Foreman vs ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
Foreman
theforeman.org
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
manageengine.comSide by side
| Figure | Foreman | ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $20.42/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 13 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 8.8 (#10) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Purpose | Foreman is an open-source tool for managing servers through provisioning, configuration, orchestration, and monitoring. | Patch Manager Plus automates patch management tasks from scanning and assessment through deployment and reporting. |
| Support | Community support is available through the Discourse support board and a public Matrix room; the project says its support room is not an official support channel. | The vendor provides an online support request form, separate support email addresses for on-premises and cloud customers, and telephone support numbers. |
Plans
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
- Free editionFree
- Professional Cloud$34.50 a month
- Professional cloud, monthly$34.50 a month
- Enterprise cloud, monthly$44.50 a month
- Professional On-Premises Annual$245 a year
- Professional on-premises, annual subscription$245 a year
- Enterprise On-Premises Annual$345 a year
- Enterprise on-premises, annual subscription$345 a year
- Professional cloud, annual$345 a year
- Enterprise cloud, annual$445 a year
In their own words
Foreman
Foreman is a free, open-source lifecycle management tool for physical and virtual servers. System administrators can use it to automate repetitive tasks, deploy applications, and manage on-premise or cloud systems. It provisions bare-metal machines and resources from providers including Amazon EC2, Google Compute Engine, OpenStack, Libvirt, oVirt, and VMware. Configuration integrations include Puppet, Ansible, Chef, and Salt; Foreman also collects Ansible reports and facts. Administrators can work through a web frontend, REST API, or Linux CLI, including Hammer CLI access to API calls. Role-based access control and integrations such as LDAP, FreeIPA, and Microsoft Active Directory support access management. Host groups, bulk management, health reports, and audits help organize systems and review changes. A typical deployment has a Foreman server, Smart Proxy servers, and managed hosts. The quickstart lists Enterprise Linux 9, Debian 12 and 13, and Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, and requires 4 GB of memory. Installation configures multiple system components, and setup requires Linux system administration knowledge.
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus
ManageEngine Patch Manager Plus automates patch management from scanning and assessment through deployment and reporting. It manages patches for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and the vendor says it can deploy updates for more than 1,100 third-party applications, including Adobe, Java, and WinRAR. Administrators can form test groups, test patches, and automatically approve them for production. Real-time audits and reports show patch compliance and endpoint patch status. The Free edition is listed for up to 20 workstations and five servers; the trial runs for 30 days and requires no credit card. Edition differences matter: antivirus definition updates, driver and BIOS updates, and automated patch testing and approval are unavailable in Professional but shown in Enterprise and Free. Enterprise is described as suitable for WAN patching and includes distribution server support for bandwidth optimization. Listed prices include Professional cloud at $34.50 a month and Enterprise cloud at $44.50 a month. Professional on-premises costs $245 a year; Enterprise on-premises costs $345 a year.