How to compare Apple MDM platforms
Vendor websites help you draw up a shortlist. To choose from it, run the same everyday tasks on a test device on every platform and see how much work each one leaves for your team.
In short
- Run the same tests on every platform, from enrolment to retirement.
- Check which edition and licences each quote covers, because bundles and editions change.
- Count the time your team will spend running the platform, as well as the licence price.
Write down what you need first
Before you look at vendors, write down what the platform has to handle. Note who owns the devices (the company, the employee or both), which Apple devices you use, which apps people can't work without and which identity provider they sign in with. Add how you'll get updates installed on time, how you'll recover a device when something goes wrong, which reports you need and who will run the platform day to day. Then mark each point as must-have or optional, so a long feature list can't hide a missing must-have.
This list is your test plan. Use the same test cases for every platform on your shortlist. If the tests differ, the results don't tell you much. Before a trial starts, read the vendor's current product and licence documentation, so you test the edition you would buy.
Platforms to compare
| Platform | What the vendor says it covers | What to test with your setup |
|---|---|---|
| Jamf Pro | Apple device management with inventory, policies, scripts and Self Service, where people install apps themselves. | How your apps get packaged, whether the reports answer your questions and how much admin time it takes. |
| Microsoft Intune | Device and app management that works with Microsoft Entra ID and the other Microsoft services. | Which Apple settings it can manage, how apps reach the devices and whether Conditional Access works with the licences you have. |
| Iru | A platform for devices, identity and compliance, covering Apple, Windows and Android. | Your everyday Apple tasks, and which modules the offer includes. |
| Omnissa Workspace ONE UEM | Management for desktops, mobile devices and specialist devices. | How organisation groups and delegated admin roles fit your company, and how tasks work across platforms. |
| Mosyle | Apple management, plus app, identity and security products. | Whether the edition you're quoted has the features you need, and what support and licensing come with it. |
| JumpCloud | Apple management as part of a platform for identity and access. | How accounts are created and removed, how Apple devices enrol and how app and update policies behave. |
Watch out for old comparisons and rules of thumb
Comparisons you find online age quickly. Iru now describes itself as covering Apple, Windows and Android, so a review that calls it Apple-only is out of date. Bundles and editions change too. Check what the quote in front of you includes before you compare it with other quotes.
The number of devices you have won't pick an MDM for you. Device-count cut-offs, feature rankings that claim to fit everyone and old list prices all leave out the work your team will do with the platform.
Test the whole device lifecycle
In your trial, take one device through its whole life on each platform. Enrol it, deliver the apps people need and apply your security settings. Then sign in with a work account, install an update, run through what you'd do if it were lost, and retire it. If people in your company share devices, test a typical shared setup as well.
Watch what happens when a step fails. Check whether the platform tells you, and whether you can see why. Time how long each task takes your administrator, because your team will repeat these tasks for every device. Write down what happened, which edition you tested and which software versions were installed. Without those details, you can't compare the results or repeat the test later.
Decide who will run it
For each platform, add up the licences, the migration work, the day-to-day administration and the support. Use the same scope for all of them so the totals compare. Ask how you get your data out and what the contract says about leaving, because you may want to switch later. Then decide which tasks your own team keeps and which ones need outside support.
If you're a small team, read the small-business guide. It looks at how much effort an MDM takes to run day to day.
Sources
Jamf Pro · Microsoft Intune · Iru · Workspace ONE UEM · Mosyle · JumpCloud
Which platforms are on your shortlist? We can help you cut the list down and test the finalists on your own Apple devices, with the tasks your team does every day.
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