{"question": "best mobile device management for small businesses", "category": "mobile-device-management", "category_name": "mobile device management", "audience": "small-businesses", "audience_name": "small businesses", "engine": "Claude (Anthropic) with web search", "model": "claude-opus-5", "asked_at": "2026-10-08T00:50:50Z", "permalink": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/mobile-device-management-small-businesses-2026-10-08", "question_page": "https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/mobile-device-management/small-businesses", "brands_named": [{"position": 1, "brand": "Mosyle", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 2, "brand": "Mosyle Business", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 3, "brand": "Microsoft", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 4, "brand": "Microsoft Intune", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 5, "brand": "Intune", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 6, "brand": "Microsoft 365", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 7, "brand": "Plan 1", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 8, "brand": "Android Enterprise", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 9, "brand": "Entra ID", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 10, "brand": "Iru", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 11, "brand": "Kandji", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 12, "brand": "Jamf", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 13, "brand": "Scalefusion", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 14, "brand": "JumpCloud", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 15, "brand": "Jamf Pro", "label": "mentioned"}, {"position": 16, "brand": "Jamf Now", "label": "mentioned"}], "sources_cited": [{"url": "https://costbench.com/software/mdm/mosyle", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/software/mdm/mosyle/free-plan/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/stats/mdm-pricing-2026/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.computerworld.com/article/4077093/kandji-becomes-iru-opens-mdm-windows-android.html", "domain": "computerworld.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iru_(company", "domain": "en.wikipedia.org", "source_type": "reference"}, {"url": "https://costbench.com/software/mdm/scalefusion/alternatives/", "domain": "costbench.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://en.preyproject.com/blog/best-mdm-software-solutions-for-smbs", "domain": "en.preyproject.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://www.spotsaas.com/blog/jamf-pricing", "domain": "spotsaas.com", "source_type": "other"}, {"url": "https://community.jamf.com/general-discussions-2/upgrade-from-jamf-now-to-jamf-pro-26044", "domain": "community.jamf.com", "source_type": "vendor"}], "answer_text": "The honest answer is that the best MDM for a small business depends almost entirely on your device mix, so here's who I'd actually name, roughly in the order I'd reach for them:\n\n**1. Mosyle Business - if you're all/mostly Apple and cost-sensitive.** This is my default recommendation for small Mac/iPhone shops. Free for up to 30 devices with the full feature set, then $1/device/month (Premium, annual, 30-license minimum); Fuse adds endpoint security at $1.50 (iOS) / $3 (macOS). Nothing else gets you real zero-touch deployment at that price. ([pricing](https://costbench.com/software/mdm/mosyle), [free plan](https://costbench.com/software/mdm/mosyle/free-plan/))\n\n**2. Microsoft Intune - if you already pay for Microsoft 365.** Intune Plan 1 is ~$8/user and covers all of that user's devices, and it's bundled into M365 Business Premium - so for many small businesses it's effectively already paid for. Best cross-platform coverage (Windows, Android, iOS, macOS) and it ties directly into Entra ID conditional access. Caveat: it's the most complex to configure of this list, and per-*user* pricing is a bad deal if you have few users with many devices. ([pricing comparison](https://costbench.c", "answer_truncated": true, "measurement": "One answer from one engine on one date. Not a ranking and not a claim about the world; brands the engine did not name are not recorded.", "limitation": "Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.", "alerts": {"name": "Answer Watch Pro", "price_usd": 79, "period": "month", "gets": "daily change alerts for up to 5 brands in what one AI answer engine says, history, CSV export. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included", "url": "https://bikoosh.com/answers"}}