7 best Patch My PC alternatives for third-party patching

Patch My PC handles third-party application patching well, especially in Intune and ConfigMgr environments. If you need patching alongside deployment, inventory, scripting, or vulnerability remediation, or you manage endpoints outside Microsoft's management stack, alternatives may fit better. Here's how seven options compare.

How we evaluated the best Patch My PC alternatives

We reviewed current vendor documentation, pricing information, supported platforms, application catalogs, and user reviews. We prioritized tools that either overlap with Patch My PC’s third-party patching capabilities or address common reasons teams consider an alternative, including software deployment, automation, inventory, vulnerability remediation, broader OS support, and Intune or ConfigMgr compatibility.

“Best for,” pros, and cons reflect our editorial assessment based on these sources; individual experiences and product fit may vary. Product details reflect publicly available information as of October 2026.

Why consider a Patch My PC alternative?

Sysadmins may consider a Patch My PC alternative when they need stronger Intune reporting, more flexible application configuration, OS patching from the same console, or broader endpoint management beyond third-party patching. Patch My PC remains a strong fit for teams centered on Intune or ConfigMgr that primarily want to automate third-party application updates.

Reporting

Reporting, particularly for Intune, is a recurring criticism in Patch My PC reviews. Some users want more interactive dashboards, device-level detail, and built-in visibility without exporting data or returning to Intune for additional information.

Configuration flexibility

Some users want more application configuration options built directly into Patch My PC rather than relying on scripts or separate deployment settings. Recent reviews mention PowerShell requirements for certain app settings, registry deployments, script handling, and update-ring behavior.

OS patching

Patch My PC focuses heavily on application management and third-party patching. Teams that want operating system patching alongside application patching may prefer a platform that handles both from the same console.

What to look for in a Patch My PC alternative

A good alternative should reliably patch the third-party applications you run while supporting the operating systems in your environment and giving you enough control over targeting, automation, deployment, reporting, and remediation.

Evaluate products on:

1. Third-party application coverage

2. Windows, macOS, and Linux support

3. Application deployment beyond patching

4. Custom package support

5. PowerShell, Bash, or other scripting

6. Automation and scheduling

7. Inventory and installed-version visibility

8. Vulnerability prioritization and remediation

9. Reporting and audit evidence

10. Intune and ConfigMgr workflow compatibility

11. Pricing model

One note on catalog size: Don't treat raw numbers as a perfect proxy for quality. Vendors count "apps," "products," "titles," and package variants differently. Coverage of the applications you actually run, package testing, release speed, and deployment reliability matter more than one headline number.

Patch My PC alternatives at a glance

Patch My PC alternatives vary in how far they extend beyond third-party application patching. Some focus primarily on patch management, while others combine patching with deployment, inventory, automation, vulnerability remediation, or broader endpoint management. Here’s how the options compare at a high level.

1. PDQ: Best for patching, deployment, inventory, and remediation

PDQ is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want third-party app patching on Windows and macOS alongside deployment, inventory, scripting, vulnerability remediation, automation, and remote support.

• Prebuilt and custom application packages for Windows and macOS

• PowerShell and CMD scripting on Windows, plus Bash and Zsh on macOS

• Real-time device and software inventory

• Automated deployments with flexible targeting

• Vulnerability identification and remediation

• Remote desktop for Windows and macOS troubleshooting

• Windows and macOS management from one platform

2. Action1: Best for cross-OS patch automation with a free tier

Action1 is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want cloud-based patching across Windows, macOS, and Linux, with vulnerability remediation and a free tier for the first 200 endpoints.

• Windows, macOS, and Linux patch management

• Curated third-party application repository for Windows and macOS

• Vulnerability discovery, prioritization, and remediation for Windows and macOS

• Update rings and staged patch rollouts

• Custom application packages for Windows and macOS

• Linux package deployment through built-in scripting and native package repositories

• Real-time patch and compliance visibility

• Free licensing for the first 200 endpoints

3. Automox: Best for cross-platform patching and scripted automation

Automox is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want Windows, macOS, and Linux patching with flexible script-based automation through Worklets.

• Windows, macOS, and Linux OS patching

• Third-party application patching for supported Windows and macOS titles, plus Linux packages available through active repositories

• Hardware and software inventory

• Software deployment and removal

• Worklets for custom automation and remediation

• PowerShell automation on Windows

• Bash automation on macOS and Linux

4. ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus: Best for broad patch coverage

ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want broad OS and third-party patch coverage with detailed testing, deployment, and compliance controls.

• Windows, macOS, and Linux patching

• Broad third-party application patching

• Automated patch detection and deployment

• Test-and-approve workflows

• Flexible deployment policies for scheduling, reboots, notifications, and other pre- and post-deployment actions

• Cloud and on-premises deployment options

• Patch and compliance reporting

5. NinjaOne: Best for patching plus broader endpoint operations

NinjaOne is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want patching connected to broader endpoint operations, including software management, automation, inventory, and remote support.

• Windows, macOS, and Linux OS patch management

• Third-party application patching for Windows and macOS, plus Linux application patching through configured repositories

• Software deployment across Windows, macOS, and Linux

• PowerShell, Batch, VBScript, JavaScript, and shell scripting

• Patch policies and approval controls

• Hardware and software inventory

• Policy-based endpoint automation

• Remote endpoint support

6. Ivanti Neurons: Best for risk-based patching and Intune publishing

Ivanti Neurons is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want third-party patch publishing into Intune with risk-based prioritization and threat intelligence.

• Third-party application update publishing directly into Intune

• Optional automatic publishing

• Pretested application updates

• Threat intelligence for known exploits and vulnerability risk

• Risk-based patch prioritization

• Patch reliability insights

• Separate Ivanti Neurons for Patch Management offering with Windows, macOS, Linux, and third-party application coverage

7. Microsoft Intune Enterprise App Management: Best for a Microsoft-native Windows catalog

Microsoft Intune Enterprise App Management is a Patch My PC alternative for teams that want to deploy and update supported third-party Windows applications directly within Intune.

• Enterprise App Catalog with prepared Microsoft and non-Microsoft Win32 applications

• Preconfigured install and uninstall commands

• Preconfigured requirements and detection rules

• Automatic updates for supported catalog apps with Required assignments

• Intune-native application targeting and reporting

• Microsoft Graph API support for catalog automation

• Windows-only Enterprise App Catalog

Which Patch My PC alternative should you choose?

The right Patch My PC alternative depends on what you need beyond third-party patching, such as broader OS support, deployment, automation, or vulnerability remediation. Use your biggest priorities to narrow the field.

• Consider PDQ if you want patching, deployment, inventory, vulnerability remediation, scripting, automation, and remote troubleshooting across Windows and macOS in one operational workflow.

• Consider Action1 if cross-OS patching, vulnerability remediation, and a free entry point are especially important.

• Consider Automox if Windows, macOS, and Linux support plus script-driven automation are central requirements.

• Consider ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus if broad OS and third-party patch coverage and detailed deployment controls are priorities.

• Consider NinjaOne if you want patching tightly connected to broader endpoint operations and automation.

• Consider Ivanti if Intune publishing or risk-based patch prioritization is a core requirement.

• Consider Intune Enterprise App Management if you want to keep supported Windows third-party application management entirely within Microsoft Intune.

No single product is universally best. The right choice depends on your OS mix, your relationship with Microsoft's management stack, and whether you need patching to coexist with deployment, scripting, and vulnerability remediation, or you only need patching.