Jamf vs Microsoft Intune when the Macs are 30 percent of the fleet and E3 already includes Intune

Intune Plan 1 is already paid for inside Microsoft 365 E3, so the Mac team has to justify USD 12.50 per device per month for Jamf. Both manage Apple devices through Apple Business Manager, push configuration profiles, deploy apps, and enforce compliance. They split on Apple depth versus one console for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.

Jamf sells Jamf for Mac and Jamf for Mobile business plans built on Jamf Pro, with Jamf Connect for identity and Jamf Protect for Mac endpoint security. Microsoft sells Intune Plan 1 for cross-platform endpoint management, included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium, and EMS, with the Intune Suite and Plan 2 adding advanced capabilities.

Buy Jamf when Apple devices need same-day OS support, Smart Groups, and Apple-specific security in one tool. Buy Microsoft Intune when Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android should share one console and the license E3 already includes.

Overview

	Jamf	Microsoft Intune
Primary use case	Apple-first device management with Jamf Pro workflows, Self Service app catalog, Jamf Connect identity at login, and Jamf Protect endpoint security for Mac	Cross-platform endpoint management for Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android with compliance policies feeding Microsoft Entra Conditional Access
Day-to-day workflow	Build Smart Groups on inventory attributes, scope policies and configuration profiles, publish apps in Self Service, and remediate with scripts and extension attributes	Assign configuration and compliance policies to Entra groups, deploy apps through the Company Portal, and enforce Conditional Access on non-compliant devices
Main buying consideration	Jamf for Mac USD 12.50 and Jamf for Mobile USD 5.75 per device per month, 25-device minimum. Jamf Now from USD 4 per device for small teams	Intune Plan 1 USD 8 per user per month standalone, billed annually. Included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, Business Premium, F1, F3, and EMS E3 and E5. Intune Suite USD 10 per user per month add-on

We reviewed Jamf business plan pricing, Jamf Pro Smart Group and policy documentation, and the M&C Saatchi customer story, plus Microsoft Intune pricing and plan documentation and Intune macOS management guidance, on 10 Oct 2026. We did not run either product in a paid tenant.

Jamf

Microsoft Intune

Editions and pricing

Both vendors publish prices, but on different units: Jamf per device, Intune per user with up to several devices, and Intune often already included in a Microsoft 365 plan.

	Jamf	Microsoft Intune
How it is sold	Jamf for Mac and Jamf for Mobile business plans on Jamf Cloud, Jamf Now for small teams, and Jamf Pro on-premises outside the public bundle path	Intune Plan 1 standalone or inside Microsoft 365 and EMS plans, with Intune Plan 2, Intune Suite, and individual add-ons such as Remote Help
Figure on the public page	USD 12.50 per Mac and USD 5.75 per mobile device per month, 25-device minimum. Jamf Now from USD 4	USD 8 per user per month for Plan 1 standalone. USD 10 per user per month for the Intune Suite add-on
What the unit counts	Managed devices	Licensed users, each covering multiple devices, or device-only licenses for shared devices

Apple management depth

Both use Apple’s MDM framework and Apple Business Manager. The split is how much Apple-specific workflow sits on top.

	Jamf	Microsoft Intune
Targeting object	Smart Groups built dynamically from inventory attributes and extension attributes	Microsoft Entra groups and filters on device properties
App delivery	Self Service catalog, App Installers for automatic third-party Mac app patching, and policies with scripts	Company Portal for macOS and iOS, with macOS app deployment through PKG and DMG and shell scripts
OS updates	Same-day support for new Apple OS releases is a stated Jamf commitment, with managed software update workflows	Declarative software update policies for macOS and iOS through Intune

Identity, compliance, and security

Both tie device state to access. The documented split is Apple-native identity and endpoint security versus Entra Conditional Access across every platform.

	Jamf	Microsoft Intune
Identity at login	Jamf Connect syncs the Mac local account with the cloud identity provider password at login	Platform SSO for macOS with Microsoft Entra ID, configured through Intune
Compliance gate	Jamf compliance with Microsoft Entra Conditional Access through device compliance integration	Native compliance policies feed Entra Conditional Access across all managed platforms
Endpoint security	Jamf Protect for Mac threat prevention, telemetry, and compliance benchmarks	Microsoft Defender for Endpoint on macOS, licensed separately or in E5

Favor Jamf when the documented requirement is Smart Groups, Self Service with App Installers, Jamf Connect at login, and Jamf Protect on Mac at USD 12.50 per device. Favor Microsoft Intune when the documented requirement is one console for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, native Conditional Access compliance, Platform SSO, and Plan 1 already included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5, or Business Premium.