If you're on a Galaxy Fold, consider unfolding your phone or viewing it in full screen to best optimize your experience.
If you're looking for a robust, attractive, and powerful IT help desk software then you should probably continue your search elsewhere because Kaseya Vorex is here and it's ready to disappoint.
When I review a software platform, I try to go into it fresh without any preconceived notions about the product. But that's not always possible since I have experience with all kinds of vendors and platforms, but I try my best to avoid outside opinions before I write my review.
Once I've finished my review I enjoy seeking outside opinions to see if what I experienced is widely accepted or unique to my trial.
I used this methodology when reviewing Kaseya Vorex and I have to be honest, this was probably one of the worst trial experiences I've had. Once I was finished, I did a little research and found many of my experiences are not one-off issues, which is disconcerting, to say the least.
This is a hard question to answer. Not only does Kaseya not display their pricing on their website, but the tool itself doesn't distinguish itself in any way from the competition.
There is no free option for the platform as far as I can tell, the user interface is dated, the customer support is basic, and the features cover only the bare minimum.
If I had to pin an audience to Kaseya Vorex, it would be users who want an uncomplicated IT help desk tool to manage their ITIL (information technology infrastructure library) processes. Unfortunately, I'm not sure there are any other platforms I would recommend this one over if that's what you are looking for.
I had an immediate issue with Vorex. As soon as I signed up for my free trial, I made it about fifteen minutes into my trial before I got an HTTP error 503 screen, which means that the website's server is down.
I checked around Kayesa's website, Facebook, and Twitter to find some kind of notification or announcement about server maintenance, but I found nothing.
This leads me to believe that I'm dealing with a downed server, which isn't a great first impression. If this was a case of maintenance then it's unfortunate that they didn't put out some sort of notice ahead of time about this scheduled work.
Alright, maybe I'm being a little harsh because we are in the middle of a pandemic. It just seems odd that a company looking to market their software to enterprise users wouldn't either send out some kind of notice about the issue (either pre-maintenance or post-downed server).
Enterprise users typically deal with tons of data and unexpected hiccups like these are the easiest way to scare off a potential user. No one wants their incident management software to become the incident.
The next day...
Okay, we're back at it and it looks like Vorex is up and running again. My true first impression of Vorex (besides the downed server) is still poor. Nearly everything about this tool is dated.
While this helps me understand everything that it does, Vorex doesn't offer much in terms of visual aids. Nearly everything in this tool is represented either by numbers or lists.
For instance, the only visual I've found on the dashboard is the bar graph representing the number of IT tickets owned by each assignee. Everything else is just numbers. No line graphs or anything that could be used as a visual representation of trends.
The asset management functions are another great example. While other platforms have found new ways to manage assets, such as visual network displays, Kaseya Vorex keeps it basic by using lists. Nearly every function in Vorex looks like this. Everything is lists, numbers, and search boxes.
It doesn't get any better when you move onto other features, from ticket creation to knowledge base management. Most every feature runs on the same basic platform functions that have existed since the end of the 90s.
Sure, they all work but why should someone pay what I assume will be top dollar for outdated technology (and I can only assume that since Kaseya doesn't show their pricing on the website)?
Don't get me wrong, Vorex is not a difficult IT help desk software to learn. The platform is so basic that the only way they could make it any more plain and unoriginal is by getting rid of the color palette and making everything black and white.
I've said it before, not every software platform has to find new ways to reinvent the wheel but this effort almost seems phoned in. It's missing design and navigation components that are commonplace in software design in 2020.
Kaseya doesn't reveal its pricing on its website. The only way you get a quote is by scheduling a demo and reading off your list of requirements to the Vorex sales team. By then, you're already several layers deep in their sales funnel with little context of what you ought to pay for a tool.
This practice is becoming more commonplace by the year and it frustrates me to no end. If other vendors are transparent with their pricing (including their enterprise options) why can't vendors like Kaseya do the same?
This tells me Kaseya charges hefty rates for tools like Vorex and they're worried about scaring off potential customers. Since I can't see their rates to compare with other vendors, all I have are my suspicions.
Kaseya offers some support options, but some are as outdated as the platform itself. You're served a barebones guide that includes instructions on how to use the features that you can find under the user dropdown menu in the top right hand corner of the window.
Outside of that, your support options are limited. I can't find anything resembling support phone numbers, FAQ sections, community forums, or training videos.
The only benefit I can think of is ease of use. If you've used a computer regularly since 1998, you should have no issues navigating around this platform thanks to the familiarity or nostalgia (whatever you want to call it).
I can't make any judgment calls on the pricing, and the support options are lacking, so I can't find other benefits to go with when there are lots of other superior options.
I've never left with such a bad impression of a platform that I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, yet here we are. I guess there is a first time for everything. As far as IT help desk software goes, this platform isn't unusable but the cons overshadow any pros Kaseya can possibly conjure. I better wrap up this review soon because I'm running out of creative juice for snarky comments.
IT Ticketing | Knowledge Management | IT Asset Management | Remote Support | Self-service Portal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kaseya Vorex | |||||
Jira Service Desk | |||||
Freshdesk | |||||
SysAid | |||||
Servicedesk Plus |
No, there is no free version of this software. If Vorex was free, it might explain its many shortcomings, server crashes, and dated user interface.
Um, perhaps if those less experienced users were cryogenically frozen at the turn of the millennium and were recently reanimated. They'd find the user interface very familiar and liken it to the early days of basic HTML/CSS web pages. Vorex is probably a fantastic way to slowly transition these people into the modern internet.
Kaseya offers the bare minimum in customer support. I couldn't find any support phone numbers, user forums, FAQs, or training videos. The only substantive resources I could find were a support ticket form and an outdated and basic user guide in the help section of the software.
Our Small Business Expert
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent, a Motley Fool service, does not cover all offers on the market. The Ascent has a dedicated team of editors and analysts focused on personal finance, and they follow the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands.