Expert Guide

The Best MDM Software in 2026

Device management that enrols a laptop from the box, enforces disk encryption, and proves it to an auditor.

Louis CorneloupFounder, Dupple · 900,000+ readers · Updated Sep 2026

Product links may be affiliate links. How we rate 5 tools compared

TL;DR

The best MDM software in 2026 is Jamf for Apple-heavy organisations that need depth, Iru (formerly Kandji) for Apple fleets that want automation without the complexity, Microsoft Intune if you already pay for Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, NinjaOne for mixed fleets that also need patching and remote support, and Hexnode for broad platform coverage including Android and rugged devices. Choose on your device mix first, everything else second.

Key facts

Updated: September 25, 2026
Top pick: Jamf (best for: Apple-first organisations that need maximum depth and scale)
Top pick price as of September 25, 2026: Jamf: From $12.50 per Mac per month, billed annually (25-device minimum); Jamf Now from $4 per device per month

5 tools compared: Jamf, Iru (formerly Kandji), Microsoft Intune, NinjaOne, Hexnode
Iru (formerly Kandji) (best for: Apple fleets that want automation and compliance out of the box): Custom quote, per device; 14-day free trial
Microsoft Intune (best for: Organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365): Intune Plan 1 is $8 per user per month standalone, and included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5
NinjaOne (best for: Lean IT teams managing mixed fleets who also need patching and remote support): Per device, from $1.50 per endpoint per month at 10,000 endpoints to $3.75 at 50 or fewer; free trial available

Mobile device management stopped being about phones years ago. Today MDM is how you enrol a laptop that ships directly to a new hire, enforce full-disk encryption before it touches company data, push the security patch that closes an actively exploited bug, and produce the report that proves all of it to an auditor.

Get it wrong and every laptop is an unmanaged liability. Get it right and onboarding takes an hour instead of a day.

Top Picks

Based on features, real-world fit, and value for money.

Best MDM Software in 2026: 5 tools compared, updated Sep 2026
Tool	Pricing	Best for
Jamf	From $12.50 per Mac per month, billed annually (25-device minimum); Jamf Now from $4 per device per month	Apple-first organisations that need maximum depth and scale
Iru (formerly Kandji)	Custom quote, per device; 14-day free trial	Apple fleets that want automation and compliance out of the box
Microsoft Intune	Intune Plan 1 is $8 per user per month standalone, and included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5	Organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365
NinjaOne	Per device, from $1.50 per endpoint per month at 10,000 endpoints to $3.75 at 50 or fewer; free trial available	Lean IT teams managing mixed fleets who also need patching and remote support
Hexnode	From $2.20 per device per month (Pro), 15-device minimum; 14-day free trial	Broad platform coverage including Android, rugged and kiosk devices

Pricing read from each vendor's own published pricing page, checked Sep 2026. Every vendor here publishes a price.

Jamf

Top Pick

Best for: Apple-first organisations that need maximum depth and scale

PricingFrom $12.50 per Mac per month, billed annually (25-device minimum); Jamf Now from $4 per device per month

+Unmatched depth on Apple platforms and same-day support for new OS releases

+Massive community, documentation and hiring pool of Jamf-experienced admins

+Scales to tens of thousands of devices without strain

−Jamf for Mac starts at $12.50 per Mac per month with a 25-device minimum, above the other options here

−Steeper learning curve than the newer Apple MDMs

Visit Jamf →

Iru (formerly Kandji)

Best for: Apple fleets that want automation and compliance out of the box

PricingCustom quote, per device; 14-day free trial

+Auto Apps and Blueprints deliver working policy in hours rather than weeks

+Continuous compliance remediation, not just detection

+Clean interface that a generalist IT admin can run without Apple specialisation

−Apple only, so mixed fleets need a second tool

−Less granular than Jamf at the very high end

Visit Iru (formerly Kandji) →

Microsoft Intune

Best for: Organisations already standardised on Microsoft 365

PricingIntune Plan 1 is $8 per user per month standalone, and included in Microsoft 365 E3 and E5

+Often already paid for inside an existing E3 or E5 agreement

+Deep integration with Entra ID, Conditional Access and Defender

+Covers Windows, macOS, iOS and Android in one console

−macOS management is noticeably weaker than the Apple specialists

−Complex to configure well, with policy spread across several admin centres

Visit Microsoft Intune →

NinjaOne

Best for: Lean IT teams managing mixed fleets who also need patching and remote support

PricingPer device, from $1.50 per endpoint per month at 10,000 endpoints to $3.75 at 50 or fewer; free trial available

+One tool covers device management, patching and remote support, which suits small IT teams

+Consistently high satisfaction scores for usability and support

+Good automation and scripting without deep specialisation

−Less depth on Apple-specific policy than Jamf or Iru

−Final price depends on volume, region and modules, so the per-endpoint rate needs a quote to confirm

Visit NinjaOne →

Hexnode

Best for: Broad platform coverage including Android, rugged and kiosk devices

PricingFrom $2.20 per device per month (Pro), 15-device minimum; 14-day free trial

+Widest platform support: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, tvOS, Fire OS and Apple Vision Pro

+Strong kiosk and rugged device management for retail, logistics and field teams

+Published tier structure makes budgeting easier than quote-only rivals

−Interface feels denser than Iru or NinjaOne

−Apple depth is adequate rather than exceptional

Visit Hexnode →

What it is

MDM software enrols devices into a central console and enforces configuration on them: passcode and encryption policy, application installation, operating system updates, certificate and Wi-Fi profiles, and remote lock or wipe.

Modern platforms extend this into unified endpoint management (laptops, phones, tablets and increasingly servers in one console) and compliance reporting that maps device state to frameworks like SOC 2, ISO 27001 or NIS2.

Why it matters

Most breach post-mortems trace back to a device that was missing a patch, missing encryption, or missing entirely from the inventory. MDM is the control that makes those three states impossible rather than unlikely.

It is also increasingly a commercial requirement: enterprise buyers and cyber insurers now ask for evidence of managed, encrypted endpoints, and without an MDM you cannot produce it.

Key features to look for

Zero-touch enrolment

The device enrols itself on first boot via Apple Business Manager, Windows Autopilot or Android Zero-Touch. This is what turns remote onboarding from a shipping problem into a non-event.

Configuration and compliance policy

Enforce encryption, passcode rules, firewall and OS version, then continuously verify. Look for automatic remediation, not just alerting on drift.

Patch and OS update management

Deferred, staged and enforced updates across the fleet. The gap between a patch shipping and your fleet installing it is the window attackers use.

Application deployment

Silent install, update and removal of the software your team needs, including licence handling for paid apps.

Audit-ready reporting

Exportable evidence that every device meets policy, ideally mapped to the framework you are certified against. This is what turns MDM from an IT tool into a compliance asset.

Pricing

Most vendors here price per device per month, and Iru (formerly Kandji) is the only quote-only name. Jamf publishes Jamf for Mac at $12.50 per device per month and Jamf for Mobile at $5.75, both billed annually with a 25-device minimum, while Jamf Now starts at $4 per device per month for organisations under 25 employees.

Iru quotes per device and offers a 14-day free trial, and NinjaOne publishes a per-endpoint range from $1.50 at 10,000 endpoints to $3.75 at 50 or fewer. Microsoft Intune is the cheapest credible entry when you already hold Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, since that bundle includes Intune Plan 1, which otherwise costs $8 per user per month standalone.

Hexnode's Pro tier starts at $2.20 per device per month, cheaper per device than the Apple specialists, with a 14-day trial. Costs rise on Jamf for Mac for small fleets because of the 25-device minimum, and again on Hexnode when advanced features sit on a higher tier. Prices were checked on each vendor's pricing page in September 2026.

Plan	Price	Best for
Jamf for Mac	$12.50/device/mo, billed annually	Mac management and security; 25-device minimum
Jamf Now	From $4/device/mo	Apple management for organisations under 25 employees
Iru (formerly Kandji)	Custom quote	Per-device subscription with a 14-day free trial
Microsoft Intune Plan 1 (standalone)	$8/user/mo, billed yearly	Bought on its own, outside Microsoft 365
Microsoft Intune (Microsoft 365 E3)	Bundled in Microsoft 365 E3	Often already paid for in an E3 agreement
Microsoft Intune (Microsoft 365 E5)	Bundled in Microsoft 365 E5	Often already paid for in an E5 agreement
NinjaOne	$1.50 to $3.75/endpoint/mo	Rate falls with volume, from 50 or fewer endpoints to 10,000
Hexnode Pro	$2.20/device/mo	Entry tier with kiosk and app management; 14-day trial, 15-device minimum

Mistakes to avoid

×Choosing on price before device mix. An Apple-heavy company that buys a Windows-first MDM spends the savings on workarounds within a quarter.

×Enrolling devices without zero-touch. Manual enrolment works until you hire ten people in a month, then it silently stops happening.

×Setting policy without remediation. Detecting that encryption is off does nothing; the platform should turn it back on and log that it did.

×Treating MDM as an IT-only project. Enrolment, acceptable use and offboarding are HR and legal decisions as much as technical ones.

Expert tips

→Connect Apple Business Manager or Windows Autopilot before you buy anything. Zero-touch enrolment is the feature that pays for the platform.

→Pilot on the IT team's own devices for two weeks. Every painful policy shows up there first, cheaply.

→Write the offboarding automation on day one, not after the first departure. Remote wipe and licence reclaim should be one action.

→Map your policies to the framework you certify against from the start, so compliance evidence is a report rather than a project.

The bottom line

Apple-only and at scale, Jamf remains the safe choice; Apple-only and lean, Iru (formerly Kandji) gets you compliant faster with less specialist knowledge. If you already pay for Microsoft 365 E3 or E5, start with Intune because you are likely funding it already.

Mixed fleets with a small IT team should look at NinjaOne, and anyone managing Android, rugged or kiosk hardware should shortlist Hexnode.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between MDM and UEM?

MDM manages devices, traditionally phones and tablets, through enrolment and configuration profiles. UEM (unified endpoint management) extends the same console to laptops, desktops and sometimes servers, adding patching and software deployment. In 2026 most vendors here are really UEM platforms; the MDM label stuck for historical reasons.

How much does MDM software cost?

Most vendors price per device per month. Jamf for Mac starts at $12.50 per device, NinjaOne runs $1.50 to $3.75 per endpoint depending on volume, Hexnode starts at $2.20 per device, and Iru quotes. Microsoft Intune is the one worth checking first, because it may already be included in an existing Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 licence you hold.

Do I need MDM for a small company?

If you issue laptops, yes. The threshold is not headcount, it is whether devices hold company data. Below roughly 25 Apple devices, Jamf Now or a lower Hexnode tier is usually enough; the moment you need audit evidence for a customer or an insurer, an MDM stops being optional.

Can MDM wipe a personal device?

On BYOD devices, well-configured MDM performs a selective wipe: it removes company accounts, apps and data while leaving personal content untouched. Apple's User Enrolment and Android Work Profile are built exactly for this separation. Company-owned devices can be fully wiped. Make which mode applies explicit in your device policy, because employees rarely read the enrolment screen.

Sources

Prices and plan details come from each vendor's own pricing page, re-checked by the Toolradar pricing tracker.

Jamf pricing, checked Sep 2026
NinjaOne pricing, checked Sep 2026
Hexnode pricing, checked Sep 2026

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