PDQ Connect
7.5/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.6/5 (~40 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Teams that want PDQ's deployment power for remote/cloud-managed devices
Best Patch Management Software · 2026
PDQ Connect vs 
PDQ Deploy & Inventory PDQ Connect vs PDQ Deploy & Inventory: on our data-weighted scoring, PDQ Deploy & Inventory edges ahead (7.9 vs 7.5/10). PDQ Connect starts at Custom quote and is best for teams that want PDQ's deployment power for remote/cloud-managed devices; PDQ Deploy & Inventory starts at Custom quote and is best for windows-only shops that want fast, scriptable on-prem deployment. Choose PDQ Deploy & Inventory for the stronger overall track record; consider PDQ Connect if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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PDQ Deploy & Inventory
7.9/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- Custom quote
- Reviews
- 4.7/5 (~60 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Deployment
- On-prem
- Best for
- Windows-only shops that want fast, scriptable on-prem deployment
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | PDQ Connect | PDQ Deploy & Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 7.5 | 7.9 |
| User reviews | 9.2 | 9.4 |
| Adoption | 4.3 | 4.7 |
| Affordability | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Feature breadth | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Ease of trial | 6.0 | 6.0 |
PDQ Connect vs PDQ Deploy & Inventory: head-to-head
| PDQ Connect | PDQ Deploy & Inventory | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Pricing model | per device | per machine |
| Free trial / tier | 14 days | 14 days |
| Best for | Teams that want PDQ's deployment power for remote/cloud-managed devices | Windows-only shops that want fast, scriptable on-prem deployment |
| Deployment | Cloud | On-prem |
| G2 rating | 4.6/5 (40) | 4.7/5 (60) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 7.5 | 7.9 |
Choose PDQ Connect if…
You need teams that want pdq's deployment power for remote/cloud-managed devices.
✓ Pros
- Cloud version of PDQ's strong deployment engine
- Manages remote devices
- Simple agent
✕ Cons
- Newer than Deploy
- Windows-focused
- Per-device pricing
Choose PDQ Deploy & Inventory if…
You need windows-only shops that want fast, scriptable on-prem deployment.
✓ Pros
- Fast and reliable on Windows
- Huge ready-made package library
- Loved by sysadmins
✕ Cons
- Windows-only
- On-prem (agentless on LAN)
- Pricing not fully public
In depth
In Depth
Pricing
Both products use per-unit annual licensing with quotes required—transparency is limited. The key difference:
| Aspect | PDQ Deploy & Inventory | PDQ Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Per-machine | Per-device/month |
| Billing | Annual | Annual |
| Trial | 14 days | 14 days |
| Best for budget-conscious shops | Fixed costs, LAN-only | Variable costs, remote-first |
Deploy favors large on-prem fleets with predictable machine counts; Connect’s monthly per-device model suits organizations managing distributed, fluctuating endpoint populations. Neither publishes pricing, making vendor contact mandatory.
Features & Deployment
PDQ Deploy & Inventory is the on-premises workhorse:
- Agentless LAN deployment (zero remote overhead)
- Massive pre-built application library
- Inventory, scheduling, custom packages
- Windows-only, no cloud fallback
PDQ Connect modernizes PDQ’s engine for hybrid/remote work:
- Agent-based cloud architecture (works off-network)
- Patch + custom deployments
- Same strong reliability, cloud reach
- Still Windows-focused, simpler footprint than Deploy
Verdict: Deploy owns the LAN. Connect owns the cloud. Choose based on your device location strategy, not feature parity.
Ratings & Community Trust
| Platform | Deploy & Inventory | Connect |
|---|---|---|
| G2 Score | 4.7/5 (60 reviews) | 4.6/5 (40 reviews) |
| Trend | Mature, trusted | Growing, less volume |
Deploy’s higher volume reflects its 10+ year head start; both maintain strong satisfaction. Connect’s smaller review base reflects its newer market entry, not inferior quality.
Verdict
Choose PDQ Deploy & Inventory if you manage Windows machines on-premises and want the fastest, most battle-tested deployment engine with minimal licensing friction.
Choose PDQ Connect if you need to manage remote, cloud-connected, or hybrid Windows endpoints and can accept per-device variable costs for cloud convenience.
Skip both if: You need Linux/macOS support, multi-cloud orchestration, or public pricing transparency. PDQ remains unapologetically Windows-centric and on-prem-rooted, even as Connect bridges to cloud.
Frequently asked questions
- PDQ Connect vs PDQ Deploy & Inventory: which is better?
- PDQ Connect vs PDQ Deploy & Inventory: on our data-weighted scoring, PDQ Deploy & Inventory edges ahead (7.9 vs 7.5/10). PDQ Connect starts at Custom quote and is best for teams that want PDQ's deployment power for remote/cloud-managed devices; PDQ Deploy & Inventory starts at Custom quote and is best for windows-only shops that want fast, scriptable on-prem deployment.
- Is PDQ Connect cheaper than PDQ Deploy & Inventory?
- PDQ Connect starts at Custom quote and PDQ Deploy & Inventory starts at Custom quote (see the pricing rows for models and limits).