Atera vs. BMC Helix: In-depth review for IT managers

If you’re looking for an ITSM solution with strong Agentic AI capabilities, you’ve probably come across both Atera and BMC Helix.

While the two platforms are similar in ITSM and AI, their approaches to IT management differ in nearly every other area. For example, BMC Helix divides its features into a range of different products, while Atera is an all-in-one, Agentic AI platform for IT management.

But these aren’t the only differences. To fully understand the two platforms’ key features, AI technology, pricing, support, security, and interfaces, we’ve created this article.

Atera vs. BMC Helix: An overview

To get started, here’s a brief overview of Atera vs. BMC Helix:

We also used G2 to compare Atera vs. BMC Helix. Based on it, most users rank Atera higher across all categories, whether it’s quality of support, ease of use, 

If you want to see this comparison in full detail, here’s the link to it.

#1: Features and capabilities

Let’s start with an important one: the features and capabilities of Atera and BMC Helix.

BMC Helix is not just one product; it offers a range of different products for different service operation tasks. BMC Helix divides its products into four categories:

1. Service management – Includes tools for incident management, change management, problem management, and request fulfillment.
2. Secops and compliance – Covers vulnerability management, compliance monitoring, and security operations.
3. AIOps – Provides capabilities, like event correlation, anomaly detection, and predictive analytics for IT operations.
4. Employee engagement – Includes agent builder, employee self-service portals, chatbots, and digital workplace applications.

While the number of products is diverse, this comes with a notable disadvantage. Users say there isn’t one package you can download and just run the setup. 

One user said there are up to 50 installs you need to perform upon onboarding, and they have to be installed in a specific order.

If you ask us, this sounds like a very messy process.

Most IT teams prefer a more streamlined process, where you can manage your entire IT environment under one product, one installation.

And this is exactly what Atera offers. With Atera’s all-in-one, Agentic AI tool, you get access to all key IT management functions in one platform, including:

• RMM software to remotely monitor and manage endpoints
• Robin for handling 80% of first-tier support without technician involvement
• AI Copilot for autonomously running health checks, generating scripts, summarizing tickets, and more
• Helpdesk and ticketing with automated summaries, SLA tracking, and AI responses
• Patch management to keep Windows, macOS, and Linux devices up-to-date
• Remote control to access devices remotely for troubleshooting

What makes Atera truly stand out from BMC Helix is its autonomous IT agents, which tackle manual and repetitive tasks fully autonomously. More about this next.

#2: Agentic AI development

Both Atera and BMC Helix have made marks in the Agentic AI space, each with its own AI agents. The question is, how do the AI agents differ, and are they making an impact on organizations?

On G2’s comparison list, BMC Helix ranked in the 52nd spot out of 99 AIOps tools, while Atera was ranked #1 on the whole AIOps market. This is truly a testament to the impact our AI agents are already having.

G2’s best AIOps comparison graph

Atera’s Robin is our first AI agent, which takes care of 80% of your first-tier support. It interacts with users across various channels and answers their questions, offers guidance, and executes approved actions.

Tasks like creating step-by-step instructions, diagnosing a device issue, or installing pre-approved software, Autopilot can handle with no issue.

Robin software installation

Rather than waiting for something to break, Autopilot keeps an eye on your IT environment proactively. With access to your RMM and Help Desk, it can diagnose and fix issues fully autonomously.

We also have Atera Copilot for technicians, which has helped our customers like Leeds United reduce their support tickets by 35%, which is a significant decrease for a large company.

In contrast, BMC Helix offers a range of configurable AI agents like Employee Navigator and Knowledge Curator, which can assist with tasks such as knowledge management, incident analysis, and service recommendations.

However, unlike BMC’s set-up heavy approach, Atera’s AI agents are built into the platform, and there’s no further action needed from your part to use them.

#3: Pricing and value for money

Let’s talk about investment. Both Atera and BMC Helix offer different pricing structures and approaches to the topic.

For BMC Helix, the only way to get the pricing is to request a custom quotation:

There is little information available on how the pricing is structured or the cost of BMC Helix. However, reviews give some clues.

One G2 user simply said, “BMC Helix is expensive compared to other ITSM tools.”

In contrast, we’re big advocates of transparent pricing at Atera. While enterprises can request a custom quotation, our pricing plans for IT departments range from $149 to $219/month, and for MSPs, from $129 to $209/month. 

And unlike BMC Helix, Atera’s pricing is based on pay-per-technician, which means you can add unlimited endpoints without increasing the monthly cost.

One user from an enterprise company described Atera’s pricing as fair and said:

#4: User interface and usability

To compare the user interfaces of the two platforms, let’s have a look at how they look for both platforms.

BMC Helix has minimal information about its interfaces, but this is one screenshot we found:

Unfortunately, user interfaces are an area where many BMC Helix users have shared negative comments about the platform.

Many say the user interface is dated and would need to be changed. These are the thoughts of one reviewer:

This is also reflected in G2’s ease of use scores, which closely correlate with how responsive and intuitive the user interface feels in daily use.

Here’s how users rated ease of use on BMC Helix, in comparison to Atera:

As you can see, BMC Helix’s ease of use scores are undoubtedly low.

Atera, in contrast, has some of the highest ratings in the IT management industry. We’re well known for our intuitive user interfaces. Instead of having to go through complex installations, onboarding can be done in a matter of minutes.

Atera’s admin dashboard

Here’s how one user described Atera’s intuitive user interfaces:

#5: Customer support and community

What about customer support? At Atera, we’ve covered this area with our live chat and email support. All users also have access to our extensive knowledge base, video tutorials, webinars, and an active IT community.

This is how one user described Atera’s support: “Their chat support answered immediately, and within just a couple minutes the issues were fixed.”

For BMC Helix, the support has generally received positive feedback. One notable critique is that users say resolving issues takes longer unless they have access to premium support, which is a paid add-on.

With Atera, this isn’t an issue as all users have access to a 24/7 live chat support at no extra cost.

#6: Security and compliance

BMC Helix’s product for security is the Security Incident Handling, which provides processes for managing and responding to cyber threats. But unlike Atera, it requires more setup and integration to get the full protection.

In comparison, Atera adheres to industry-leading security standards and compliance frameworks. We also offer numerous security integrations, which help to further extend our endpoint security features.

#7: User feedback and reviews

On G2, Atera has received 880+ reviews with an average rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 stars, while BMC Helix has received 280+ reviews with a rating of 3.7 out of 5.0 stars.

This is how one IT team leader described Atera’s platform:

In contrast, BMC Helix is best known for its robust customization. If you’re willing to withstand its steep learning curve and complex installation, it can prove to be a powerful tool. 

This is what one G2 user said about BMC Helix:

While Atera is capable of a lot, it’s still easy to use. With a few clicks on Atera’s admin dashboard, you can fully customize the look of the platform, set up automation workflows, modify the settings, and configure our AI agents in the way your IT environment works best.

Move from automated to fully autonomous IT: Only with Atera

Of Atera and BMX Helix, only Atera offers an Agentic AI technology that’s capable of moving organizations from automated to fully autonomous IT.

Tasks like resetting passwords, resolving technical issues, or installing pre-approved software, Robin can handle fully on its own, just like a technician would. As a result, up to 40% of your IT workload is instantly eliminated, freeing up your technicians for more strategic tasks that actually move the needle.

Atera’s AI agents aren’t another AI chatbot; they’re here to change how IT operations are managed. To future-proof your IT, an easy step you can take is to sign up for Atera’s 30-day free trial.