Small businesses that issue company laptops and phones eventually run into the same question: how do you enroll, configure, secure, and — when a device is lost or an employee leaves — wipe dozens or hundreds of endpoints without a dedicated IT department doing it by hand? Mobile device management (MDM) software is the answer, and three names dominate the conversation in 2026: Jamf, Microsoft Intune, and Kandji (which rebranded to Iru in October 2025). We pulled pricing and feature details directly from each vendor’s own site to see how they actually compare for a small business buyer, and the honest answer is that the field has shifted in ways that matter.
The single biggest thing to understand before you shop: Jamf is still built almost entirely around Apple hardware, Microsoft Intune is cross-platform by design because it’s part of the Microsoft 365 and Entra ecosystem, and Kandji — long marketed as the “Apple-only” alternative to Jamf — has itself moved to cross-platform management under its new Iru brand. If your business is a mixed fleet of Windows and Mac, that last point changes the calculus considerably.
At a Glance
| Vendor | Published Price | Free Trial | Platform Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamf (Jamf for Mac / Jamf Now) | Jamf for Mac: $12.50/device/mo (25-device minimum, billed annually). Jamf Now: from $4/device/mo for under 25 employees; first 3 devices free. | 14-day trial advertised site-wide; Jamf Now free for up to 3 devices | Apple only (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS; Jamf for Mobile adds Android) | Apple-only or Apple-majority small businesses |
| Microsoft Intune | Plan 1: $8/user/mo standalone, or bundled into Microsoft 365 Business Premium at $22/user/mo (with Teams). Plan 2 add-on: $4/user/mo. Intune Suite: $10/user/mo. | Trial links shown for Plan 2 and add-ons; not explicitly stated for Plan 1 | Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android, Linux) | Businesses already on Microsoft 365 with mixed-OS fleets |
| Kandji (now Iru) | Not published; custom quote based on modular licensing (computers managed, mobile devices enrolled, SSO users) | 14-day free trial offered for Endpoint Management and related modules | Cross-platform as of its Iru rebrand (Apple, Windows, Android); Apple remains its historical strength | Apple-heavy businesses that want room to add Windows/Android later |
Short Verdict
If every device in your office has an Apple logo on it, Jamf’s purpose-built Apple tooling and Jamf Now’s small-business pricing (starting at $4/device/month, with the first three devices free) make it the easiest entry point. If your small business already runs Microsoft 365 — and most do — Intune is effectively “free” in the sense that it’s bundled into Microsoft 365 Business Premium at $22/user/month alongside email, Office apps, and Entra ID security, and it’s the only one of the three with genuine first-class support for Windows alongside Apple and Android. Kandji’s 2025 rebrand to Iru muddies its old “simple Apple MDM” positioning: it now markets itself as a cross-platform identity-and-endpoint platform with AI-driven compliance automation, but it no longer publishes per-device pricing, so you’ll need a sales call to know what it costs.
What Each One Is
Jamf has built its entire business around Apple device management since before Apple Business Manager existed in its current form. Jamf’s current small-business lineup includes Jamf Now (aimed at organizations under 25 employees, with per-device pricing starting at $4/month), and the Jamf Business Plan/”Jamf for Mac” and “Jamf for Mobile” tiers for larger Apple fleets, priced at $12.50 per macOS device per month (with mobile pricing requiring a sales conversation). Jamf’s pitch is depth: zero-touch provisioning for Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, automated security baselines tied to industry benchmarks, and app lifecycle management through Self Service+.
Microsoft Intune is Microsoft’s cloud-based endpoint management service, sold standalone or as part of Microsoft 365 and Enterprise Mobility + Security bundles. Because it’s built into the same identity layer (Microsoft Entra ID) that powers Microsoft 365 sign-in, Intune’s biggest practical advantage for a small business is that it isn’t a separate purchase if you’re already paying for Microsoft 365 Business Premium — device management, compliance policies, and app protection are already included at $22/user/month (with Teams) or $18.79/user/month (without). Buy it standalone and Intune Plan 1 runs $8/user/month, with Plan 2 ($4 more) and the full Intune Suite ($10/user/month) adding advanced analytics, remote help, and endpoint privilege management.
Kandji built its reputation as the design-forward, Apple-only alternative to Jamf, popular with startups that wanted modern MDM without Jamf’s enterprise complexity. That changed in October 2025, when the company announced it was rebranding to Iru and repositioning as a broader “identity security and management” platform. According to Iru’s own site, the platform now explicitly covers Apple, Windows, and Android endpoints, plus workforce identity and compliance automation features. The pricing page no longer lists a flat per-device rate; it describes “modular licensing” scaled to computers managed, mobile devices enrolled, and SSO users, available only via custom quote.
Pricing Breakdown
| Plan | Price (as published) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jamf Now | From $4/device/month | For businesses under 25 employees; first 3 devices free; Apple only |
| Jamf for Mac | $12.50/device/month | Billed annually, 25-device minimum |
| Jamf for Mobile | Not published | “Contact Us” — 25-device minimum, billed annually |
| Intune Plan 1 (standalone) | $8/user/month | Also included in Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and EMS E3/E5 |
| Intune Plan 2 (add-on) | +$4/user/month | Requires Plan 1 |
| Intune Suite | $10/user/month | Bundles advanced add-ons |
| Microsoft 365 Business Premium | $22/user/month (with Teams) | Includes Intune, Entra ID, Office apps, email — no separate MDM line item |
| Kandji / Iru | Custom quote only | Scaled by devices managed, mobile devices enrolled, SSO users; no published rate card as of this writing |
Pros
- Jamf: Deepest Apple-specific tooling of the three; Jamf Now is genuinely built for small teams with transparent entry pricing and a free tier for up to 3 devices; strong app lifecycle and Self Service experience for end users.
- Microsoft Intune: True cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android, Linux) from a single console; often effectively “already paid for” if you’re on Microsoft 365 Business Premium; tight integration with Entra ID conditional access and Microsoft 365 compliance tools; published, transparent per-user pricing.
- Kandji / Iru: Still carries Kandji’s reputation for a clean admin UI and fast time-to-setup (“fully configured in a few hours” per Iru’s own site); has expanded beyond Apple-only to cover Windows and Android, so a growing small business isn’t boxed in; adds AI-assisted compliance automation and an “Adaptive Evidence Map” for audit readiness.
Cons
- Jamf: Apple-only — a non-starter the moment you have Windows PCs in the fleet; Jamf for Mobile and full Jamf Pro enterprise pricing aren’t published, so budgeting requires a sales call; the $12.50/device/month Mac rate has a 25-device minimum that may not suit the smallest teams.
- Microsoft Intune: Licensing is genuinely confusing — Plan 1, Plan 2, Intune Suite, and bundled-in-M365 versions all have different capabilities, and the page itself warns that pricing “may vary by Microsoft agreement”; several advanced features (Remote Help, Endpoint Privilege Management, Advanced Analytics) are separate paid add-ons on top of Plan 1.
- Kandji / Iru: No public pricing at all as of this writing, which makes it hard to even shortlist against Jamf and Intune without engaging sales; the October 2025 rebrand and platform expansion mean reviews and comparisons written before late 2025 describe a narrower, Apple-only product that no longer fully reflects what’s being sold today.
Who It’s a Good Fit For
Choose Jamf if you’re an all-Apple shop — a design agency, a dev shop standardized on MacBooks, a retail business running iPads at the point of sale — and you want management tooling built specifically around how Apple devices actually work, with Jamf Now as a low-cost on-ramp for very small teams.
Choose Microsoft Intune if your business already runs on Microsoft 365, especially Business Premium, or if your fleet is a realistic mix of Windows and Apple devices. The fact that device management, conditional access, and compliance policy are already part of a subscription you’re probably paying for anyway is hard to beat on cost-per-value for a small business.
Consider Kandji / Iru if you liked Kandji’s Apple-first simplicity but want a platform that won’t force a switch later as you add Windows or Android devices — just budget time for a sales conversation, since there’s no self-serve pricing to compare against a credit card swipe with Jamf Now or Intune.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
A business that needs to budget precisely without a sales call should be cautious with Kandji/Iru, since nothing is published. A mixed-OS shop should think twice about Jamf, since it offers no meaningful Windows management. And a very small, all-Apple team that doesn’t want to touch Microsoft 365 licensing at all may find Jamf Now simpler to reason about than Intune’s multi-tier plan structure.
Bottom Line
There’s no universal winner here — the right MDM for a small business in 2026 depends almost entirely on what’s already in your device closet and your software stack. Jamf remains the specialist for Apple-only fleets. Microsoft Intune is the practical default for anyone already paying for Microsoft 365, and the only one of the three with real cross-platform parity out of the box. Kandji’s transformation into Iru is the wild card: it’s now chasing the same cross-platform, identity-plus-endpoint positioning as Intune, but without Intune’s Microsoft 365 bundling advantage or Jamf’s transparent small-business pricing — so get a quote before you assume it fits your budget.
If compliance reporting and audit readiness are a bigger driver for your business than device management itself, it’s worth also reading our comparison of Vanta, Drata, and Secureframe for SOC 2 and ISO 27001 automation, since MDM enrollment and device compliance policies are typically one control area those platforms check for.
FAQ
Is Kandji still called Kandji?
No — as of October 2025, Kandji rebranded to Iru. The product still manages Apple devices but the company now also markets Windows and Android endpoint management and identity features under the Iru name. Some retailers, documentation, and update feeds still reference “Kandji” during the transition.
Can I use Microsoft Intune to manage Mac and iPhone devices, or is it Windows-only?
Intune manages Windows, macOS, iOS/iPadOS, Android, and Linux from one console. It’s genuinely cross-platform, not a Windows tool with bolted-on Apple support.
Do I need to buy Intune separately if I already have Microsoft 365 Business Premium?
No. Microsoft 365 Business Premium (currently $22/user/month with Teams, billed annually) includes Intune for device management, so a small business already on that plan doesn’t pay for MDM as a separate line item.
Does Jamf support Android or Windows devices at all?
Jamf for Mobile extends to Android for mobile threat defense and device management, but Jamf’s core product line — Jamf Pro, Jamf Now, Jamf for Mac — is built for Apple’s operating systems (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS, watchOS). It has no meaningful Windows desktop management.
Why doesn’t Kandji/Iru publish pricing anymore?
Its current pricing page describes “modular licensing” that scales with computers managed, mobile devices enrolled, and SSO users, available only through a custom quote. This is a change from the simpler, more transparent per-device pricing MDM buyers may remember from Kandji’s earlier years.
Sources
- Jamf — Business Pricing
- Jamf — Jamf Now product page
- Jamf — Jamf Pro product page
- Microsoft — Microsoft Intune Pricing
- Microsoft — Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Microsoft Learn — Remove devices by using wipe, retire, or manually unenrolling the device
- Iru (formerly Kandji) — Pricing
- Iru — Platform overview
- 9to5Mac — Kandji becomes Iru: unifying identity security and management for the AI era
