OPSI vs PxeLab

OPSI is an open-source client management system for software distribution, operating-system installation, inventory, patch management, and configuration. It can deploy Windows updates, MSI packages, setup programs, and system packages without interactive installation steps. It also automates installations of Windows client and server systems and common Linux distributions, including unattended and image-based setups.

Regular inventory collects hardware and software details, including hardware information from devices without an operating system. Administration can be centralized across multiple sites, each with its own depot servers, configurations, and software packages. Directory integrations support Active Directory, Samba 4, and OpenLDAP; single sign-on extensions support Microsoft Entra ID and Keycloak through SAML 2.0. OPSI-WebGUI runs in a modern browser without client-side installation. Community is free with unlimited devices and one worker process. Basic is free for up to 30 devices and one setup per user. Professional costs €499 a year and requires a minimum purchase of 100 devices; Enterprise costs €899 a year with the same minimum. Enterprise Cloud costs €1,199 a year, starting at 100 devices.

PxeLab is an open-source PXE network boot platform that combines DHCP, TFTP, HTTP, DNS, and NFS in one binary. It runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS in server or desktop modes, with management available through a web interface, REST API, or command line. For provisioning, it offers a catalog of more than 64 Linux distributions, ISO uploads, an image library, answer-file templates, and install-task tracking. Its templates cover unattended installation workflows including autoinstall, preseed, kickstart, and autounattend. Boot profiles can use direct kernel, chain, WDS, sanboot, or local disk options, with rollback and host or group bindings. Host management includes inventory, scheduled Wake-on-LAN, BMC/IPMI power control, and CSV import. PxeLab also provides audit logs, live log streams, Prometheus metrics, MAC-based access control, and NFS IP/CIDR allowlists with read-only exports. Secure Boot is supported for UEFI x64 and ARM64. The software is licensed under AGPL-3.0. The Getting Started guide says deb and rpm packages, Homebrew, and Docker images remain on the roadmap.