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Comparison · Analytics
Hex vs ManageEngine M365 Security Plus
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Hex and ManageEngine M365 Security Plus — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Hex vs ManageEngine M365 Security Plus: at a glance
| Feature | Hex | ManageEngine M365 Security Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Analytics | Analytics |
| Velocity score | 6.3 | 5.0 |
| Sparks · 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Top themes | data-workspace, agentic-analytics, generative-apps, cli | microsoft-365, security-auditing, on-premises, dependency-upgrades |
| Last editorial update | 5d ago | 1mo ago |
| Website | — | Visit → |
What is Hex?
Hex pulled its agent out of the notebook and made it callable from anywhere.
Hex is a data workspace that has spent 2026 turning its agent into the primary interface. The agent is now reachable from the CLI and API as well as the notebook, reads whole Slack threads for context, picks between frontier models with the choice made visible, and can see the generative apps it builds. Around it sit the controls a finance team asks for: spend limits on auto top-ups, credit usage policy, admin-set default models.
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.
Hex vs ManageEngine M365 Security Plus: editorial side-by-side
Hex
6.3ANALYTICS
Hex pulled its agent out of the notebook and made it callable from anywhere.
◆ Current state
Hex is a data workspace that has spent 2026 turning its agent into the primary interface. The agent is now reachable from the CLI and API as well as the notebook, reads whole Slack threads for context, picks between frontier models with the choice made visible, and can see the generative apps it builds. Around it sit the controls a finance team asks for: spend limits on auto top-ups, credit usage policy, admin-set default models.
◆ Where it's heading
Two things are being built in parallel. The agent is escaping its container - first into Codex, then Slack threads, then the CLI and API - which turns Hex from a place you go into a service other tools call. Meanwhile the generative app is becoming a real artifact rather than a demo: its code is editable, it exports CSVs, it can be branded, and the agent can look at what it produced. The model layer underneath is treated as swappable, refreshed as new frontier models land.
◆ Prediction
Expect the credit controls to harden further as agent usage moves to CLI and API, where consumption is harder for an admin to see than in the notebook.
ManageEngine M365 Security Plus
5.0ANALYTICS
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.
Alternatives to Hex and ManageEngine M365 Security 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 M365 Security Plus.
Chord
Chord is turning its analytics assistant into something with memory, and now feeding it more sources
Datawrapper
Datawrapper ships one small fix at a time, each named for the chart it touches
Holistics
After a summer fencing in its AI layer, Holistics points it at the question analysts get asked most.
dbt Core
Fusion's 2.0 train has become adapter work: Exasol from scratch, ClickHouse toward parity.
AgencyAnalytics
Reporting tool turning itself into the place agencies prove AI visibility to clients
See all Hex alternatives → · See all ManageEngine M365 Security Plus alternatives →
Recent activity from Hex and ManageEngine M365 Security Plus
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6d agoHexChart controls and easier collaboration
- 22d agoHexThe Hex Agent reads a whole Slack thread, then opens a notebook
- 23d agoHexFast mode, GPT-5.6, and visible model attribution for Auto
- 1mo agoHexHex Agent becomes callable from the CLI and API ⚡
- 1mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4821: bundled JRE moves to Java 11
- 1mo agoHexEditable generative-app code, and an agent that sees what it builds
- 1mo agoHexMore control over credits, thread metadata, and role requests
- 1mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4820: NAS backup targets, PST splitting, readable audits
- 2mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4817: tenant configuration unblocked
- 5mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4816: Export Graph data-access fix and Log4j upgrade
- 7mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4814: Duo SDK update before certificate expiry
- 7mo agoManageEngine M365 Security PlusBuild 4811: proxy, scheduler, and SSL launch fixes
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Hex and ManageEngine M365 Security Plus?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. Hex is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 M365 Security Plus?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Hex is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 5.0), 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 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.