How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Ratings come from G2, Capterra or Trustpilot, with the date we checked them.
Key takeaways
- Iru, the platform formerly called Kandji, is the closest modern rival: Apple first automation and design polish, now spanning Windows and Android too, quote priced.
- Mosyle is the budget shock: free for up to 30 devices and a dollar per device per month at its Business tier, against Jamf for Mac reported around 12.50 dollars.
- Addigy owns the MSP niche, and Microsoft Intune owns the consolidation argument for Microsoft 365 estates, where it is often already paid for.
- The real decision is Apple only versus mixed fleet. Specialists manage Apple deeper; cross platform tools manage everything adequately in one console.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
 Iru | Apple first automation for growing fleets | See website | No |
 Mosyle | Budget Apple fleets and education | $1 per device per month | Yes |
 Addigy | MSPs managing Apple for clients | $8.25 per device per month | No |
 Microsoft Intune | Microsoft 365 organisations | $8 per user per month | No |
 JumpCloud | Identity and device management together | $9 per user per month | No |
 Hexnode UEM | Mixed fleets at low per device cost | $2.20 per device per month | No |
 Scalefusion | Android, kiosk and frontline devices | $2 per device per month | No |
 SimpleMDM | Straightforward Apple MDM for IT teams | $2.50 per device per month | No |
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The best Jamf alternatives
#1
Iru
Best for: Apple first automation for growing fleets
Visit iru.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
What we like- Iru, rebranded from Kandji in 2025, is the modern Apple platform: a library of pre built automation and compliance controls, strong endpoint detection layered with management, an interface IT teams consistently rate as the cleanest in the category, and coverage extended beyond Apple to Windows and Android. Growing companies that found Jamf powerful but heavy land here for the automation first model: set the desired state and let the platform hold it.
Watch out for- Pricing is quote only, with third party estimates putting it in the mid single dollars per device per month per module, and module based packaging means the configured quote decides. Some deep custom Jamf workflows have no direct equivalent, so complex estates should map their critical policies in the trial. The rebrand means documentation and community answers sit under two names.
#2Mosyle
Best for: Budget Apple fleets and education4.6/5 on
G2 (57 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit mosyle.com
Starting price$1 per device per month
Free planYes
What we like- Mosyle is the price disruptor in Apple management: free for up to 30 devices, then a dollar per device per month at its Business Premium tier in current published comparisons, covering macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS and beyond with the core MDM toolkit, app deployment and security controls. Schools and small businesses run whole fleets on it for less than one Jamf device costs. Its Fuse and higher offerings add the security layers larger deployments want.
Watch out for- Depth at the enterprise end, elaborate custom workflows, niche Apple platform corners, trails Jamf Pro and Iru. Support and onboarding are lighter at the price. It is Apple only: the first Windows fleet requirement ends the conversation, which for mixed estates is the whole conversation.
#3Addigy
Best for: MSPs managing Apple for clients4.5/5 on
G2 (226 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit addigy.com
Starting price$8.25 per device per month
Free planNo
What we like- Addigy is built for managed service providers: multi tenant management across client fleets, live device commands and monitoring, policy automation and self service for end users, at a published 8.25 dollars per Mac per month in current comparisons. MSPs standardise on it because the console thinks in clients, not one company. Direct buyers with several sites borrow the same structure happily.
Watch out for- Per Mac pricing is at the premium end for a single organisation that is not an MSP, where Mosyle and SimpleMDM undercut it hard. Apple only, like Jamf. Its reporting and marketplace gravity outside the MSP world are thinner, so peer knowledge for unusual deployments is scarcer.
#4Microsoft Intune
Best for: Microsoft 365 organisations4.5/5 on
G2 (272 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit microsoft.com
Starting price$8 per user per month
Free planNo
What we like- Intune's argument is accounting: it is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, E3 and E5, so many organisations already own it, and standalone Plan 1 runs at 8 dollars per user per month. It manages Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android in the console beside Entra identity and Defender, which ends the second tool for mixed fleets. For a Microsoft centred company, paying again for a specialist needs a specific Apple depth justification.
Watch out for- Apple management inside Intune works and rarely delights: new Apple features arrive later than in the specialists, Declarative Device Management adoption has lagged the Apple first tools in published comparisons, and the admin experience is spread across Microsoft's portal estate. Per user pricing also misfits device heavy, user light fleets such as shared iPads.
#5JumpCloud
Best for: Identity and device management together4.5/5 on
G2 (4,104 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit jumpcloud.com
Starting price$9 per user per month
Free planNo
What we like- JumpCloud merges the directory with the devices: user identity, SSO, MFA and device management for macOS, Windows and Linux plus mobile, at 9 dollars per user per month for its device management tier in published pricing. Small and mid sized companies without Active Directory get identity and fleet in one purchase, which removes a whole vendor from the stack. Its cross platform policy model suits engineering led IT teams.
Watch out for- Apple depth, particularly the newest management declarations and education features, trails the specialists. Per user pricing compounds where users carry several devices. It is a platform decision, identity included, which is a bigger commitment than swapping an MDM and should be trialled as one.
#6Hexnode UEM
Best for: Mixed fleets at low per device cost4.6/5 on
G2 (283 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit hexnode.com
Starting price$2.20 per device per month
Free planNo
What we like- Hexnode covers nearly everything with a screen, iOS, macOS, Android, Windows, ChromeOS, tvOS and more, from 2.20 dollars per device per month on annual billing with a 15 device minimum, including kiosk modes and extensive policy controls. Mixed and unusual estates, the ones with rugged Android, shared tablets and a Mac design team, find one console that takes them all. Its feature breadth per dollar is the strongest in this list.
Watch out for- Breadth costs polish: interface consistency and reporting depth vary by platform, and Apple specific management is competent rather than leading. Support quality reports are mixed at the lower tiers. Organisations that are Apple only should buy the specialist depth of Mosyle or Iru instead of paying for platforms they will never enrol.
#7Scalefusion
Best for: Android, kiosk and frontline devices4.7/5 on
G2 (404 reviews, checked Oct 2026)
Visit scalefusion.com
Starting price$2 per device per month
Free planNo
What we like- Scalefusion starts at 2 dollars per device per month billed annually and specialises in the devices Jamf never courted: Android fleets, kiosks, digital signage, rugged and frontline hardware, alongside Apple and Windows management. Logistics, retail and field operations standardise on it for lockdown modes and remote device care at fleet scale. Its pricing is published and its minimums are low.
Watch out for- Apple management polish trails the Apple first tools, so a Mac heavy office should not choose it for the Apple side. Enterprise reporting and integration depth sit below Intune and Jamf class platforms. It is the right answer for frontline estates and an adequate one for offices, in that order.
Starting price$2.50 per device per month
Free planNo
What we like- SimpleMDM, now part of PDQ, does what the name promises: clean Apple MDM for macOS, iOS, iPadOS and tvOS at 2.50 dollars per device per month, with a well regarded API, sensible app deployment and an admin experience small IT teams master in a day. It is the choice of teams that found Jamf's platform more than their policies need and Mosyle's pricing almost suspiciously low for their comfort.
Watch out for- Apple only, without the security and automation layers Iru builds in
- Endpoint protection and compliance automation are separate purchases. Advanced enterprise workflows and education specific features are thinner than Jamf's. It is deliberately simple, and fleets that grow into complexity will migrate again.
How we chose
Jamf itself is excluded because this article covers its alternatives. We selected device management platforms in active sale in October 2026 that manage Apple fleets, spanning Apple specialists and cross platform UEM tools, because that split is the real buying decision. Prices are vendor published figures as compiled by current comparisons in autumn 2026, per device or per user per month as each vendor charges, with minimums noted. Nothing was hands on tested, and Declarative Device Management support claims reflect vendor documentation as reported.
How to choose your Jamf alternative
Decide the platform question first. Apple only estates should trial Iru for automation depth, Mosyle for price and SimpleMDM for simplicity, and pick by how elaborate their policies really are. Mixed estates should start from what they already own: Intune if Microsoft 365 licensing covers it, JumpCloud if identity is also unserved, Hexnode or Scalefusion if the fleet is device diverse and budget led.
Then test the moments that break MDM migrations: zero touch enrolment of a new Mac from the box, a lost iPhone handled end to end, an OS update deadline enforced across the fleet, and your three hardest policies rebuilt. Every platform demos the easy 90 percent identically. The remaining 10 percent, and the per device bill at your fleet's size in year two, are the purchase.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Apple device management cost?
Published prices run from Mosyle's free tier and dollar per device month to Addigy at 8.25 dollars per Mac, with Jamf's own Mac product reported at 12.50 per device per month and Iru and Jamf Pro by quote. Cross platform tools price per user or device in the 2 to 9 dollar range. At fleet scale these are negotiable, and the honest comparison is your device count on the tier carrying your required features.
Is Jamf still the best for large Apple fleets?
Jamf Pro remains the depth benchmark for very large, Apple only estates and education deployments, which is why several entries here position against it rather than replace it outright. The switching case is usually economics, mixed fleets or a preference for Iru's automation model, not a claim that Jamf manages Apple badly. Pilot migrations should test your most custom Jamf workflows specifically, because that is where parity is won or lost.
Can one tool manage Apple and Windows well?
Intune, JumpCloud, Hexnode and Scalefusion all manage both credibly, and Iru now spans Apple, Windows and Android from its Apple base. The trade is consistent: cross platform consoles trail the specialists on the newest Apple management features by some months. Mixed fleets accept that lag as the price of one console; Apple only fleets gain nothing from paying it.
What is Declarative Device Management, and does it matter?
It is Apple's newer management model where devices apply and report state against declared configurations instead of waiting for server commands, making fleets more autonomous and current. The specialists document support more prominently than the generalists in current comparisons. For most fleets it is a roadmap question for the vendor rather than a day one blocker, but ask it, because the answer dates their Apple engineering investment.
How painful is migrating MDM?
Devices must re enrol, which for supervised fleets means planning user communication, app redeployment and a window where two systems run in parallel. Apple Business Manager assignments make the device side orderly; the work is policy translation and testing. Budget weeks for a mid sized fleet, migrate a pilot group first, and never let the old contract lapse before the last device checks in to the new platform.
Sources we checked (0)
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has 5+ years in B2B and SaaS SEO. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.