PortGuard vs AccessPatrol: Which USB Device Control Is Right for You?

If you're evaluating USB device control solutions, AccessPatrol by CurrentWare is likely on your shortlist. It's an established player with a broad feature set for endpoint security. But how does it compare to PortGuard for organizations that need fast, cloud-native USB policy management?

We put both products side by side across the categories that matter most to IT admins: deployment, real-time enforcement, pricing transparency, and day-to-day management.

Feature Comparison Table

Where PortGuard Wins

1. Zero Infrastructure

AccessPatrol requires a dedicated Windows Server to run the CurrentWare Console and SQL Server database. That means provisioning hardware or a VM, maintaining backups, and keeping the server patched. If your management server goes down, you lose visibility and policy control until it's restored.

PortGuard is 100% SaaS — sign up, download the agent, and you're managing USB policies in minutes. No servers, no database administration, no VPN tunnels to maintain. We handle uptime, backups, and scaling so your team doesn't have to.

2. Real-Time Policy Enforcement

PortGuard uses MQTT (the same protocol powering IoT at scale) to push policy changes to endpoints in under one second. When you block a device class or whitelist a specific USB drive, the change reaches every connected endpoint immediately.

AccessPatrol relies on a polling model where agents check the server on a configurable interval. In practice, this means policies can take minutes to propagate. During an active security incident — say, a reported data exfiltration attempt — those minutes matter. PortGuard lets you lock down USB access across your entire fleet in under a second.

3. Transparent, Predictable Pricing

PortGuard publishes pricing on our website: free for up to 5 devices, $2/device/month for Starter (up to 100 devices), $5/device/month for Pro with API access, and $8/device/month for Enterprise with SSO and SIEM integration. Annual plans save an additional 10%. You see exact costs before you sign up.

AccessPatrol requires contacting sales for a quote, and pricing is typically per-seat with annual commitments. Without published pricing, it's harder to compare options or get budget approval quickly. With PortGuard, you always know what you're paying.

4. API-First Design

PortGuard exposes a full REST API for every operation — list devices, push policies, pull audit logs, manage tenants. This makes it straightforward to integrate USB device control into your existing RMM, SIEM, or automation workflows. AccessPatrol does not offer a public API, limiting integration options to what the console provides.

5. Native Multi-Tenancy for MSPs

If you manage USB policies across multiple client organizations, PortGuard's native multi-tenancy lets you manage every client from a single login with full data isolation between tenants. AccessPatrol's architecture is designed for single-organization use — supporting multiple clients typically requires separate server deployments for each, multiplying your infrastructure overhead.

Where AccessPatrol Wins

Broader Endpoint Suite

AccessPatrol is part of CurrentWare's broader endpoint monitoring suite, which includes BrowseControl (web filtering), BrowseReporter (activity monitoring), and enPowerManager (power management). If you need an all-in-one endpoint management platform covering web, application, and USB control under one roof, CurrentWare offers more breadth. PortGuard is laser-focused on USB device control — we do one thing and do it well.

File Transfer Logging

AccessPatrol can log specific files transferred to USB devices, providing a detailed audit trail for data loss prevention. If your compliance requirements mandate knowing exactly which files were copied to removable media, AccessPatrol has a more mature capability here. PortGuard currently focuses on device-level allow/block policies and event logging.

Total Cost of Ownership: 50 Devices Over 1 Year

PortGuard's SaaS model eliminates server infrastructure costs entirely. For a 50-device deployment, the savings in server hosting, database licensing, and admin time can easily exceed the difference in software cost — before accounting for the hours your team won't spend troubleshooting server connectivity issues.

Switching from AccessPatrol to PortGuard

Migration is straightforward. PortGuard's agent runs alongside or as a replacement for AccessPatrol's agent with no conflicts. Most teams complete the switch in under an hour:

1. Sign up for a free PortGuard account at app.portguard.tech
2. Download and deploy the lightweight agent (< 4 MB) via your RMM or manually
3. Configure your USB policies in the web console — block, allow, or whitelist by device
4. Verify real-time enforcement on a test group
5. Roll out fleet-wide and uninstall the CurrentWare agent

Frequently Asked Questions