shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Action1?

Cloud-native patch management and endpoint management RMM - action1.com

Worth it. Buy if you're an internal IT team patching up to 200 Windows-heavy endpoints — the free tier is genuinely generous and G2 ranks it a leader. MSPs wanting deep full-stack RMM automation, or buyers who need published pricing, should trial NinjaOne or PDQ first.

Confidence

Medium. Based on 30+ public sources: G2, Gartner, Capterra, Reddit, Spiceworks, NVD, BleepingComputer, and vendor pages. Some review snippets were truncated at source.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityInsufficient evidence in sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Paid (Growth and above)Quote-based

Best for

  • Internal IT patching Windows fleets
  • Orgs under 200 endpoints (free)
  • SOC 2 / PCI compliance reporting
  • Distributed teams via cloud agent

Not for

  • MSPs wanting deep RMM automation — Reddit cites feature gaps
  • Buyers needing on-prem/self-hosted management (cloud-native only)
  • Guess: Mac/Linux-first estates
  • Guess: tiny shops happy with built-in Windows Update

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Agent-based RMM is a prime attacker target; keep the agent patched (CVE-2025-5480 was high severity).

medium

Free tier stops at 200 endpoints; paid pricing is quote-only, so budgeting is guesswork.

medium

Many glowing case studies and Reddit posts come from Action1's own marketing channels.

low

Paid Growth-tier details are thin in public sources; verify exactly what it adds before committing.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free forever for up to 200 endpoints with full patching
  • G2 Winter 2026 Leader in patch and endpoint management
  • Ranked #1 easiest-to-use patch management by G2
  • Reviewers call it simple, powerful Windows and third-party patching
  • Includes vulnerability management and SOC 2 / PCI compliance reporting

Cons

  • Mixed Reddit sentiment; some sysadmins 'not a fan'
  • High-severity agent vulnerability (CVE-2025-5480) disclosed in 2025
  • Ransomware groups have abused the RMM tool in attacks
  • No published pricing above 200 endpoints — quote required
  • MSPs report Action1 'just increased' pricing

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 12 sources - No platform breach found; one high-severity agent CVE (CVE-2025-5480) was disclosed and patched, and ransomware groups have abused the RMM tooling itself.

official x3review x4security x3news x2
  • CVE-2025-5480 — high-severity vulnerability in Action1 agent, Disclosed via Zero Day Initiative; vendor published a patched-versions advisory and NVD lists the flaw.
  • Abuse of Action1 RMM in ransomware attacks, BleepingComputer reported hackers abusing the RMM in ransomware campaigns; Action1 stated it was not compromised.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Free up to 200 endpoints is unmatched
  • Ease of use: 4/5. G2's #1 easiest-to-use patch management ranking
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Patching, vulnerability management, remote access, compliance reporting
  • Support quality. Insufficient evidence in sources
  • Security posture: 3/5. Patched high-severity agent CVE; ransomware-abuse scrutiny
  • 4.8/5 User rating FeaturedCustomers aggregate
  • 1,201 G2 reviews G2 seller profile
  • 200 endpoints Free tier Full patching at $0
  • 4,512% 3-year revenue growth Inc. 5000

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Up to 200 endpoints
  • Patch, manage and remote access

Paid (Growth and above)

Quote-based

  • 200+ endpoints
  • Enterprise features, contact sales

Security

No platform breach found; one high-severity agent CVE (CVE-2025-5480) was disclosed and patched, and ransomware groups have abused the RMM tooling itself.

  • CVE-2025-5480 — high-severity vulnerability in Action1 agentDisclosed via Zero Day Initiative; vendor published a patched-versions advisory and NVD lists the flaw.⁸
  • Abuse of Action1 RMM in ransomware attacksBleepingComputer reported hackers abusing the RMM in ransomware campaigns; Action1 stated it was not compromised.10

What users say

Vendor-adjacent ratings are strong (94% five-star claims, G2 leadership), but independent sysadmin threads are mixed on feature gaps and price changes.

“Not a fan of the device”
Reddit, r/sysadmin
“94% five-star reviews”
LinkedIn, Paul Gilhooly

Alternatives

Compare Action1 with each alternative.

  • NinjaOne

    Full RMM; sysadmins compare its patching directly to Action1

  • PDQ Deploy & Inventory

    Windows patching and deployment without heavy per-endpoint cloud agent

  • Microsoft WSUS / Intune

    Native Microsoft patching; free or bundled but clunkier

Companies that use it

  • Aryza
  • Tek:Guides
  • Black Swan Cyber
  • allcode
  • eBay
Full analysis

Based on 30+ public sources: G2, Gartner, Capterra, Reddit, Spiceworks, NVD, BleepingComputer, and vendor pages. Some review snippets were truncated at source.

Generous free patching for up to 200 endpoints; strong G2 scores, mixed Reddit views, quote-only pricing above 200.

Methodology

Based on 30+ public sources: G2, Gartner, Capterra, Reddit, Spiceworks, NVD, BleepingComputer, and vendor pages. Some review snippets were truncated at source.

Sources

  1. Action1 homepageaction1.com
    official
  2. Action1 pricingaction1.com
    official
  3. Free edition (200 endpoints)action1.com
    official
  4. G2 reviews (1,201)g2.com
    review
  5. Gartner Peer Insights reviewsgartner.com
    review
  6. Reddit r/sysadmin opinions on Action1reddit.com
    review
  7. Reddit r/msp: what Action1 RMM is missingreddit.com
    review
  8. CVE-2025-5480 (NVD)nvd.nist.gov
    security
  9. Action1 agent vulnerability advisoryaction1.com
    security
  10. BleepingComputer: RMM abused in ransomware attacksbleepingcomputer.com
    security
  11. PDQ: Action1 alternativespdq.com
    news
  12. Inc. 5000 growth coveragecitybiz.co
    news

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