OpenPanel
OpenPanel ships 3.1.0 and 3.1.1 within a day of 3.0, all supporter-first builds with no notes.
Comparison · Analytics
Hex vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Hex and ManageEngine ADManager Plus — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Hex vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus: at a glance
| Feature | Hex | ManageEngine ADManager Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Analytics | Analytics |
| Velocity score | 6.3 | 2.5 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | ai agents, generative apps, agent governance, evals | active directory, identity management, marketplace extensions, maintenance builds |
| Last editorial update | 17d ago | 2mo ago |
| Website | — | Visit → |
What is Hex?
Hex turns its agent from a query helper into a governed app builder.
Hex now ships weekly around two surfaces: the Hex Agent and Generative Apps. The agent builds projects from chat, runs under published eval suites, and works through Slack, CLI and API; Generative Apps have gained chat, scheduled exports, direct text editing and targeted chart edits. The latest release adds classifications of agent activity, giving admins a view of what the team actually asks the agent to do.
What is ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
ADManager Plus opened to third-party identity apps in January, then shipped six months of fixes.
Six builds since late January, and five are almost entirely defect work: scheduled reports failing to send as email content, mobile app logins on iOS and Android, CPU spikes after upgrade, a broken Log360 SOAR integration, M365 automation-policy tasks failing, and a JRE bump to 11.86.19. The exceptions are Build 8036, which added Security group type to the M365 Modify Single Group action, and Build 8034, which introduced Marketplace Extensions so administrators can install third-party application extensions and manage identities in those applications from inside ADManager Plus.
Hex vs ManageEngine ADManager Plus: editorial side-by-side
Hex
6.3ANALYTICS
Hex turns its agent from a query helper into a governed app builder.
◆ Current state
Hex now ships weekly around two surfaces: the Hex Agent and Generative Apps. The agent builds projects from chat, runs under published eval suites, and works through Slack, CLI and API; Generative Apps have gained chat, scheduled exports, direct text editing and targeted chart edits. The latest release adds classifications of agent activity, giving admins a view of what the team actually asks the agent to do.
◆ Where it's heading
The work has shifted from adding agent capability to making that capability manageable: evals, approval skipping, bring-your-own-provider, model visibility, and now usage classification. Generative Apps are being rounded out in parallel so that agent-built output can be edited, shared and scheduled like a regular Hex app.
◆ Prediction
Expect the activity classifications to feed further admin tooling, such as usage reporting tied to credits or evals, alongside continued weekly iteration on Generative App editing.
ManageEngine ADManager Plus
2.5ANALYTICS
ADManager Plus opened to third-party identity apps in January, then shipped six months of fixes.
◆ Current state
Six builds since late January, and five are almost entirely defect work: scheduled reports failing to send as email content, mobile app logins on iOS and Android, CPU spikes after upgrade, a broken Log360 SOAR integration, M365 automation-policy tasks failing, and a JRE bump to 11.86.19. The exceptions are Build 8036, which added Security group type to the M365 Modify Single Group action, and Build 8034, which introduced Marketplace Extensions so administrators can install third-party application extensions and manage identities in those applications from inside ADManager Plus.
◆ Where it's heading
The extensibility move is the only structural change in the window, and nothing has built on it since. What follows is a maintenance train — roughly one build every six to eight weeks, carrying fix roll-ups and one security patch — which reads as a mature on-premises product prioritising stability for existing installs over new surface.
◆ Prediction
On this cadence the next build is most likely another fix roll-up. Whether Marketplace Extensions gets a second act is not answerable from these entries.
Alternatives to Hex and ManageEngine ADManager Plus
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 Hex or ManageEngine ADManager Plus.
OpenHouse
OpenHouse starts simplifying replication by making its catalog, not Iceberg metadata, the source.
Basedash
Basedash adds view-only seats so whole departments can read dashboards without editing.
OpenReplay
OpenReplay adds offline license tokens so air-gapped installs can run licensed.
Tinybird
Tinybird switches off Classic for Free and Developer plans, leaving Forward as the only path.
OpenCTI
OpenCTI's weekly train now merges entities in the knowledge view and reads defanged IOCs.
See all Hex alternatives → · See all ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives →
Recent activity from Hex and ManageEngine ADManager Plus
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 18d agoHexSee how your team uses the agent
- 25d agoHexExplore and share insights from Generative Apps
- 1mo agoHexPublish eval suites, skip approvals, and build Hex projects from your chat agent ⚡
- 1mo agoHexMore control over Generative app iteration
- 1mo agoHexChart controls and easier collaboration
- 2mo agoHexStart building an app right from your conversation
- 3mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8043: report email, mobile login and CPU spike fixes
- 5mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8042: Log360 integration, M365 automation and security fixes
- 7mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuilds 8040-8041: JRE 11.86.19 upgrade and GUI fixes
- 8mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8036: Security group support in M365 group modification
- 8mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8035: %empty% macro and report-basis regression fixes
- 8mo agoManageEngine ADManager PlusBuild 8034: Marketplace Extensions manage third-party app identities ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hex and ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Hex is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Hex better than ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Hex is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Hex?
Top Hex alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Hex alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hex for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
Top ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ManageEngine ADManager Plus alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/manageengine-admanager-plus for the full list with editorial commentary on each.