platforms, the all in one breadth means some modules are lighter than specialists
#5ManageEngine Endpoint Central
Best for: Closest PDQ style replacement4.5/5 on
G2 (1,149 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit manageengine.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Endpoint Central is the nearest like for like swap for a PDQ Deploy and Inventory pairing: one console that inventories the estate, builds packages, deploys them and patches what it finds, across Windows, Mac and Linux. For an admin who liked PDQ's shape and simply needs it to cover more operating systems and more compliance reporting, this is the shortest migration.
It is also a bigger product to own. Editions and add ons multiply, the console rewards training, and pricing is quoted per estate, so this entry says See website. Get the quote with the exact modules you will use in writing, because the gap between editions is where ManageEngine budgets go wrong.
What we like- Deployment, inventory, patching and remote control in one console, supports Windows, Mac and Linux estates, on premises or cloud editions mirror PDQ's deployment choice, broad third party application catalogue for patching
Watch out for- Interface is dense and the learning curve is real, pricing is edition and endpoint based, quoted per estate, module and add on structure takes care to buy correctly
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
BatchPatch is the conservative alternative: it keeps the PDQ model, an agentless console that reaches out to Windows machines, queues updates and deployments and reports back, and sells it without the surrounding platform. For an admin whose complaint about PDQ is narrow, price, a specific feature, a licencing change, BatchPatch changes the least about the working day.
It will not solve cross platform coverage or compliance dashboards, and its website and console are plainer than the suites here. Pricing is licence based and set by the vendor's current terms, so check the site for the figure at your console count. As a patching appliance rather than a platform, it is honestly scoped and priced accordingly.
What we like- Agentless design works the way PDQ users expect, one console patches and deploys across Windows fleets, perpetual style licensing avoids another subscription, remote commands and reporting cover the patching core well
Watch out for- Windows only, like the tool it replaces, smaller vendor with a plainer interface, no Mac, mobile or wider RMM ambitions
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Chocolatey for Business replaces the deployment console with a package manager: software is defined as packages, versioned, moderated and pulled by endpoints, which engineering led teams find cleaner than pushing installers. The business edition adds the controls a company needs, internal repositories, package approval and central management, over the open source core many admins already know.
It is the right alternative for a specific temperament. If your team lives in scripts and pipelines, Chocolatey's model will feel like an upgrade in rigour. If your team liked PDQ precisely because it was a screen with buttons, this will feel like homework. Pricing is per node by quote, and inventory reporting is lighter, so pair the trial against your real package list before deciding.
What we like- Package manager model suits teams who think in code and automation, huge community package catalogue beneath the business tooling, internal package creation and moderation controls suit regulated shops, integrates with the configuration tools engineers already run
Watch out for- A different mental model from a deployment console, learning curve included, business pricing is quote based per node, reporting and inventory are thinner than Endpoint Central or PDQ
How we chose
Alternatives were judged on how directly they cover PDQ's two jobs, patching and deployment with inventory, and on what they add that motivates a switch: cross platform reach, cloud management, RMM breadth or a better pricing model. PDQ's own products were excluded, including SmartDeploy. Prices come from vendor pages checked in October 2026 where published; per endpoint and quote based vendors say See website, and each entry names the pricing unit, because comparing a per technician price with a per endpoint price without conversion is how budgets get burned.
What to settle before you leave PDQ
Name the gap precisely. If PDQ fails you on Mac coverage, Intune, NinjaOne and Endpoint Central answer and BatchPatch does not. If it fails on price at your device count, Action1's free tier and Atera's per technician model answer in opposite directions depending on your team size. A switch made for a vague sense of more features usually lands on a bigger bill for the same patching.
Pilot on the awkward machines. Every tool here patches a clean test laptop beautifully. Run the trial against the oldest workstation, the remote site with the thin connection and the one application your business cannot live without, and watch the reporting when something fails. Failure handling, not the happy path, is what you will live with.
Price the whole estate, honestly. Count servers, spares, loaners and the devices in cupboards that wake up in audits. Per endpoint tools bill for what they can see, and the difference between the count in your head and the count in the console is the most common reason an alternative costs more than the tool it replaced.
Frequently asked questions
Why do teams look for a PDQ alternative at all?
Usually for reach or scope: Mac and Linux devices PDQ does not cover, remote workers an on premises console struggles to reach, or a need for monitoring, remote access and reporting in the same product. Price alone rarely forces the move, since PDQ is competitively priced for what it does.
Is there a free PDQ alternative?
Action1 patches the first 200 endpoints free with its full feature set, which covers many small estates entirely. Chocolatey's open source core is free but lacks the business controls most companies need. Beyond that, the tools here are trials and paid plans, because patching infrastructure is not a category with generous free tiers.
Which alternative is best for an MSP?
NinjaOne and Atera were both built for managed service providers, with multi client structure, remote access and ticketing beside patching. Atera's per technician pricing suits small MSP teams; NinjaOne's depth suits larger ones. Endpoint Central also serves MSPs through its service provider edition.
Can these tools patch third party applications, not just Windows?
Yes, to different depths. Action1, Endpoint Central and NinjaOne all maintain third party catalogues covering the common business applications. Check your specific line of business applications against the catalogue during the trial, because the long tail of niche software is where every catalogue thins out.
How hard is it to migrate from PDQ?
The mechanics are light: packages rebuild in a day or two, and agents deploy quickly where the new tool needs them. The slower work is policy: recreating patch rings, maintenance windows and approval rules. Run both consoles in parallel for one patch cycle and compare reports before you cancel anything.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.
BatchPatch
Chocolatey for Business