Aerie OS vs Syncro: Which PSA+RMM Is Right for Your MSP?

Executive Summary

Syncro pioneered affordable per-technician pricing for the MSP market and captured a loyal user base with a straightforward, no-frills approach to PSA+RMM bundling. Its simple interface and predictable costs are its strength. However, Syncro was built around technician-centric workflows and lacks the depth that scaling MSPs require—particularly in automation, billing integration, CRM, and AI-driven intelligence.

Aerie OS delivers the affordability Syncro built, but adds the tools growing MSPs actually need: visual workflow automation, native CRM, integrated billing, AI anomaly detection, and zero-knowledge password management—all included, not bolted on.

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Pain Points: Why MSPs Consider Leaving Syncro

1. Pricing Scaling Problem: Per-User Seats Become Expensive

Syncro's per-technician model works for small teams but becomes a cost burden as MSPs grow.

Syncro's Pricing Model:

• Per-technician seat cost (typically £40–80/month depending on tier)
• Contract requires technician licenses for everyone with platform access
• Support staff, managers, dispatchers all count as paid seats
• A 20-tech MSP with 3 managers, 2 dispatchers, and 1 QA person pays ~25 seats × £60 = £1,500/month
• Adding a new hire = immediate seat cost, even for non-technical staff needing limited access

Real-World Impact:

• Technicians are your revenue generators—their seat cost is acceptable
• But paying £60/month per person for administrative staff quickly erodes margins
• "Let me check if I can give a new hire access" becomes a cost decision, not a capability decision
• MSPs often disable access for non-core roles to control costs, reducing operational visibility

Aerie Advantage:

• Per-technician pricing: only revenue-generating roles count as seats
• Admins, managers, and dispatchers access the platform without multiplying seat costs
• Transparent, all-in pricing with every module included — no paid add-ons
• See the Aerie OS pricing page for the full breakdown

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2. Scripting is Limited to Basic Remote Execution

Syncro's scripting is functional for simple tasks but lacks the power growing MSPs need.

Syncro Limitations:

• Script execution is one-way: run and log results
• No branching logic or conditional execution paths
• No integration with ticket systems (can't auto-create tickets from script failures)
• No parameter capture or dynamic input from users
• Scripts are isolated—no way to chain scripts together or pass data between them
• Limited error handling (success/fail binary, not nuanced)
• Community scripts exist but are poorly maintained and often unreliable

Real-World Impact:

• A routine patch check becomes: manual run → check output → create ticket manually
• A script that needs to behave differently based on OS version? Not possible—you need two separate scripts
• Complex asset discovery, health checks, and remediation workflows can't be automated end-to-end
• MSPs often fall back to 3rd-party automation (e.g., running scripts in PowerShell separately), undermining the value of Syncro

Aerie Advantage:

• Conditional execution: If-then-else logic, loops, and multi-step workflows
• Ticket auto-creation: Script failures automatically create tickets with context (asset, customer, error details)
• Parameter capture: Prompt technicians for input at runtime (e.g., "Which drive to defrag?")
• Script chaining: Run Script A, capture output, conditionally run Script B based on results
• Advanced error handling: Categorise failures (warning, critical, info) and route accordingly
• Scheduled execution: Scripts run on time-based or event-based triggers without manual intervention
• Audit trail: Every execution logged with user, timestamp, and full output for compliance

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3. Automation Stops at Ticketing—No Workflow Builder

Syncro's automation rules are trigger-based but lack the sophistication MSPs need.

Syncro Limitations:

• Automation is "if alert → create ticket" (reactive, not proactive)
• No multi-step orchestration—can't chain automations together
• No visual workflow designer—rules are text-based configuration
• No SLA timer logic with business hours calculations
• No way to route tickets based on technician skill tags + availability + current workload
• Limited integration points (tickets and alerts; little else)

Real-World Impact:

• Complex workflows (e.g., "If backup failure + customer is SLA-critical, create urgent ticket, assign to on-call, notify manager by SMS") require multiple workarounds
• MSPs often layer Zapier or IFTTT on top, adding cost and complexity
• No visual way to review automation logic—making troubleshooting and audit trails difficult

Aerie Advantage:

• ReactFlow Workflow Builder: Drag-and-drop visual canvas with no coding
• Multi-step automation: Chain conditions, parallel execution, time delays, loops
• Intelligent routing: Route tickets by skill, availability, SLA tier, customer region, contract type
• SLA timer logic: Automatic escalation based on elapsed time (business hours only)
• Conditional notifications: Alert team lead only if severity > P2 AND assigned technician is new
• Custom fields: Auto-populate ticket fields based on asset, customer, or alert context
• Scheduled actions: Trigger automations on cron schedules (daily reports, weekly reviews, monthly audits)
• Full audit trail: Every automation execution logged with conditions met, actions taken, and timestamps

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4. Billing Integration is Weak—No Usage-Based Billing

This is a major pain point for MSPs with usage-based SLAs or service tiers.

Syncro Limitations:

• Fixed billing only: per-device, per-customer, per-month
• No usage tracking (hours logged, tickets created, data transferred)
• No way to bill customers for specific services or overages
• No integration with accounting software for automated invoice generation
• Billing data must be manually exported and reconciled
• MSPs running usage-based service models (e.g., "we charge per ticket") can't automate invoicing
• No ability to flag over-billable scenarios (e.g., "this customer is hitting their SLA overage threshold")

Real-World Impact:

• An MSP with customers on different SLAs (24/7 support, business hours, tiered response times) struggles to automate billing
• A customer with a ticket overage limit? Requires manual tracking and invoicing
• Revenue leakage: MSPs often under-bill because manual tracking is error-prone
• Accounting reconciliation becomes a monthly nightmare

Aerie Advantage:

• Usage tracking: Every action logged (tickets, hours, data transfers, assets added/removed)
• Usage-based billing templates: Define billing rules (e.g., £X per ticket above threshold, £Y per hour logged)
• Overage alerts: Flag when customers are approaching billing limits so you can up-sell
• Automated invoice generation: Usage data feeds directly into invoicing; no manual export
• Integration with accounting: Connect to QuickBooks Online and Xero for automated reconciliation
• Multi-tier SLA pricing: Different billing rules for different customer tiers
• Real-time revenue visibility: Dashboard showing billable events, overage potential, and upsell opportunities

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5. No Native CRM or Sales Tooling

Syncro is purely operational—it doesn't help MSPs grow revenue.

Syncro Limitation:

• No CRM features (no deal pipeline, no quote management, no contract tracking)
• No sales-focused workflows
• Organisations must maintain a separate CRM (HubSpot, Pipedrive) or ignore growth-oriented workflows
• Zero visibility into which customers are at-risk, which are upsell opportunities

Aerie Advantage:

• Integrated CRM: Client profiles, interaction history, communication log
• Deal pipeline: Track opportunities from lead → quote → contract → renewal
• Quote management: Generate quotes from service catalog, track quote status, auto-convert to contracts
• Contract lifecycle: Automate renewal alerts, track contract value, flag at-risk accounts
• Client health scoring: Identify churn risk and upsell opportunities based on usage patterns
• Single source of truth: Sales and operations teams see the same client data—no silos

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6. Documentation Managed Outside the Platform

Like Syncro, you need IT Glue, Hudu, or Notion for knowledge management—another vendor, another login, another cost.

Syncro Limitation:

• No built-in knowledge base or documentation management
• Must subscribe to a separate tool for technical documentation
• Client data (tickets, assets) disconnected from documentation (runbooks, procedures)

Aerie Advantage:

• Wiki: Full-text searchable knowledge base with version control and audit trails
• Scribe: Auto-documentation that captures system configurations, policies, and runbooks
• Vault: Zero-knowledge password manager with client passwords encrypted end-to-end
• All integrated—documentation linked to assets, customers, and runbooks auto-triggered from automation workflows

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Head-to-Head: Feature Comparison

Feature	Syncro	Aerie OS
Pricing Model	Per-technician seat	All-in, flexible user roles
Script Automation	Basic execution, no branching	Conditional logic, ticket auto-creation, chaining
Workflow Automation	Trigger-based rules only	Visual builder, multi-step, SLA-aware
Usage-Based Billing	❌ Fixed billing only	✅ Full usage tracking and billing automation
CRM & Sales	❌ None	✅ Integrated pipeline, quotes, contracts
Documentation	❌ External tool required	✅ Wiki, Scribe, Vault (all included)
AI Features	❌ None	✅ Anomaly detection, smart dispatch, report generation
Billing Integration	❌ Manual exports	✅ QuickBooks, Xero, Sage integration
PSA+RMM Bundle	✅ Yes	✅ Yes

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Real-World Migration Scenario

Scenario: A 15-tech MSP currently on Syncro, scaling up.

The Hidden Stack Problem: Syncro's platform fee is attractive — but MSPs who outgrow it typically bolt on:

Tool	Typical Cost
Syncro PSA+RMM	£1,000–1,500/month (15 seats)
IT Glue or Hudu (documentation)	£400–600/month
HubSpot or Pipedrive (CRM)	£100–400/month
Zapier (automation glue)	£200–400/month
Total stack	£1,700–2,900/month

And that's before factoring in admin overhead to maintain those integrations.

Why They're Considering a Switch:

• Growing into usage-based SLAs but can't automate billing in Syncro
• Complex routing workflows requiring visual design—not possible in Syncro's rule engine
• Dispatchers asking for more intelligence (skill-based assignment)
• Adding a second office means more seats, more Zapier zaps, and more integration headaches

Aerie OS Alternative: Rather than a bloated multi-tool stack, Aerie bundles everything — PSA, RMM, CRM, documentation (Wiki + Scribe + Vault), billing automation, and workflow builder — into a single per-technician price. No per-endpoint fees. No paid add-ons. No integration maintenance.

The result: fewer moving parts, less context-switching, and a single vendor to call when something breaks.

See Aerie OS pricing to calculate what your team's stack would look like.

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Aerie's Competitive Positioning vs Syncro

Syncro excels at: Simple, no-frills PSA+RMM for small teams with straightforward workflows

Aerie excels at: Growing MSPs who need automation depth, revenue tools (CRM, billing), and AI-driven intelligence

The Switch: MSPs outgrow Syncro when they hit 10+ technicians and need workflow complexity, usage-based billing, or sales enablement. Aerie is built for that growth.

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FAQ: Syncro → Aerie Migration

"Will we lose data?"

No. Aerie's onboarding team can import customer, asset, and ticket history from Syncro. You'll have a data migration plan before day one.

"How long is the implementation?"

Typically 2–4 weeks for a 15-tech MSP. We map your existing Syncro automations to Aerie's workflow builder (usually simpler in Aerie) and set up billing rules.

"What if we use Syncro's mobile app heavily?"

Aerie's mobile credential vault app (Vault Mobile) is on the roadmap. Core technician workflows are handled via the browser-based interface, which is fully responsive on mobile. If mobile-first workflows are critical, check with our team on current mobile availability during your demo.

"Will our technicians notice the switch?"

Yes—they'll notice that automation is more intelligent, routing is smarter, and the interface is more modern. The onboarding is typically 2–3 days.

"Do we need to migrate off our CRM?"

No. Aerie integrates with HubSpot, Pipedrive, and others. Many MSPs run Aerie's CRM alongside their existing tool during transition.

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Conclusion

Syncro served MSPs well when the market needed simple, affordable PSA+RMM. It still does that job. But as MSPs scale—from 10 to 50 technicians, from fixed SLAs to usage-based models, from reactive support to proactive AI-driven operations—Syncro's simplicity becomes a limitation.

Aerie OS is built for that scaling MSP. Its per-technician pricing includes every module as you grow — no paid add-ons, no new integration contracts. Its automation gets smarter. Its billing grows with your complexity. And its AI stops problems before customers notice.

If you've outgrown Syncro—if you're adding staff, handling complex billing, or drowning in manual automation—Aerie OS is worth a conversation.

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Next Steps:

• See how Aerie OS compares to Syncro — feature-by-feature breakdown
• View Aerie OS pricing — per-technician pricing with all modules included
• Join the waitlist — get early access and talk to the team