Blog | SherpaDesk

Autotask Alternatives For Small MSPs: 2026 Prices And Picks

Written by Patrick Clements | Nov 14, 2026, 8:33:18 PM

The best Autotask alternatives depend on why you're leaving. HaloPSA and ConnectWise PSA are dedicated PSA (professional services automation) tools, and Syncro puts PSA and RMM in one subscription. For a small MSP that bills hours and contracts without an annual term, our pick is SherpaDesk.

Key takeaways

  • Check your terms before you shop. Autotask bills a committed minimum of licenses from the December 1, 2025 invoice, and Kaseya 365 Ops carries a one-year term. What Changed
  • Small MSP that bills time? Your first SherpaDesk agent is free, so a team of 3 pays $90 a month on Base Camp, or $80 billed annually, with no contract. SherpaDesk
  • Want PSA and RMM in one bill? Syncro includes both in every plan, from $129 per user per month on an annual plan. Syncro
  • Plan back from your notice deadline. Test an import on a sample, rebuild contracts, give notice in time, then run both systems until your term ends. How To Switch

A helpdesk and PSA a small IT team can run alone. No contract. No implementation project. No dedicated admin.

Our picks by scenario
If you…PickTeam of 3 per monthWatch for
Run a small MSP that bills hours, contracts, and prepaid blocksSherpaDesk$90 on Base Camp, $80 billed annually; first agent freeNo built-in RMM
Want the lowest published month-to-month priceSherpaDesk$90, no contract; 14 days free, no cardCloud only
Want a dedicated PSA with every module in one priceHaloPSA$297, billed annuallyPaid onboarding package required
Want PSA and RMM in one subscriptionSyncroCore $387 on an annual plan, $477 month to monthRMM priced into every seat
Want to stay inside Kaseya with documentation includedKaseya 365 Ops$387 for three licenses, before onboardingOne-year term; onboarding required (paid on upgrades); upgrades match your highest license count
What Changed Why MSPs Leave Comparison Table Stay Or Switch How To Switch FAQ

How We Chose

How we chose

  1. Sold to a small MSP. Each option works for a team of 1 to 15 technicians, or we say where it doesn't.
  2. First-party facts only. Prices and features come from each vendor's own pages. Day-to-day experience comes from r/msp threads, not from our own lab tests.
  3. One reason to switch per pick. Each option answers a reason MSPs give for leaving Autotask: terms, price, the interface, or the bundle.
  4. Staying counts. Renewing inside Kaseya is a real option.

We publish this guide, and SherpaDesk is one of the 7 options. It uses the same template and lists its limitations.

Also considered: Atera, Kaseya BMS, Accelo, and Rev.io. For the wider field, including RMM-first tools, see our guide to MSP Software.

What Changed At Autotask Since Datto And Kaseya

Autotask is a PSA: one system for tickets, time, contracts, and invoices. Datto describes it as a tool that "ensures accurate invoicing by automatically tracking labor, contracts, expenses and services". Since 2017, the owner and the billing terms have changed.

Autotask ownership and billing, in dated steps
DateWhat happenedWhat it means for you
Dec 11, 2017Datto finalizes its sale to Vista Equity Partners and merges with Vista portfolio company AutotaskAutotask becomes a Datto product
Jun 23, 2022Kaseya completes its acquisition of Datto for $6.2 billionYour PSA vendor is now Kaseya; Datto stays a brand
Dec 1, 2025Autotask moves from high-water-mark billing to a committed minimum quantity of licensesYou pay for your committed minimum or your usage, whichever is higher
Today (Nov 2026)Kaseya 365 Ops bundles Autotask Ultimate and IT Glue Enterprise in one per-user subscriptionA bundle with a published price that includes Autotask

Kaseya's FAQ says your per-license rate doesn't change.

Standalone Autotask has no public price. The product page offers "Request Pricing" and a demo.

The Kaseya 365 Ops bundle does publish one: $129 per user per month, with a three-license minimum and a one-year term. Renewal increases are capped at 5% plus CPI. For comparison, a team of 3 pays $90 a month on SherpaDesk Base Camp, or $80 billed annually.

Why MSPs Look For Autotask Alternatives

Five r/msp threads from the last two years show recurring reasons.

The interface and the speed

A March 2026 thread opened with an MSP that uses Autotask for contracts, quoting, and the service desk. The verdict: "It does what we need, but overall it feels clunky and slower than it should be, and the experience hasn't really evolved."

The 2025 interface refresh didn't settle it for everyone. One r/msp member wrote: "New UI but absolutely no performance increase at all."

Renewal terms

In a January 2025 thread on one-year versus three-year terms, one member reported: "For our renewal it was 5% increase for 3yr and 10% for anything less." Another added in July 2025: "Autotask is pressuring us to renew for 2 years or face a 7% increase for next year."

Your term ends on a date. Plan the move around it.

Two accounts aren't a price list, but term length matters as much as seat price. Your term ends on a date. Plan the move around it.

In March 2026, an MSP that had renewed a few months earlier was locked out. Support said their "Autotask service is currently canceled, and to reactivate it, you will need to communicate with your Account Manager."

A Kaseya account replied the same day to investigate. It's one case, but a good reason to keep your own exports.

One switch, start to finish

In the March 2026 thread, one member described a move to Halo made three to four years earlier. Their contract was up for renewal in three months, so they moved fast.

Doing it without outside help "felt like drowning for almost a year, and we were a small team." Reports were the hard part with no SQL experts on staff. Quoting became "the best quoting tool I've ever used."

Their verdict: worth it, and they'd do it again. With hindsight, they'd have paid a third party for implementation from the start.

The case for staying

Not everyone is leaving. In an October 2025 thread, one member wrote: "I don't think the industry is moving away from Autotask." If your stack is already Kaseya end to end, the bundle may cost less than the switch.

Autotask Alternatives Compared

The table puts each option on the same team of 3 technicians.

Seven options for a team of 3 technicians
OptionBuilt forPublished priceTeam of 3 per monthMinimum or termRMM included or separate?Trial
SherpaDesk OursSmall MSPs that bill time and contracts$45 per agent per month ($40 billed annually)$90 ($80 billed annually)No contract; first agent freeSeparate: NinjaOne integration (High Camp, $110 for 3)14 days, no card
HaloPSADedicated PSA, every module in one price$99 per named agent per month, billed annually$297Onboarding package requiredNot listed on pricing page30 days, no card
ConnectWise PSADedicated PSA, sales-led quoteNo public priceNo public priceNot publishedSeparate: ConnectWise RMM integrationNo PSA trial listed
Syncro CorePSA and RMM in one$129 per user per month on an annual plan ($159 month to month)$387 ($477 month to month)Annual plan or month to month; no seat minimum statedBuilt in14 days, no card
SuperOpsPSA and RMM, priced by endpointNo public priceNo public price150 endpoints on Super and Super PlusBuilt inFree trial
DeskDay StandardPSA with AI triage and dispatch$79 per tech per month ($59 billed annually); AI add-on $199 a month$237 ($177 billed annually), PSA only2 seats monthly, none annual; optional $800 onboarding on monthly plansNot listed on pricing page14 days
Kaseya 365 OpsStaying on Autotask inside Kaseya$129 per user per month$387 (3 licenses), before onboarding3 licenses or your highest existing count; one-year term; onboarding required (paid on upgrades)Not in the Ops module listNot listed

Of the published prices, SherpaDesk costs a team of 3 the least. DeskDay comes next at $177 billed annually, PSA only. Syncro's seat price includes RMM.

If you need RMM, compare SherpaDesk High Camp ($110 a month for 3, or $100 billed annually) plus your RMM bill.

Best For Small MSPs That Bill Time

You don't sign a term to find out if it fits.

1. SherpaDesk

Best for MSPs of 1 to 15 technicians that bill hours, contracts, and prepaid blocks

$45 per agent per month on Base Camp · $40 billed annually · High Camp $55 ($50 billed annually)

  • First agent free, forever
  • Team of 3: $90 a month on Base Camp, or $80 a month billed annually
  • No contract; 14-day trial, no card
  • No onboarding fee

Two founders who ran their own MSP have built it since 2001.

You can set a rate plan per client: hourly, fixed plus hourly, retainer, blended hourly, or contract-level. Contracts carry prepaid hours, and overage can move into a new prepaid pack. More on contracts and prepaid hours in our guide to MSP Billing Software.

We don't build RMM. We integrate with yours, and the stack stays yours. NinjaOne is the documented integration, and it needs High Camp's Asset Manager ($110 a month for 3, $100 billed annually).

Recommendation

Choose SherpaDesk if you bill clients for hours or prepaid blocks and want to stop renewing a term to keep your PSA. Consider another option if you want RMM inside the same subscription.

Best Dedicated PSA Replacements

These two are dedicated PSAs, like Autotask. Before you commit, test what you use most: contracts, workflows, reporting, and integrations.

2. HaloPSA

Best for MSPs that want every PSA module in one per-agent price and will fund a setup project

$99 per named agent per month, billed annually (1 to 24 agents)

  • Team of 3: $297 a month · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90, or $80 a month billed annually
  • Onboarding package required, priced by scope
  • 30-day trial, no credit card
  • Automation, AI, CMDB, projects, and reporting in every seat

Halo sells one plan with "No tiers, no bolt-ons, no locked-away features." Its feature list covers time and material billing, recurring billing, contracts, accounting integrations, and no-code workflows.

The switcher above found reports the hard part. In the trial, reproduce one report you send clients today.

Recommendation

Choose HaloPSA if you must reproduce time and material, recurring, and contract billing in a dedicated PSA, and can budget for onboarding. Consider another option if nobody on your team has time to run a setup project.

3. ConnectWise PSA

Best for MSPs that run ConnectWise RMM, or plan to, and accept a sales-led quote

No public price · request pricing from sales

  • Team of 3: no public price · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90, or $80 a month billed annually
  • ConnectWise RMM alerts open PSA tickets tied to agreements
  • Demo on request
  • No PSA trial, minimum, or term published

If you keep another RMM, ConnectWise says to confirm which data and workflows its PSA integration supports. Test how its agreements map to your Autotask contracts before you sign.

Recommendation

Choose ConnectWise PSA if you'll run ConnectWise RMM and want its alerts tied to client agreements, and you're comfortable negotiating a quote. Consider another option if a published price is a requirement.

Best For PSA And RMM In One Subscription

If Autotask's appeal was the RMM next to it, these two bundle both. Read our PSA vs RMM guide if you're unsure which job you're replacing.

4. Syncro

Best for MSPs that want PSA and RMM on one bill, priced per technician

$129 per user per month on Core, on an annual plan · $159 month to month · Team $179 ($209 month to month)

  • Team of 3 on Core: $387 a month on an annual plan, or $477 month to month · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90, or $80 a month billed annually
  • RMM and PSA in every plan
  • Unlimited endpoints per technician
  • 14-day trial, no credit card

Core includes ticketing, invoicing, and recurring billing. Team adds Microsoft 365 security and identity management. Syncro also tells switchers to ask sales about buying out an existing contract.

Recommendation

Choose Syncro if you're replacing Autotask and Datto RMM together and want one vendor. Consider another option if you already have an RMM you like and only need the PSA.

5. SuperOps

Best for MSPs that would rather pay per endpoint than per technician

No public price · Super and Super Plus, priced per endpoint per month

  • Team of 3: no public price · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90, or $80 a month billed annually
  • 150-endpoint minimum on Super and Super Plus
  • Unlimited technicians
  • Free trial before a sales call

The MSP plans shown on its pricing page bundle PSA and RMM. Quotes convert to invoices in one click, and SLA tracking has breach alerts. In the trial, invoice one approved quote and check the charges.

Recommendation

Choose SuperOps if your technician count grows faster than your endpoints. Consider another option if you want a published price before a sales call.

Best For AI Triage And Dispatch

6. DeskDay

Best for MSPs that want AI to triage and route incoming tickets

$79 per tech per month on Standard · $59 billed annually · PSA only

  • Team of 3, PSA only: $237 a month, or $177 a month billed annually · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90, or $80 a month billed annually
  • AI add-on $199 a month per MSP, 600 actions included
  • Minimum 2 seats on monthly billing; no minimum on annual
  • 14-day trial includes the AI

The available Triage and Dispatch Agent asks follow-up questions, categorizes and prioritizes tickets, then routes each one to a tech or queue. A Level 0 agent that resolves simple requests is marked coming soon.

Each triaged ticket uses one action, and actions past 600 cost $0.25 each. With the add-on, a team of 3 pays $436 a month on monthly billing, or $376 a month billed annually ($177 plus $199).

Contracts and invoicing are listed in Standard. Optional guided onboarding costs $800 once on monthly plans and is waived on annual plans with 4+ seats.

Recommendation

Choose DeskDay if automated intake, triage, and dispatch is the main reason you're switching. Consider another option if you want AI that resolves tickets on its own today; that agent is still listed as coming soon.

If You Stay With Kaseya

7. Kaseya 365 Ops

Best for MSPs already running Kaseya tools that want Autotask and IT Glue on one per-user price

$129 per user per month

  • Three licenses: $387 a month before onboarding · SherpaDesk Base Camp $90 for 3, or $80 a month billed annually
  • 3-license minimum and one-year term
  • Paid onboarding required on upgrades
  • Renewal increase capped at 5% plus CPI
  • Autotask Ultimate and IT Glue Enterprise included

Ops keeps you on the same PSA, and Autotask says billing for Ops customers will not change under CMQ. It covers seven modules, including IT Glue, Kaseya Quote Manager, and ConnectBooster for receivables. Datto RMM isn't on that list.

Existing customers upgrade at their highest current license count across those modules. Onboarding is still required, with tiers set by the modules you use. So $387 is the three-license subscription before onboarding; ask your account manager for the onboarding cost.

Recommendation

Choose Kaseya 365 Ops if you also use IT Glue and want a capped renewal instead of a migration. Consider another option if a one-year term is the thing you're trying to leave.

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How To Choose Between Staying And Switching

Three questions narrow most shortlists. Start with your notice deadline: the date your contract says notice is due, which comes before the term ends.

  1. When is your notice deadline?

    Far enough away to test
    Trial two options and test an import on a sample. Decide before the deadline, then give notice.
    Too close to test properly
    Ask what a short renewal costs against a longer one. Compare that with the cost of a rushed migration.
  2. Do you need the RMM in the same bill?

    Yes
    Compare Syncro and SuperOps.
    No, or you'll keep your RMM
    Compare PSAs on billing: SherpaDesk, HaloPSA, ConnectWise PSA, and DeskDay. Check that your RMM and accounting package connect to each.
    You'll keep IT Glue and other Kaseya tools
    Price Kaseya 365 Ops against your current renewal quote.
  3. Does the trial pass your checks?

    If yes
    One past month invoices correctly (step 4), the ticket workflow you can't lose runs, and the integrations you keep connect.
    If no
    Note where it broke. Find out whether it needs configuration, another integration, or manual work.

Example: say you run 3 technicians on annual billing. HaloPSA costs $297 a month. SherpaDesk Base Camp costs $80, because the first agent is free.

That's $217 a month less than HaloPSA, before Halo's onboarding package.

Price isn't the whole margin. The billable hours you never captured are the margin you never made. Our guide to MSP Profit Margins shows where else the money goes.

How To Move Off Autotask

Rebuild and test contracts before moving live work. Do it in this order.

  1. Find your notice deadline and committed minimum

    Find your renewal date, the notice deadline your contract sets, and your committed license minimum. From the December 1, 2025 invoice, Autotask bills the higher of that minimum or your usage.

    Evaluation, the billing test, and your decision come before notice. Cutover, reconciliation, and overlap follow the schedule you agree.

    Common mistake: removing users to cut the bill when the committed minimum still applies.

  2. Export what you must keep

    Help Desk Migration says you can export Autotask tickets, contacts, companies, and more to CSV files. Exporting doesn't delete anything; the data stays in your account.

    Map: list contract types, rates, prepaid blocks, ticket queues, and SLA rules, so you can rebuild each one.

  3. Confirm the import scope, then test a sample

    SherpaDesk imports history with Help Desk Migration's import tool, and a test import of a small sample can run in under 15 minutes. First, ask Help Desk Migration for its scope and field mapping in writing.

    Check: each record type in that written scope appears in the sample with its fields intact.

  4. Rebuild contracts and rates before live work

    Set each client's rate plan, contract, and prepaid balance. Then replay one client's past month: the same time entries, rates, expenses, and prepaid balance you billed in Autotask.

    Check: the new invoice matches the Autotask invoice for that same month.

  5. Reconnect email, RMM, and accounting

    Forward your support address so new email becomes tickets. In SherpaDesk, clients can be imported from QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks. If you run NinjaOne, its integration needs High Camp ($110 a month for 3, $100 billed annually), and alert rules can create and assign tickets.

    Check (NinjaOne on High Camp): one test alert opens one ticket under the right client.

  6. Give notice, then close out Autotask

    Give notice before the deadline your contract sets. Move new tickets to the new tool, and keep paid Autotask access for reference until the term ends. Before access ends, finish or transfer open tickets, bill unbilled work, and export final records.

    Common mistake: letting the notice deadline pass while the new tool is still on trial.

Expect real effort. Another MSP in the March 2026 thread had outside help: "Make sure you get help, it is a lot of work to migrate and set things up."

How this works in SherpaDesk

Contracts and prepaid hours without an annual term

A helpdesk and PSA a small IT team can run alone. No contract. No implementation project. No dedicated admin.

You set up each client's contract with its rate plan and prepaid hours. Your techs log time on tickets as billable or non-billable. Uninvoiced time and expenses collect in Ready to Invoice, organized by contract.

When a Flat Fee + Hourly contract or a prepaid pack nears or passes its included hours, you get an alert. Invoices go to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or FreshBooks; QuickBooks Desktop takes a file export.

Base Camp is $45 per agent per month ($40 billed annually), and High Camp is $55 ($50). Your first agent is free, forever. 14 days free, no card.

Invoicing In SherpaDesk →

Who this isn't for

MSPs standardized on Datto RMM and IT Glue that rely on Autotask's native place in Kaseya's IT Complete platform. For you, Kaseya 365 Ops may cost less than rebuilding those links.

SherpaDesk has no built-in RMM; NinjaOne is the documented integration, on High Camp ($55 per agent, $50 billed annually). It runs as a cloud service only.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Autotask used for?

Autotask is a PSA that MSPs use to run the business side of IT support: tickets, time, contracts, expenses, and invoices. TechTarget notes that MSPs use PSA software to run their day-to-day operations.

Does Datto own Autotask?

Datto merged with Autotask in December 2017, and Kaseya bought Datto in June 2022 for $6.2 billion. Autotask is now sold by Kaseya under the Datto brand.

Is Autotask like ServiceNow?

Not really. Autotask is a PSA built for IT service providers that bill clients. TechTarget describes ServiceNow as a cloud platform for automating enterprise workflows that specializes in IT service management. An MSP replacing Autotask usually compares PSAs, not enterprise ITSM.

Does Autotask offer API integration?

Yes. Autotask provides a REST API with programmatic access to information and operations in the Autotask web portal. Its docs say it shouldn't be used by people without software development experience, except through an existing third-party integration.

How much does Autotask cost?

Standalone Autotask has no public price; the product page asks you to request pricing. Kaseya 365 Ops, which includes Autotask Ultimate, costs $129 per user per month with a 3-license minimum and a one-year term. For comparison, a team of 3 pays $90 a month on SherpaDesk Base Camp.

Can I export my data out of Autotask?

Yes. Help Desk Migration says you can export Autotask tickets, contacts, companies, and more to CSV files, and the export leaves your data in place. Export before your term ends, while you still have full access.

What is the cheapest Autotask alternative for a small MSP?

Of the published prices here, SherpaDesk Base Camp costs the least for a team of 3: $90 a month, or $80 billed annually, because the first agent is free. DeskDay Standard is next at $177 a month billed annually, for the PSA alone. Without built-in RMM in SherpaDesk, compare High Camp ($110 a month for 3, or $100 billed annually) plus your RMM bill.

About the author
Patrick Clements Co-founder & CEO, SherpaDesk

Patrick co-founded SherpaDesk and has led it as CEO since 2013. He has worked with IT service providers since 1998, first on network projects for schools and government offices, then on the helpdesk software their technicians use every day.