Action1 vs BMC Helix ITSM

ManageEngine Endpoint Central

NinjaOne

Endpoint Central (formerly Desktop Central) from ManageEngine is an integrated desktop & mobile device management application that enables the centralized management of desktops, servers, laptops, tablets & smartphones.

AI-powered platform that unifies identity, endpoints, and compliance—giving IT teams time and control back.

NinjaOne is the unified IT operations platform that helps IT teams and managed service providers manage, secure, and support every endpoint from a single cloud-native console. 

Action1 reinvents patch management with an infinitely scalable and highly secure platform configurable in 5 minutes that just works.

Access Controls/Permissions

Activity Dashboard

Activity Monitoring

Activity Tracking

Alerts/Escalation

Alerts/Notifications

Application Management

Application Security

Approval Process Control

Asset Tracking

Audit Management

Audit Trail

Automatic Patch Deployment

Automatic Scans

Backup and Recovery

Behavioral Analytics

Change Management

Compliance Management

Configuration Management

CPU Monitoring

Customizable Branding

Customizable Reports

Customization

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Data Visualization

Deployment Management

Device Management

Email Alerts

Endpoint Management

Endpoint Protection

Event Logs

For MSPs

HIPAA Compliant

Inventory Management

Issue Management

IT Asset Management

IT Asset Tracking

IT Reporting

Maintenance Scheduling

Monitoring

Network Wide Management

Patch Management

Patch Prioritization

Patch Testing

Performance Metrics

Policy Management

Prioritization

Real-Time Analytics

Real-Time Data

Real-Time Monitoring

Real-Time Notifications

Real-Time Reporting

Real-Time Updates

Remote Access/Control

Remote Access & Monitoring

Remote Monitoring & Management

Remote Update/Installation

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Role-Based Permissions

Scheduling

Secure Login

Security Auditing

Server Monitoring

Single Sign On

Summary Reports

Task Management

Task Scheduling

Threat Intelligence

Threat Response

Two-Factor Authentication

Uptime Reporting

Usage Tracking/Analytics

User Management

Vulnerability Assessment

Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability Protection

Vulnerability Scanning

Vulnerability/Threat Prioritization

Web Threat Management

Workflow Management

Reviews for Action1 come from a wide variety of industries, including Information Technology and Services (15% of reviewers), Education Management (11%), and Computer & Network Security (7%). The most frequent use case for Action1 cited by reviewers is patch management (66% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Most reviewers indicate that Action1 delivers excellent value for money, especially praising the generous free tier and transparent pricing. Some reviewers feel that paid support could be more accessible for smaller organizations, despite overall favorable cost-benefit.

Value for money

Action1 is an IT management solution offering key features such as automatic patch deployment, alerts and notifications, a dashboard, and real-time monitoring, among others.

Action1

Web-based

Windows

Linux

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus

Datto RMM

Atera

Pulseway

TeamViewer ONE

PDQ Deploy & Inventory

Automox

Syncro

Splashtop

ConnectWise Automate

IT Manager

It helps save time by making it easier to manage multiple devices from one place, especially for updates, scripts, and troubleshooting.

There is a feature to upload the msi, so it will deploy over the internet and doesn't rely on a network or connected cloud storage such as onedrive etc.  

ICT Network Management

Update approval has streamlined the deployment of windows and software updates across the network giving visibility into where those updates are not applying correctly.

IT Director

I used to free endpoints to manage my server infrastructure patch management with ease and much preferred the dashboard and configuration compared to other platforms.

Head of Software Development

The user interface is a little but clunky in places and there are a few QOL features that could be improved upon, such as ability to customise the visible columns on the Endpoint overview, or easily view which endpoints are currently not allocated to a group. Though most of the issues i have are minor and some are in progress to be deployed in their roadmap.

IT Analyst

This is great for small and medium-sized companies that need software to control hardware/software inventory, in addition to allowing you to connect to an Active Directory server to search for machine information and even perform deployment on machines.

Director, Information and Marketing Technologies

Products of their SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR certifications, Action1 offers multi‑factor authentication, AES‑256 encryption, and even HackerOne‑backed penetration testing.

It even allows for a quick start with the first 200 endpoints so you can truly test the product and decide on your own.

During the deployment stage we engaged with support to check our approach was inline with best practice and support were able to help steer us to ensure our deployment fully utilised the feature set and met our overall needs.

For us the best part has been the ability to upload our custom enterprise application installers and provide the correct flags, switches and post install scripts to run automatically on endpoints, it took setting up a new work station from a multi-hour job, to a few clicks.

Head of Product Engineering

It provides us with the necessary tools to identify and remedify vulenrabilities, updates, and statuses of our devices.

I went on to purchase more endpoints to cover our entire fleet after being happy with the product and after comparing costs this product was by far better value for money than the others on the market with all features available.

For example one laptop has come out of a cupboard and tripped 500+ vulnerabilities which then hides the ones that work the other way and effect 500+ computers.

Cybersecurity Analyst

The ability to automate patching from a centralized log that is also able to execute commands remotely instead of having to rely on Windows logs and SCCM.

FTP-The only thing I missed from the transfer from Itarian was the ability to access folders from each machine to move user files to replacement PCs that I was working on.

CISO

It does not display users in the “Updates Available” drilldown, which limits visibility when tracking patch status.

What I liked most about Action1 is how simple it makes remote device management, patching, and monitoring.

Senior Information Technology Specialist

I also love some of the features like the ability to see your BitLocker keys at a glance for all systems, which is incredibly useful for quick recoveries when required.

I prefer our other remoting in tools, but action 1 having the ability to remote in has been a life-saver on more than one occasion when other methods have failed.

System Administrator

It has allowed me to replace several disparate systems and policies for deploying and updating software in our org.

You can create organizations and groups to separate machines, deploy software to endpoints, and connect to endpoints remotely.

IT Consultant

The policy management for Windows, and the MacOS support are missing some features which I am used to with more expensive endpoint management suites.

The ability to deploy software and create custom software deployments is great.

IT Support and Systems Administrator

We’ve successfully used Action1 to manage patches and software installations for several clients, each with fewer than 200 devices.

It didn't initially have delegated access to administrative sections and this was the biggest flaw in my eyes which has now been fixed.

Senior Director - Facilities and Emergency Management

The Free plan allows small Non-profits like myself to have enterprise IT management while being good stewards of our donated and raised money.

IT administrator

Able to automate the removal of unwanted software, and to install Windows update in a much simpler manner than with WSUS.

Sr. IT Support Specialist

To be fully transparent, I use this product for free (at the time of review, your first 200 devices are free) and may receive a small monetary gift for this review.

The setup was easy and the discord channel for support offered fast community help when I was first starting out and experimenting to see what else the platform could offer.

IT Systems Administrator

Action1 does the monitoring for you so you can focus on completing other important tasks.

I really love the confidence of Action1 to allow the full functionality to test out (up to 200 endpoints)

It is only disabled via a policy in the dashboard which leaves a security gap if someone were to steal admin creds to our portal.

It gives me confidence that our environment stays up‑to‑date, secure, and fully monitored. If you’re managing Windows endpoints—especially remotely—Action1 is a phenomenal, 5‑star choice.

The remote desktop can be a little laggy; however, Action1 never purports to being an RMM.  

Would like to see a task scheduler to perform daily actions such as power down and wake on lan.

Security Architect

I especially appreciated the real-time patch management and the ability to deploy updates across multiple endpoints simultaneously.

Systems Administrator

Action1 has provided my team with excellent controls over patching of OS and Third-party application updates.

IT Infrastructure Manager

I'd highly recommend as this product it is what I required in terms of patch management solution, unlike alternative products where they have multiple products in 1 solution which is too much and costly for features not required.

Sometime Windows udpates failed to install, it seem to be specific to certain machines, we are in the process of troubleshooting if the problem is with Action1 or the computers.

Having a conslidated list of updates, patches and vulnerabilities in one place makes managing systems so much simpler.

IT Admin

Action1 is simple to deploy via GPO, endpoints can be managed via groups and split between organisations on whatever speed of an update channel I wish.

Technical Lead

We can easily create scripts and run remotely easily on endpoints.

Their global support network and active roadmap ensure folks like me always get help—and new patching features are regularly added

IT Administrator

As a business we wanted to be able to control our update schedules a bit better, but as the lone IT person I didn't really have the chance to setup and babysit a WSUS Server to do this.

We were looking for a way to manage system updates (including 3rd party) and assist us in providing support for our remote team.

Its automation features, remote accessibility, and detailed reporting make it a valuable asset for IT teams

Centralisation Patching, management, selected software installation from remote side, batch command running.

The cloud‑native, agentless design lets me onboard Windows machines quickly via WinRM and PowerShell.

IT specialist

Easy to use web UI, multiple possible ways of deploying software (even through Action1 cloud!), configurable messages to display to the users, management of Windows Updates and feature updates makes it really good, really mature product... and

It has significantly streamlined our IT operations, improved endpoint security, and reduced manual workload.

Deployment

Users report that Action1's Patch Management offers comprehensive coverage for both Windows and third-party applications, with a robust catalog and clear visibility into vulnerabilities. Reviewers indicate that managing, approving, and scheduling patches is intuitive, and they value the ability to push updates remotely without disturbing users. They say Action1 streamlines compliance and reduces administrative workload, with options for custom apps and PowerShell integration. Users appreciate the efficiency and reliability of Action1's patch management capabilities. Of the 73 Action1 users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Patch Management, 97% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Security and Access Control

Remote Patch Management

Update Scheduling

Pricing

Reboot Management

Remote Desktop

Large Enterprises

Mid-size Business

Small Business

Freelancers

Most reviewers indicate that Action1 offers excellent value for money, frequently highlighting the generous free tier that allows small organizations, non-profits, and charities to access full-featured IT management for a significant number of devices without time or feature limitations. They appreciate that the free plan is not a stripped-down version but includes essential and advanced functionalities, making it easy for users to test, evaluate, and even operate long-term without immediate costs. Reviewers appreciate that upgrading to paid plans remains affordable and that the transition from free to paid is straightforward, with no hidden fees or forced add-ons. Some users report that the cost savings, especially in staff time and compliance management, make Action1 a cost-effective solution compared to competitors. They say that the pricing structure is transparent and fair, and they value being able to scale as their needs grow. Some reviewers feel that paid support options could be more accessible for smaller organizations, and a few mention initial concerns about price or support availability with the free license. However, most users consider Action1’s overall cost-benefit ratio to be highly favorable, especially for small to mid-sized organizations.

Freshservice

Freshservice is an online ITIL service desk with ticketing & asset management capabilities, and incident, problem, change, release, and knowledge management tools.

ACMP Suite

In a world full of unpredictability, choosing the right partner is crucial. We are your guide on the path to greater simplicity and efficiency. acmp offers modular and scalable solutions for your specific challenges in the IT department.

BMC Helix ITSM is an IT asset management software that helps businesses manage incidents, create data visualizations, broker releases, and more from within a unified platform. It enables staff members to set up workflow automation to manage the creation, approval, and implementation of multiple change requests.

Action1 vs BMC Helix ITSM Comparison (2026)

Action1

BMC Helix ITSM

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives