Best Mobile Device Management Software in 2026 | Top Trending

Microsoft Intune is the best overall choice for most organizations in 2026. Scalefusion is the better answer if your fleet is rugged scanners, kiosks, or single-purpose devices rather than laptops and phones.

Last updated: August 30, 2026. PickMySoft is reader-supported and independently researched. Every price, tier, MCP claim, and platform detail below came from vendor documentation on that date.

Why You Need Mobile Device Management Software

• A lost laptop is a breach without remote wipe. Every platform here can lock or erase a device remotely, which turns a stolen machine from an incident into a support ticket.
• Manual provisioning does not survive growth. Zero-touch enrollment through Apple Business Manager, Android Enterprise, or Windows Autopilot ships a configured device straight to a desk.
• Compliance needs evidence, not intentions. Policy enforcement that reports its own state is what turns a disk-encryption requirement into something an auditor can verify.
• Unpatched endpoints are the cheapest way in. Automated OS and third-party patching closes the window that most real intrusions still use.
• Personal devices need separation, not surveillance. Containerization and app protection policies secure company data on a phone the company does not own.
• The licensing unit decides the bill. Per-device and per-user pricing produce very different invoices for the same fleet, which is the first thing to work out and the last thing most comparisons mention.

How We Evaluated

We scoped this to platforms that enroll, configure, and enforce policy on managed endpoints. Pure endpoint security tools are a separate category, covered in our endpoint security roundup. Each product was scored on pricing transparency, licensing unit, OS coverage, AI and MCP maturity, API depth, and deployment flexibility. We paid particular attention to minimum device counts and tier gating, because both routinely disqualify a product after the price has already sold it. Facts came from vendor pricing pages and official documentation only, never from a competitor's comparison page or a review aggregator. Full criteria live in our methodology.

1. Microsoft Intune

Intune wins on arithmetic more than on features. If your organization already pays for Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, Plan 1 is included, and the marginal cost of adopting it is close to nothing. It also has the broadest operating system coverage in this comparison, including Ubuntu and RHEL, which most rivals skip entirely. The catch is that reaching parity with a dedicated competitor usually means stacking paid add-ons on top.

Pricing: Plan 1 is $8 per user monthly paid yearly. Plan 2 is a $4 add-on, and the Intune Suite is a $10 add-on that includes Plan 2. Standalone add-ons run $3.50 for Remote Help, $3.00 for Endpoint Privilege Management, $5.00 for Advanced Analytics, $2.00 for Enterprise Application Management, and $2.00 for Cloud PKI. Microsoft Learn confirms Intune ships inside Microsoft 365 E3, E5, and E7, and inside A3 and A5 for education. USD.

Top Features

• Cross-platform mobile device and app management
• App protection policies without full device enrollment
• Compliance policies feeding Entra Conditional Access
• Windows Autopilot zero-touch provisioning
• Endpoint Privilege Management for standard-user elevation
• Remote Help attended remote assistance

Pros

• Already paid for inside Microsoft 365 E3 and E5
• Widest OS coverage here, including Ubuntu and RHEL
• Conditional Access and Defender signals share one control plane

Cons

• Device-only licenses lose app protection and Conditional Access
• Feature parity requires stacking Plan 2 or Suite add-ons

AI/MCP Integration: Adjacent, not device management. Microsoft ships an Enterprise MCP server in public preview exposing three read-only Microsoft Graph tools scoped to Entra identity, directory, and device insights. It does not perform Intune device-management operations, and no official Intune-specific MCP server exists as of August 30, 2026. Community servers wrapping the Graph Intune API exist but are unaffiliated with Microsoft.

API Integration: Yes. The Microsoft Graph API for Intune supports delegated and application permissions with read and write access. Graph licensing terms require an Intune license for any user or device benefiting through the API.

Cloud Based: Yes, SaaS only. There is no on-premises Intune. The nearest equivalent is co-management with Microsoft Configuration Manager, which splits workloads between the two; legacy hybrid MDM is retired and unsupported.

Platforms: Windows 11 and 10 including LTSC builds, Windows 365 Cloud PCs, Windows Holographic for Business, iOS and iPadOS 17 and later, macOS 14 and later, Android 10 and later for user-based enrollment and 8.0 for userless, Samsung Knox 3.0 and later, Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, RHEL 9 and 10, and ChromeOS.

Best For: Any organization already on Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, especially Windows-majority fleets that want device compliance feeding Conditional Access.

Editor score: 4.5/5. The best value in the category for existing Microsoft tenants, and the broadest OS list. Licensing complexity and the crippled device-only license are the two real traps.

2. Jamf Pro

Jamf is what Apple-heavy organizations buy, and the reason is timing: support for new macOS and iOS releases lands on day one rather than months later. Declarative Device Management, Blueprints, and Apple Business Manager workflows are all first-class here. Commercial packaging has shifted, though. The old Jamf Business Plan is now sold as Jamf for Mac and Jamf for Mobile, and Jamf Pro is no longer publicly sold as a standalone MDM outside those bundles.

Pricing: Custom-quoted. Jamf's own pricing pages publish no numbers and direct buyers to a representative or reseller. Widely reported street rates of $12.50 per device monthly for Jamf for Mac and $5.75 for Jamf for Mobile, both annual with a 25-device minimum, come from third-party pricing trackers and are not confirmed on Jamf's official site as of August 30, 2026. Jamf's own AWS Marketplace listing shows a Jamf Business Plan at $50,000 per 12-month contract. Jamf Now covers the first three devices free, which is confirmed officially.

Top Features

• Zero-touch deployment via Apple Business Manager
• Smart Groups for dynamic device targeting
• Blueprints using Apple Declarative Device Management
• Automated hardware, software, and security inventory
• Self Service+ app catalog for end users
• Compliance benchmarks with automated remediation

Pros

• Same-day support for new Apple OS releases
• Official open-source MCP server with 40 Jamf Pro tools
• On-premises Jamf Pro server still documented and supported

Cons

• No published pricing at any tier
• Windows is security coverage only, never managed

AI/MCP Integration: Official. Jamf publishes an open-source server at Jamf-Concepts/mcp-hub covering 40 Jamf Pro tools, 6 Jamf Protect tools, and 2 Jamf Security Cloud tools under MIT, distributed as-is without an explicit support warranty. A hosted documentation MCP endpoint also exists at developer.jamf.com/mcp.

API Integration: Yes. The Jamf Pro API and Classic API are documented at developer.jamf.com, alongside separate Jamf Platform, Jamf School, Jamf Protect, and Jamf Security APIs.

Cloud Based: Yes, Jamf Cloud is the default. On-premises Jamf Pro is still supported with current server documentation, though cloud is actively promoted. Jamf Now and Jamf School are cloud-only.

Platforms: Full management on macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, and watchOS. Android gets lightweight enrollment through Manager for Android plus Android Enterprise support. Windows receives network-layer security coverage through Jamf Connect and threat defense, not device management. If you need to image and configure Windows PCs, this is the wrong tool.

Best For: Apple-first organizations that need new OS releases supported the day they ship, and that can absorb a 25-device minimum on an annual contract.

Editor score: 4.4/5. Unmatched Apple depth and a genuinely useful official MCP server. Scored down for publishing no pricing and for bundling Jamf Pro out of standalone availability.

3. Scalefusion

Scalefusion is the one on this list built for hardware that is not a laptop. Direct OEM relationships with Zebra, Honeywell, Datalogic, Janam, and Cyrus give it firmware-level control over rugged scanners and mobile computers that generic platforms cannot reach, and its kiosk lockdown covers single-app and multi-app modes on Android, iOS, and Windows POS. It is also the cheapest paid entry point here at $2 per device.

Pricing: UEM tiers are Essential $2, Growth $3.50, Business $5, and Enterprise $6 per device monthly, billed annually with no monthly option and a 10-device minimum. OneIdP is $4 for Access Core and $5 for Access Pro. Veltar is $3 for Security Core and $4 for Security Pro. The Scalefusion 360 Enterprise Suite bundles UEM Enterprise, OneIdP Access Pro, and Veltar Security Pro at $12.42 per device monthly against $15 bought separately. USD, 14-day trial.

Top Features

• Single-app and multi-app kiosk lockdown across three OSes
• OEM-specific rugged device configuration via OEMConfig
• Zero-touch and Autopilot bulk enrollment provisioning
• Unattended remote troubleshooting and remote control
• OS update and third-party patch management
• Geofencing, location tracking, and compliance workflows

Pros

• Cheapest paid entry in this comparison at $2 per device
• Firmware-level control on Zebra, Honeywell, and Datalogic hardware
• Manages tvOS, IoT, Linux, ChromeOS, and printers

Cons

• Annual prepay only, with no monthly billing at any tier
• Developer API needs the $5 tier, webhooks the $6 tier

AI/MCP Integration: None. No official Scalefusion MCP server exists, and no community implementation was found as of August 30, 2026.

API Integration: Yes, with gating. A REST developer API and webhooks are documented, but API access requires the Business tier and webhooks require Enterprise, so the two cheapest plans cannot automate against it.

Cloud Based: Yes. There is no self-hosted dashboard. The On-Premise Connector is an Enterprise-tier encrypted bridge from the cloud console to on-premises AD, LDAP, and internal services, which makes a hybrid model rather than an on-premises install.

Platforms: Android, iOS, tvOS, IoT devices, Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, and printer management. Coverage is tier-gated: Essential is effectively Android and iOS only, with everything else unlocking at Growth and above.

Best For: Retail, logistics, and field-service fleets running rugged scanners, kiosks, digital signage, or single-purpose devices.

Editor score: 4.3/5. The strongest rugged and kiosk tooling at the lowest entry price. Annual-only billing and API gating behind the $5 tier are what hold it back.

4. JumpCloud

JumpCloud is the only vendor here that will let a small IT team retire Active Directory and a separate MDM at the same time. Directory, SSO, MFA, and cross-OS device management sit in one console, and device management is genuinely purchasable standalone rather than bundled behind identity you did not want. The meter is the problem: it counts users, not devices, even on the device-only product.

Pricing: Device Management is $9 per user monthly billed annually, or $11 monthly. SSO is $11 and $13, and Device Identity Management is $13 and $15. Platform Essentials, Platform, and Platform Prime are custom-quoted. À la carte add-on modules run $3.00 to $6.00 per user monthly, and Premium Support adds $2.00 to $3.00. The permanent free plan of 10 users and 10 devices is closed to accounts created on or after February 1, 2024; new accounts get a 30-day trial. USD.

Top Features

• Cross-OS device management from one console
• Cloud directory replacing on-premises Active Directory
• SSO with SAML and OIDC applications
• Multi-factor and passwordless authentication
• Patch management across Windows, macOS, and Linux
• Remote assist and System Insights device telemetry

Pros

• Official MCP server that enforces existing RBAC
• Device management sold standalone without buying identity
• Directory, SSO, MFA, and MDM in a single console

Cons

• Priced per user, which penalizes multi-device and shared fleets
• Platform and Platform Prime packages have no published price

AI/MCP Integration: Official. JumpCloud ships a first-party MCP server for administrators that enforces existing role-based access control, with documented support for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, and Goose.

API Integration: Yes. REST APIs v1 and v2 with x-api-key header authentication, documented at docs.jumpcloud.com.

Cloud Based: Yes, and only. JumpCloud integrates with on-premises Active Directory through an agent, but the platform itself cannot be self-hosted.

Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, and Android. The JumpCloud agent installs on Windows, macOS, and Linux; mobile is agentless MDM and EMM.

Best For: Small and mid-size IT teams replacing Active Directory and MDM together, where headcount and device count are close to equal.

Editor score: 4.2/5. The most consolidation per dollar if you need identity anyway. Per-user metering on a device-management product is the structural flaw.

5. Hexnode UEM

Hexnode covers more operating systems for the money than anything else here, including visionOS, tvOS, Fire OS, Android TV, Linux, and Zebra Link OS printers. Three genuine kiosk lockdown modes come standard. One caution before shortlisting it: the on-premises deployment that buyers often come looking for does not exist yet.

Pricing: Pro is $2.20, Enterprise $3.20, and Ultimate $4.70 per device monthly, with Ultra quote-only. Minimum 15 devices, 14-day trial, and 10 percent off for annual billing. The $1 to $5 Express-through-Ultra ladder still circulating in help-center text and third-party listings is stale; the Express tier no longer appears on the live pricing page. USD.

Top Features

• Zero-touch enrollment across ADE, Knox, and Autopilot
• Kiosk lockdown in single-app, multi-app, and web modes
• Automated OS and third-party patch management
• Remote monitoring, remote control, and device actions
• Policy-driven compliance and endpoint threat detection
• Scripting and automation workflows with Genie AI

Pros

• Broadest OS list here, from visionOS to Zebra printers
• Three distinct kiosk lockdown modes at mid-market pricing
• Well-documented REST API across 13 endpoint groups

Cons

• No MCP server, official or community
• On-premises deployment is announced roadmap, not purchasable

AI/MCP Integration: None documented as of August 30, 2026. No official Hexnode MCP server exists, and no community implementation was found. Genie AI is an in-product automation assistant, which is a different thing.

API Integration: Yes. A RESTful JSON API with API-key authentication over HTTPS, covering devices, users, groups, policies, applications, app catalogs, actions, reports, content, organizational units, and automations.

Cloud Based: Yes, and it is the only shipping model. A community forum post dated March 30, 2026 previews an on-premises virtual appliance for 5,000 to 40,000-device fleets, worded as a future release. Treat on-premises as roadmap rather than a differentiator you can buy.

Platforms: Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Windows, tvOS, visionOS, Fire OS, Linux, ChromeOS, Android TV, wearables, and Zebra Link OS printers.

Best For: Mixed fleets with unusual endpoints, where one console needs to cover phones, laptops, TVs, wearables, and label printers at mid-market pricing.

Editor score: 4.1/5. Remarkable OS breadth per dollar. The missing MCP server and the on-premises option that is not actually available keep it here.

6. ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus

This is the only product in the comparison with a permanent, generally available free tier, which makes it the default answer whenever someone asks about free mobile device management software. It runs on both cloud and on-premises, and it is also the only one here still selling perpetual licenses. Before shortlisting, understand the sibling-product question: Endpoint Central is ManageEngine's broader suite that already contains MDM, so MDM Plus is the right buy only when mobile is the entire scope.

Pricing: Free is $0 for up to 25 devices, permanently, on cloud or on-premises, starting as a 30-day unlimited trial that converts. Standard runs $495 a year for 50 devices on-premises up to $29,995 for 10,000, or $645 a year for 50 on cloud, with headline rates of $9.90 per device yearly on-premises and $1.28 per device monthly on cloud. Professional runs $895 a year for 50 devices on-premises up to $53,995, or $1,195 for 50 on cloud, at $17.90 per device yearly and $2.38 monthly. Perpetual on-premises licenses run $1,485 to $161,985. Extra technicians are priced separately. USD.

Top Features

• Single-console enrollment across six OS families
• Full app lifecycle management and distribution
• Security policy and restriction enforcement
• Corporate email configuration and containment
• Secure document and content distribution
• Containerization separating corporate and personal data

Pros

• Permanent 25-device free edition on cloud and on-premises
• Only vendor here still offering perpetual licensing
• On-premises costs materially less per device than cloud

Cons

• No MCP server for this product, only for Endpoint Central
• Free edition excludes DLP, FileVault, and remote troubleshooting

AI/MCP Integration: None for this product. ManageEngine publishes an official MCP server for its sibling product Endpoint Central, which is a common source of confusion, but it does not cover Mobile Device Manager Plus.

API Integration: Yes. An official REST API covering devices, apps, profiles, and content, with API-key authentication on-premises and Zoho OAuth 2.0 on cloud.

Cloud Based: Yes, and on-premises is fully supported. Pricing differs materially between them, with on-premises cheaper per device and the only route to perpetual licensing.

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, Android, Windows, and ChromeOS, covering phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs, and rugged devices.

Best For: Budget-constrained teams under 25 devices, and organizations that need on-premises MDM with a perpetual license rather than a subscription.

Editor score: 4.0/5. The free tier and perpetual on-premises licensing are real advantages nobody else matches. The free edition's marketing overstates its scope, and the absence of MCP is now conspicuous.

7. Iru

Start with the name. Kandji announced its rename to Iru on October 22, 2025, and rebranded the product surfaces on April 8, 2026, down to the agent, the enrollment portals, and the icon. Anything still calling this Kandji is out of date, though api.kandji.io still resolves for backward compatibility. The platform itself has changed too: Windows and Android management arrived with the rebrand, so this is no longer an Apple-only tool.

Pricing: Custom-quoted, with no public numbers. The official pricing page states that cost depends on the solutions, users, and devices involved, and directs buyers to request a quote. One firm published constraint: contracts are annual commitments billed annually. Endpoint detection and response is a separate paid add-on, not included. Reseller and negotiation figures circulate but are not vendor-published, so we are not quoting them as list price.

Top Features

• Assignment Maps for conflict-free configuration scoping
• Auto Apps patching 200 or more Mac and Windows apps
• Zero-touch deployment with Liftoff onboarding
• Self Service portal for approved applications
• Security templates mapped to CIS benchmarks
• Compliance automation with evidence mapping

Pros

• Configuration drift self-corrects on every device check-in
• Official MCP server exposing the full enterprise API
• Curated 200-app patch library needs no installer packaging

Cons

• No published pricing and annual-commitment billing only
• EDR is a paid add-on rather than an included capability

AI/MCP Integration: Official. Iru ships a first-party MCP server exposing its Enterprise API as MCP tools, enabled with an API token that has MCP turned on and authenticated through X-API-Key and X-MCP-Profile headers. Documented clients include Claude Desktop, Cursor, and OpenAI Codex. MCP calls share the tenant's 10,000 requests per hour limit.

API Integration: Yes. The Iru Endpoint Management API is documented at api-docs.iru.com with US and EU regional base URLs and a 10,000 requests per hour per-tenant rate limit.

Cloud Based: Yes, and only. Iru is AWS-hosted SaaS with no self-hosted or on-premises deployment.

Platforms: macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, Windows, and Android. Linux is not supported. Windows and Android support is new as of the October 2025 rebrand and considerably shallower than a decade of Apple depth.

Best For: Apple-majority organizations that want configuration to self-heal continuously rather than only at enrollment, and that are comfortable buying through a sales cycle.

Editor score: 3.9/5. Assignment Maps are the best automation model in this comparison. Publishing no pricing at all, on annual-only terms, is what puts it last.

Comparison Table

How to Choose Mobile Device Management Software

• Settle per-device versus per-user before comparing prices. Intune and JumpCloud meter users; Jamf, Hexnode, Scalefusion, and ManageEngine meter devices. A fleet averaging two devices per person changes the ranking entirely.
• Check the minimum device count first. Scalefusion needs 10, Hexnode 15, and Jamf 25. Anyone shopping for mobile device management software for small business use should read that line before the price line, because at 12 people it eliminates most of this list before features matter.
• Audit what you already own. Microsoft Learn confirms Intune Plan 1 is included in E3, E5, and E7, so buying a third-party platform alongside those licenses means paying twice for the same capability.
• Verify on-premises claims rather than trusting them. Only Jamf and ManageEngine genuinely sell it here. Hexnode's is a roadmap post, and Scalefusion's On-Premise Connector is a bridge to internal directories, not a self-hosted console.
• Confirm the OS list covers your actual edge cases. Linux rules out Iru and Jamf. Rugged scanners point to Scalefusion. Apple TV, wearables, and label printers point to Hexnode.
• Read the tier gating, not just the tier price. Scalefusion's API needs the $5 plan and webhooks the $6 plan, and Intune's device-only license cannot use app protection policies or Conditional Access at all.
• Ask whether MCP matters to your team yet. Only Jamf, JumpCloud, and Iru ship official servers. If agent-driven administration is on your roadmap, that shortlist is already written.

What This Actually Costs

Take 200 managed devices spread across 150 employees, which is roughly 1.3 devices per person and typical for a company issuing laptops plus some phones.

On per-device pricing, ManageEngine Standard on cloud at $1.28 per device monthly comes to about $3,072 a year, the cheapest credible option here. Hexnode Enterprise at $3.20 reaches $7,680 before its 10 percent annual discount, and Scalefusion Growth at $3.50 lands near $8,400.

Per-user pricing flips the comparison. JumpCloud Device Management at $9 per user for 150 people is $16,200 a year, roughly double Scalefusion for the same fleet. Intune Plan 1 standalone at $8 per user is $14,400, except that a company already holding Microsoft 365 E3 pays nothing extra at all, which makes it either the most expensive option or free depending entirely on what is already on the invoice.

Jamf publishes nothing, but at the widely reported $12.50 per device monthly for Mac, 200 devices would approach $30,000 a year. That buys Apple depth nothing else matches, and it buys no Windows management whatsoever.

Final Thoughts

Two things separate MDM software from where it sat two years ago. The first is that MCP adoption has barely started: three of seven ship an official server, against five of seven in test management tooling, and the two vendors with the largest fleets under management are not among them. The second is that the Apple-only positioning has softened. Iru added Windows and Android with its rebrand, and Jamf now covers Windows for security while still refusing to manage it.

Pick Intune if you are already paying for Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, because you have already bought it. Pick Jamf if the fleet is Apple and new OS releases cannot wait. Pick Scalefusion for rugged scanners, kiosks, and anything bolted to a wall.

JumpCloud is the consolidation play when you need a directory anyway and headcount tracks device count. Hexnode is the answer for genuinely odd hardware at a sane price. ManageEngine is where to start if the budget is zero or the deployment has to be on-premises with a perpetual license. Iru has the best automation model of the seven, and the least willingness to tell you what it costs.

More security and infrastructure comparisons sit in our IT security and DevOps archive, including identity and access management platforms and patch management software.