Mobile Device Management Software for Small Business: 7 Options Compared

Mobile device management (MDM) software enrolls company laptops, phones and tablets in one console, so encryption, passcodes, updates and apps apply everywhere and a lost device can be locked or wiped remotely once it next connects. For a small business, look for four things: support for every platform you own, zero-touch enrollment for new devices, protection for work apps on personal phones that does not take over the whole phone, and a license you may already be paying for. If you run Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Intune is already included, so price it first.

Below are seven MDM products that fit small and mid-sized fleets, described from each vendor's own pages as of October 2026 and listed in no particular order. Disclosure: NetSys manages devices in Microsoft Intune, adds Jamf for Mac-heavy teams and uses NinjaOne for monitoring and patching in its managed service. No vendor paid for a mention. For the license arithmetic, see our guide to MDM cost per device; for the most common two-way decision, see Intune vs Jamf for Macs and Windows PCs.

What should MDM software do for a small business?

Every product here can enforce basic security settings and remove company data from a device remotely. The differences that matter show up in daily use:

• Platform coverage. Count your Windows laptops, Macs, iPhones, iPads, Android phones and any Chromebooks or Linux machines, then check each product's list. A tool that covers only Apple devices means a second console for Windows.
• Zero-touch enrollment. New Windows PCs should configure themselves at first sign-in through Windows Autopilot, and company Macs and iPhones should enroll automatically through Apple Business, the service Apple used to call Apple Business Manager.
• Personal phones. Staff resist handing their own phones to IT. Look for app-level protection, such as Intune app protection policies on Outlook and Teams, or an Android work profile that keeps work data apart from personal data.
• Access rules. Device status should decide who can sign in, so an unencrypted or out-of-date laptop cannot open company email. For Business Premium, Microsoft recommends device-based Conditional Access policies for exactly this.
• Exit actions. Retiring a departing employee's phone should remove company data without erasing their photos, while a company laptop gets a full wipe. Check that both actions exist for each platform you run.
• Evidence. Cyber insurers and clients ask for encryption status and operating system versions across the fleet. A report you can export beats a folder of screenshots.

How do the seven MDM products compare?

Facts and prices come from each vendor's pages, checked October 2026. Effort to run is our engineering judgment of the ongoing work, not a vendor claim.

What is each MDM product good at?

Microsoft Intune

Microsoft Intune is the default for a business already on Microsoft 365: Microsoft states that Business Premium includes Intune Plan 1. It manages Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android, Linux and ChromeOS, pairs with Windows Autopilot for zero-touch PC setup, and its app protection policies guard company data inside Outlook and Teams on personal phones without enrolling the phone. The catch is design work. Compliance policies, Conditional Access rules and update rings have to be built and tested, and the Apple push certificate must be renewed every year. Shared devices with no assigned user take a device-only license, and Microsoft notes that app protection and Conditional Access don't work on devices enrolled that way.

Jamf

Jamf is built around Apple. Jamf for Mac covers macOS management, endpoint protection and identity features, and Jamf for Mobile covers iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Vision Pro plus Android. Jamf Now, aimed at organizations with fewer than 25 employees, manages up to three Apple devices free. Jamf does not manage Windows, so a mixed office typically runs Jamf for the Macs and Intune for everything else; Microsoft documents a Jamf Pro device compliance integration so Jamf-managed Macs still count in Conditional Access. Pricing is by quote, with a 14-day trial.

Iru (formerly Kandji)

Iru, which its own site labels as formerly Kandji, started in Apple management and now manages Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Vision Pro plus Windows and Android with one agent. It also sells workforce identity, endpoint detection and response, vulnerability management and compliance automation, which suits a small company that wants fewer vendors. Pricing depends on the products and device counts you choose, contracts are annual and billed annually, and endpoint management has a 14-day free trial.

NinjaOne MDM

NinjaOne is best known as a remote monitoring and management platform, and its MDM manages Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Windows and Linux devices on the same platform as its patching, backup and remote access tools. That suits an internal IT person who wants one tool for laptops and phones. NinjaOne prices per device and publishes one range for its platform rather than an MDM-only price: $3.75 a month at 50 or fewer endpoints, falling to $1.50 at 10,000, varying by region and the products you take. The trial runs 14 days.

Scalefusion

Scalefusion publishes its prices: $2, $3.50, $5 and $6 per device per month across four plans, billed annually only, with a 10-device minimum. It manages Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux and ChromeOS. The entry plan already includes Android Enterprise, Apple Business Manager enrollment and kiosk mode for Android and iOS, which suits shared tablets and frontline phones. Windows Autopilot and third-party patching for Windows start on the $5 Business plan, so a Windows-heavy office should price that tier. All features are open during the 14-day trial.

ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus

ManageEngine's Mobile Device Manager Plus covers Android, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, Windows and ChromeOS, and is one of the few options you can run on your own server as well as in the cloud. Its free edition manages up to 25 devices. Paid prices are published by device count: for 50 devices with one technician, Standard costs $645 a year in the cloud or $495 a year on-premises, and Professional costs $1,195 a year in the cloud. A self-hosted server adds patching and backups to your list. The 30-day trial allows unlimited devices.

Google endpoint management

If your company runs on Google Workspace, Google endpoint management is already in your admin console. Basic mobile management is on by default in every edition, including Business Starter and Business Standard, and covers Android phones, iPhones and iPads. Advanced management, which adds remote device wipe, app management and Windows device management, needs Business Plus or an Enterprise edition. It is the lightest option here and a sensible first step; check Google's feature comparison, listed in the sources below, before relying on it for Macs or detailed Windows settings.

MDM selection checklist

Put these questions to every vendor on your shortlist, and ask for the answers in writing:

1. Does it manage every platform we own today, including shared tablets and any Chromebooks or Linux machines?
2. How do new devices enroll? Ask for Windows Autopilot, Apple Business and Android zero-touch support by name.
3. What happens on a personal phone? Ask what the company can see, and whether work data can be removed without erasing personal data.
4. How does compliance reach sign-in? If you use Microsoft 365, ask how device status feeds Conditional Access.
5. Which features sit on which plan? Windows patching, kiosk mode and remote help are often tier-dependent.
6. What is the billing unit and term? Per user or per device, monthly or annual, and any minimum count.
7. Who holds the Apple and Google accounts? The Apple push certificate and the Apple Business account should belong to the company, not to one employee or an outside provider.
8. Can we export our records and leave? A device inventory and compliance history you can take with you keeps a later switch possible.

What drives the price of MDM software?

• Per user or per device. An Intune user license covers that person's devices, which suits staff with a laptop and a phone. Per-device plans such as NinjaOne, Scalefusion and ManageEngine suit shared devices and kiosks, and Intune sells device-only licenses for devices with no assigned user.
• Bundles you already pay for. Business Premium includes Intune Plan 1, and every Workspace edition includes basic Google management. A second MDM is worth paying for only when the bundled one cannot do the job.
• Tiers and add-ons. Microsoft lists the Intune Suite at $10.00 per user per month and Remote Help alone at $3.50, as of October 2026, and says select Intune Suite capabilities are now included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5. Scalefusion keeps Windows Autopilot for its $5 plan. Price the tier with the features you need, not the entry tier.
• Terms and minimums. Scalefusion bills annually with a 10-device minimum, and Iru contracts are annual.
• Labor. Policy design, enrolling the devices you already own, packaging apps, and handling every lost phone and departure. For most small businesses that costs more than the license, which is why the cost guide linked above treats it separately.

When should an IT provider run MDM for you?

The software is the easy part to buy. The work is deciding what each kind of device may do, enrolling what you already own, and handling lost phones and departures for years afterward. If nobody inside has that time, a provider is worth considering.

Our mobile device management service follows a fixed order. We sort every laptop, phone and tablet into company-owned, shared and personal, confirm Intune licensing, create the Apple push certificate under a company Apple ID, and set up Windows Autopilot and Apple Business enrollment. Compliance rules tied to Conditional Access run in report-only mode first, a pilot group enrolls before everyone else, and staff are told in writing what the company can see. Before anyone relies on it, we test a retire and a selective wipe on test devices. For Mac-heavy teams we add Jamf and connect its device compliance to Intune.

Setup and ongoing management are quoted per business and run month to month. Our help desk is staffed seven days a week from 4 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, and emergency service is available 24/7. Because the push certificate sits under your company's Apple ID, the company keeps control of its Apple devices whoever administers them.

Book a call with a NetSys engineer for a second opinion on your shortlist or to have the setup done for you, and bring a count of your devices by platform.

Frequently asked questions

What is mobile device management (MDM) software?

MDM software enrolls devices so an administrator can apply settings and security rules to them from one console: require a passcode and encryption, install and update apps, restrict risky features, report on compliance, and lock or wipe a device remotely. Despite the name, it covers Windows and Mac laptops as well as phones and tablets. Most current products also protect work apps on personal phones without enrolling the whole device.

What is the best mobile device management software for a small business?

The one that covers your platforms at the lowest total cost of running it. For a Microsoft 365 Business Premium customer that is usually Intune, because the license is already paid. Mac-heavy teams can add Jamf or Iru. Firms that want a published per-device price can compare Scalefusion and ManageEngine, and Google Workspace offices can start with Google's built-in management. Pilot your choice on a few devices before you commit.

Is there free or open-source MDM software?

Yes, with limits. ManageEngine's free edition manages up to 25 devices, Jamf Now manages up to three Apple devices free, and Google's basic mobile management comes with every Workspace edition. Fleet releases the free version of its device management platform under the MIT license, with a $7 per host per month Premium plan; hosting it yourself needs an engineer to run the server. Free tools still need someone to design and maintain the policies.

Can MDM software manage Windows laptops?

Yes. Intune, NinjaOne, Scalefusion, ManageEngine and Iru all manage Windows, and Google's advanced tier adds Windows device management. In a Microsoft 365 office, Intune is the native choice: Microsoft's Business Premium guidance covers Windows Autopilot for setting up new PCs and recommends requiring BitLocker in Windows compliance policies. Jamf does not manage Windows.

Does Microsoft make MDM software?

Yes: Microsoft Intune. Microsoft states that Business Premium includes Intune Plan 1, and Intune is also part of Microsoft 365 E3 and E5. Bought on its own, Plan 1 lists at $8.00 per user per month, as of October 2026. Shared devices without an assigned user can use Intune's device-only license instead.

Sources and further reading

• Microsoft Intune plans and pricing and Intune licensing, including device-only licenses, checked October 2026.
• Microsoft Learn: Intune device and app management in Microsoft 365 Business Premium and operating systems supported by Intune.
• Microsoft Learn: Jamf managed device compliance with Microsoft Entra ID, checked October 2026.
• Apple Support: Apple Business Manager is now Apple Business.
• Jamf pricing and Jamf Now, checked October 2026.
• Iru (formerly Kandji) and Iru pricing, checked October 2026.
• NinjaOne pricing and NinjaOne MDM, checked October 2026.
• Scalefusion pricing, checked October 2026.
• ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus pricing, checked October 2026.
• Google Workspace: Compare Google endpoint management feature sets.
• Fleet pricing and Fleet on GitHub, checked October 2026.