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ManageEngine M365 Security Plus vs Countly

A side-by-side editorial comparison of ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

ManageEngine M365 Security Plus vs Countly: at a glance

FeatureManageEngine M365 Security PlusCountly
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score5.05.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesmicrosoft-365, security-auditing, on-premises, dependency-upgradesproduct-analytics, self-hosted, security-patches, access control
Last editorial update3mo ago14h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is ManageEngine M365 Security Plus?

An on-prem M365 auditing tool whose releases are mostly dependency hygiene.

M365 Security Plus is an on-premises Java application for auditing and alerting on Microsoft 365 activity, shipped as numbered builds a few times a year. The last two builds are typical of the pattern: 4821 upgrades the bundled JRE from Java 8 to 11 and refreshes 7-Zip and Jackson libraries, while 4820 carries the only real functional work in the window — mailbox backups to local, shared, or NAS repositories, PST splitting for large exports, bulk mailbox selection from CSV, and audit logs that show object names instead of GUIDs. Security fixes appear in nearly every build.

Read the full ManageEngine M365 Security Plus trajectory →

What is Countly?

Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.

Countly 25.03.59 on November 13 is a large LTS patch. Clean installs and Docker images move to Node.js 26 and MongoDB 9.0, with older versions still working, and arm64 Docker images arrive. Security fixes tighten which apps a scoped token or member can reach across exports, dashboards, alerts and data tools, and wrong two-factor codes now count toward lockout.

Read the full Countly trajectory →

ManageEngine M365 Security Plus vs Countly: editorial side-by-side

M5.0

An on-prem M365 auditing tool whose releases are mostly dependency hygiene.

◆ Current state

M365 Security Plus is an on-premises Java application for auditing and alerting on Microsoft 365 activity, shipped as numbered builds a few times a year. The last two builds are typical of the pattern: 4821 upgrades the bundled JRE from Java 8 to 11 and refreshes 7-Zip and Jackson libraries, while 4820 carries the only real functional work in the window — mailbox backups to local, shared, or NAS repositories, PST splitting for large exports, bulk mailbox selection from CSV, and audit logs that show object names instead of GUIDs. Security fixes appear in nearly every build.

◆ Where it's heading

Two forces set the release agenda, and neither is a roadmap. The first is Microsoft: deprecated cmdlets forced an audit rewrite onto Get-MessageTraceV2, and a tenant configuration change broke onboarding until build 4817 patched around it. The second is the supply chain — Log4j, Tomcat, Bouncy Castle, Zulu JRE, and now the Java 8 to 11 jump, all tracked build by build because on-premises customers inherit whatever the vendor bundles. The product work that does land clusters around the Backup module, which is the one area growing rather than being maintained.

◆ Prediction

With the JRE finally past Java 8, Tomcat 9 is the next end-of-life dependency in the bundle, and the Backup module's steady additions suggest export and retention options continue there.

C
Countly
ANALYTICS
5.0

Countly 25.03.59 defaults to Node 26, supports MongoDB 9 and tightens app scoping.

◆ Current state

Countly 25.03.59 on November 13 is a large LTS patch. Clean installs and Docker images move to Node.js 26 and MongoDB 9.0, with older versions still working, and arm64 Docker images arrive. Security fixes tighten which apps a scoped token or member can reach across exports, dashboards, alerts and data tools, and wrong two-factor codes now count toward lockout.

◆ Where it's heading

Countly is still mostly hardening access control, carrying the token-scoping work from 25.03.58 into every plugin that reads or changes app data. At the same time it keeps the self-hosted stack on current runtimes.

◆ Prediction

Expect a 24.05 patch that backports these scoping fixes, as 24.05.55 did after 25.03.58.

Alternatives to ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly

Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either ManageEngine M365 Security Plus or Countly.

See all ManageEngine M365 Security Plus alternatives → · See all Countly alternatives →

Recent activity from ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 17h agoCountlyCountly 25.03.59: Node 26, MongoDB 9, app scoping fixes
  2. 14d agoCountlyCountly 24.05.55: token rules backported, Node 22 move
  3. 17d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.58: token scoping, revocation and access fixes
  4. 19d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.57-LTS distrusts emSign roots, fixes A/B setup
  5. 21d agoCountlyCountly 25.03.56-LTS: Node CVE patch, licence overdue banner
  6. 1mo agoCountlyCountly 25.03.55: throttled active-user refresh, explicit DB names
  7. 3mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4821: bundled JRE moves to Java 11
  8. 4mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4820: NAS backup targets, PST splitting, readable audits
  9. 5mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4817: tenant configuration unblocked
  10. 7mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4816: Export Graph data-access fix and Log4j upgrade
  11. 9mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4814: Duo SDK update before certificate expiry
  12. 10mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4811: proxy, scheduler, and SSL launch fixes

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is ManageEngine M365 Security Plus better than Countly?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ManageEngine M365 Security Plus and Countly are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to ManageEngine M365 Security Plus?

Top ManageEngine M365 Security Plus alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ManageEngine M365 Security Plus alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/manageengine-m365-security-plus for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to Countly?

Top Countly alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Countly alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/countly-server for the full list with editorial commentary on each.