MSPs want proof, not just pitches. To help you make smarter buying decisions, we’re pleased to share ChannelPro’s second annual Brand Preference Guide. We surveyed about 400 MSPs, MSSPs, VARs, and IT consultants at six regional, in-person conferences and asked them about their vendor and distributor relationships. The result is a data set you can trust when weighing new business relationships.
How the Brand Preference Guide Works
We asked qualified channel partners to rate 80 leading IT brands across three areas:
- Partner Program and Support: Onboarding, channel resources, account management, and how well the vendor helped partners grow
- Solution Reliability: Day-to-day performance, stability, and security
- Peer Recommendation: Whether an MSP would recommend the vendor to another MSP or colleague
The Takeaway
Your peers gave us a detailed, ground-level view of vendor and distributor performance. The Brand Preference Guide reinforces a clear message from the channel: Trust is earned through performance, partnership, and peer validation. The 2026 results reveal both consistency and meaningful momentum from vendors and distributors that listened, invested, and improved. From powerhouse incumbents to fast risers to standout newcomers, the data shows where MSPs are placing their confidence. We urge you to investigate all the great companies in each category and take these rankings into consideration as you build the perfect stack.
We consolidated the data into three Top 50 lists featuring the highest-ranking brands. See which vendors and distributors made the lists below.
In addition, the elite brands were named winners in our Channel Choice Awards.
Best Partner Program & Support
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 1 | Pax8 |
| 2 | Microsoft Corp. |
| 3 | Huntress |
| 4 | ThreatLocker |
| 5 | APC by Schneider Electric |
| 6 | Lenovo |
| 7 | Datto (a Kaseya Company) |
| 8 | Cisco Systems Inc. |
| 9 | Dell Technologies |
| 10 | Barracuda |
| 11 | Kaseya |
| 12 | TD SYNNEX |
| 13 | Galactic Advisors |
| 14 | Fortinet |
| 15 | Ingram Micro |
| 16 | SonicWall |
| 17 | Acronis Inc. |
| 18 | ConnectWise LLC |
| 19 | Cytracom |
| 20 | D&H Distributing |
| 21 | Proofpoint Inc. |
| 22 | CyberFOX |
| 23 | Check Point |
| 24 | GoTo/LogMeIn |
| 25 | SaaS Alerts |
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 26 | Sophos |
| 27 | CyberQP |
| 28 | Addigy |
| 29 | DNSFilter |
| 30 | LastPass |
| 31 | OpenText |
| 32 | Blackpoint Holdings Inc. |
| 33 | Buffalo Americas Inc. |
| 34 | Arrow |
| 35 | ViewSonic |
| 36 | TeamViewer |
| 37 | Carbon Systems |
| 38 | Blumira |
| 39 | Egnyte |
| 40 | Cork Inc. |
| 41 | CyberGuard360 |
| 42 | AnyDesk |
| 43 | Avast |
| 44 | bvoip LLC (1stream) |
| 45 | NUSO |
| 46 | Alternative Payments |
| 47 | BLOKWORX |
| 48 | Climb Channel Solutions |
| 49 | Channel Hunters |
| 50 | FlexPoint |
Best Solution Reliability
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Corp. |
| 2 | Pax8 |
| 3 | Lenovo |
| 4 | APC by Schneider Electric |
| 5 | Huntress |
| 6 | Cisco Systems Inc. |
| 7 | Datto (a Kaseya Company) |
| 8 | Dell Technologies |
| 9 | ThreatLocker |
| 10 | Acronis Inc. |
| 11 | Fortinet |
| 12 | Kaseya |
| 13 | TD SYNNEX |
| 14 | Ingram Micro |
| 15 | Barracuda |
| 16 | SonicWall |
| 17 | Galactic Advisors |
| 18 | ConnectWise LLC |
| 19 | GoTo/LogMeIn |
| 20 | Check Point |
| 21 | Cytracom |
| 22 | Proofpoint Inc. |
| 23 | D&H Distributing |
| 24 | CyberFOX |
| 25 | Sophos |
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 26 | LastPass |
| 27 | DNSFilter |
| 28 | Addigy |
| 29 | SaaS Alerts |
| 30 | CyberQP |
| 31 | ViewSonic |
| 32 | Blackpoint Holdings Inc. |
| 33 | TeamViewer |
| 34 | OpenText |
| 35 | Buffalo Americas Inc. |
| 36 | Carbon Systems |
| 37 | Egnyte |
| 38 | Arrow |
| 39 | AnyDesk |
| 40 | Blumira |
| 41 | Cork Inc. |
| 42 | Avast |
| 43 | NUSO |
| 44 | CyberGuard360 |
| 45 | Alternative Payments |
| 46 | bvoip LLC (1stream) |
| 47 | Climb Channel Solutions |
| 48 | BLOKWORX |
| 49 | Channel Hunters |
| 50 | MSP Trusted Advisors |
Most Recommended by MSPs
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft Corp. |
| 2 | Pax8 |
| 3 | APC by Schneider Electric |
| 4 | Lenovo |
| 5 | Dell Technologies |
| 6 | Datto (a Kaseya Company) |
| 7 | Huntress |
| 8 | Acronis Inc. |
| 9 | Cisco Systems Inc. |
| 10 | ThreatLocker |
| 11 | TD SYNNEX |
| 12 | Ingram Micro |
| 13 | Barracuda |
| 14 | SonicWall |
| 15 | Fortinet |
| 16 | ConnectWise LLC |
| 17 | Kaseya |
| 18 | D&H Distributing |
| 19 | Galactic Advisors |
| 20 | CyberFOX |
| 21 | Cytracom |
| 22 | GoTo/LogMeIn |
| 23 | Check Point |
| 24 | Addigy |
| 25 | Proofpoint Inc. |
| Rank | Company |
|---|---|
| 26 | Sophos |
| 27 | LastPass |
| 28 | DNSFilter |
| 29 | Buffalo Americas Inc. |
| 30 | ViewSonic |
| 31 | AnyDesk |
| 32 | CyberQP |
| 33 | Arrow |
| 34 | OpenText |
| 35 | SaaS Alerts |
| 36 | Blackpoint Holdings Inc. |
| 37 | Carbon Systems |
| 38 | TeamViewer |
| 39 | Alternative Payments |
| 40 | Blumira |
| 41 | Egnyte |
| 42 | Avast |
| 43 | bvoip LLC (1stream) |
| 44 | Alta Labs |
| 45 | CyberGuard360 |
| 46 | Climb Channel Solutions |
| 47 | Cork Inc. |
| 48 | Channel Hunters |
| 49 | FlexPoint |
| 50 | BLOKWORX |
Featured image: Mujhid_Muneer — stock.adobe.com
