On this page · 12 sections
- What changed in 2026
- Microsoft Intune for Macs
- Jamf
- Iru (formerly Kandji) and the 9 December event
- Apple Business: the free option most comparisons miss
- Head-to-head comparison
- macOS 27 readiness: four things to test
- Worked cost: 50 and 500 Macs
- Decision table
- Migration and rollout checklist
- How eCorpIT can help
- References
Summary. For a US or UK Mac fleet in 2027, the three usual shortlist names price in three different ways. Jamf lists Jamf for Mac at $12.50 per Mac per month, billed annually with a 25-device minimum, and Jamf for Mobile at $5.75 per device. Microsoft Intune Plan 1 costs $8.00 per user per month standalone and is included in Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and Business Premium; from July 2026 Microsoft began adding Remote Help, Advanced Analytics and Plan 2 to E3. Kandji became Iru on 22 October 2025, and Iru publishes no prices: every product is quoted on an annual contract. Iru holds a livestreamed launch event on 9 December 2026 and has not said what it will announce. Two Apple changes matter as much as price. Apple Business replaced Apple Business Manager on 14 April 2026 as a free service with built-in device management. macOS 27, released on 14 September 2026, ends legacy software update management, so your tool must enforce updates through declarative device management. All three vendors published macOS 27 support statements in September. At list price, 500 Macs cost $75,000 a year on Jamf for Mac and $48,000 on standalone Intune Plan 1.
About this article. For IT leads and finance owners at US and UK firms choosing or renewing a Mac management tool. We checked every price, plan name, minimum and billing basis against the vendors' own US and UK pricing pages and documentation, and the macOS 27 facts against Apple's support and newsroom pages, on 12 November 2026. UK prices exclude VAT. List prices only; vendors change packaging often, no vendor paid for inclusion, and this is not procurement advice. Researched with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.
What changed in 2026
Four changes make older comparisons unreliable.
- Kandji is now Iru. Iru announced the rebrand on 22 October 2025 with six products: Workforce Identity, Endpoint Management, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), Vulnerability Management, Compliance Automation and Trust Center. Its pricing page shows no figures.
- Apple Business Manager has gone. Apple announced Apple Business on 24 March 2026 as a free service from 14 April, replacing Apple Business Manager, Apple Business Essentials and Apple Business Connect. Built-in device management, previously sold only in the US inside Business Essentials, is now free.
- Intune Suite features are moving into E3 and E5. From July 2026 E3 gains Remote Help, Advanced Analytics and Intune Plan 2 capabilities, and E5 also gains Endpoint Privilege Management (EPM), Cloud PKI and Enterprise App Management, each tenant after 30 days' notice in Message Center.
- macOS 27 forces declarative updates. Legacy software update management no longer works in any 27.0 operating system. Management traffic must use TLS 1.2 or later, and macOS 27 installs only on Apple silicon Macs. Our macOS 27 Golden Gate IT guide covers the wider release.
Microsoft Intune for Macs
What it is. Microsoft's cloud endpoint manager for Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android, Linux and ChromeOS. It relies on Microsoft Entra ID for identity and Conditional Access, which is its main draw for Microsoft 365 shops.
Pricing basis. Per user, per month, paid yearly. Plan 1 costs $8.00 standalone, and every add-on, including the $10.00 Intune Suite, needs Plan 1 underneath. Because pricing is per user, a licensed person's iPhone adds no Intune cost at list price; Microsoft's device-only licences are for devices without a user, such as kiosks.
Microsoft's US and UK pricing pages give these list prices.
| Intune item (per user, per month, paid yearly) | US price | UK price (ex VAT) |
|---|---|---|
| Intune Plan 1, standalone | $8.00 | Not published in GBP |
| Intune Suite add-on | $10.00 | Not published in GBP |
| Intune Plan 2 | $4.00 | £3.10 |
| Remote Help | $3.50 | £2.70 |
| Endpoint Privilege Management | $3.00 | £2.30 |
| Advanced Analytics | $5.00 | £3.80 |
| Enterprise App Management | $2.00 | £1.54 |
| Cloud PKI | $2.00 | £1.54 |
| Microsoft 365 E3, with Teams or without | $39.00 or $30.45 | £33.50 or £27.00 |
| Microsoft 365 E5, with Teams or without | $60.00 or $51.45 | £51.60 or £45.00 |
Strengths. If you already pay for E3, E5, EMS or Business Premium, Plan 1 costs nothing extra, one console covers Windows and Mac, and compliance state feeds Entra Conditional Access.
macOS 27. Microsoft's Intune team published its OS 27 support post on 24 September 2026, ten days after release. It lists day-zero settings catalogue additions, including allow and deny rules for the binaries that can run on supervised Macs, Siri AI and Visual Intelligence controls, and a consolidated privacy consent prompt. From its October (2610) service release, Intune removes the legacy Apple software update policies and reports. Microsoft's supported-platforms page covers macOS 15 and later, defined as the three most recent versions, which now includes macOS 27.
Limits. Plan 1 is device management, not EDR: Microsoft sells Defender for Endpoint as a separate product and lists endpoint security among the E5 plan highlights. Microsoft publishes no GBP price for standalone Plan 1 or the Suite.
If the wider Microsoft licence is also under review, see our Microsoft 365 vs Google Workspace pricing comparison.
Jamf
What it is. An Apple-focused management and security vendor. Jamf says it serves more than 78,000 organisations and over 35 million devices (vendor figures).
Pricing basis. Per device, per month, billed annually, from Jamf's pricing page.
- Jamf for Mac: $12.50 per macOS device per month, 25-device minimum. It bundles core macOS management and automation, endpoint protection, vulnerability management, content filtering, identity and access management, Zero Trust Network Access and AI tool governance.
- Jamf for Mobile: $5.75 per mobile device per month, 25-device minimum, covering iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, tvOS and Android, with mobile threat defence.
- Jamf Now: from $4 per device per month, for organisations with fewer than 25 employees, covering macOS, iOS, iPadOS and tvOS.
Jamf for Mac and Jamf for Mobile are sold only to Jamf Cloud customers. Prices are in US dollars; Jamf says local-currency quotes come from its representatives or authorised resellers. A free 14-day trial is available.
Strengths. Jamf announced same-day support for macOS Golden Gate 27 and its other OS 27 releases on 14 September 2026, which it says is its 15th consecutive year of same-day support. Day-one features included Allow/Deny Binaries (process-level app control enforced by macOS), Privacy Management in Apps, Package Uninstall and a Lockdown Mode status field.
Limits. Per-device pricing means phones and tablets cost extra. Jamf Now stops below 25 employees, so a firm with 25 or more staff but fewer than 25 Macs pays the 25-device minimum on Jamf for Mac. No UK list price is published.
Iru (formerly Kandji) and the 9 December event
What it is. Iru's Endpoint Management covers Apple, Windows and Android devices with one lightweight agent, and its pricing page cites 550+ Auto Apps with zero-touch patching. Its Mac page says 250+ for Auto Apps, so ask which catalogue applies to you. The Mac page also lists Liftoff onboarding and Passport, a Mac login that uses single sign-on credentials. Iru says more than 6,000 companies use it (vendor figure).
Pricing basis. Not published. Iru's FAQ says price depends on the products you need and the number of users and devices, and contracts are annual commitments billed annually. It offers a free 14-day trial of Endpoint Management, EDR, Vulnerability Management and Workforce Identity, free onboarding and migration support, a Migration Agent that moves Macs from another MDM, and 24/5 chat support.
macOS 27. Iru's blog claimed Day 0 support for all OS 27 releases on 14 September 2026, with some features following on 16 September or later. Its Mac page says it runs macOS updates through Apple's declarative device management. The OS 27 post listed Siri AI and Visual Intelligence restriction keys as coming soon and no Mac binary allow and deny control, so ask which are live now.
The 9 December launch event. The event page, titled Iru Launch Event: Next Era of IT 2026, says Iru will livestream an unveiling of what it has been building. Iru has not said what will launch or whether pricing will change, so ask whether your quote holds after the event.
Apple Business: the free option most comparisons miss
Every company now starts in Apple Business, whichever MDM it picks. Apple says it includes built-in device management with Blueprints that preconfigure settings and apps, and zero-touch deployment when devices are bought from Apple or an Apple Authorised Reseller. It also creates Managed Apple Accounts through Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace or another identity provider, and adds user groups, custom roles, app distribution and an Admin API. The service is free; US customers can buy extra iCloud storage from $0.99 per user per month and AppleCare+ for Business from $6.99 a month.
For a 20-person Mac and iPhone studio, that may be enough. Apple's announcement does not list endpoint detection, third-party app patching or Windows support, which is where Intune, Jamf and Iru earn their fee. Third-party tools such as Iru still enrol Macs through Apple's Automated Device Enrolment.
Head-to-head comparison
The table summarises the vendor pages cited above, as checked on 12 November 2026.
| Microsoft Intune | Jamf | Iru (ex-Kandji) | Apple Business | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US list price | Plan 1 $8.00 per user a month; Suite adds $10.00 | Jamf for Mac $12.50 per Mac a month; Jamf for Mobile $5.75; Jamf Now from $4 | Quote only | Free |
| UK list price (ex VAT) | Plan 1 not in GBP; add-ons £1.54 to £3.80; E3 £33.50 | Not published; local-currency quote | Quote only | Free |
| Billing basis | Per user, annual | Per device, annual, 25-device minimum | Users and devices, annual commitment | None |
| Included elsewhere | M365 E3, E5, EMS, Business Premium | No | No | Apple's own portal |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, ChromeOS | Apple; Android on the mobile tier | Apple, Windows, Android | Apple only |
| Mac security bundled | Not in Plan 1; E5 lists endpoint security | Yes, in Jamf for Mac | EDR and vulnerability tools quoted separately | Not listed |
| macOS 27 statement | Support post, 24 September 2026 | Same-day support, 14 September 2026 | Day 0 claim, 14 September 2026 | Apple's platform |
| Trial | Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | Free service |
macOS 27 readiness: four things to test
Run these on a pilot group of Apple silicon Macs before you widen a macOS 27 rollout. Our declarative device management guide covers the update side in more depth.
- Update enforcement through DDM. Legacy update commands, queries, cadence settings and deferral restrictions no longer work on 27.0. Confirm your tool enforces target versions and deadlines declaratively; Intune is removing its legacy Apple update policies from its October release.
- TLS on management traffic. MDM, DDM, enrolment, profile, app and software update connections need TLS 1.2 or later with App Transport Security-compliant ciphersuites and certificates; SCEP and content caching are exempt. Apple suggests auditing from devices on 26.4 or later but before 27.
- Siri AI and Visual Intelligence policy. Device management can restrict Siri AI, Visual Intelligence and natural-language calendar editing. Check that your tool exposes these keys today.
- App control and privacy prompts. Device management can now decide which apps or binaries may run, and can set one consolidated privacy consent prompt. The Accessibility key in privacy preference profiles is deprecated: if you still apply it, the user is notified once for each app and can turn the permission off in System Settings. Jamf ships Allow/Deny Binaries and Intune has binary allow and deny rules in its settings catalogue; ask Iru for its equivalent.
Worked cost: 50 and 500 Macs
Assumptions: list prices from 12 November 2026, annual billing, one Mac per user, no discounts. Microsoft prices are per user; Jamf's are per device. UK figures add 20% VAT where shown. Prices come from the Jamf and Microsoft pricing pages.
| Scenario | 50 Macs per year | 500 Macs per year |
|---|---|---|
| Jamf for Mac at $12.50 | 50 × $12.50 × 12 = $7,500 | 500 × $12.50 × 12 = $75,000 |
| Jamf for Mobile at $5.75, one iPhone per user | 50 × $5.75 × 12 = $3,450 | 500 × $5.75 × 12 = $34,500 |
| Intune Plan 1 standalone at $8.00 | 50 × $8.00 × 12 = $4,800 | 500 × $8.00 × 12 = $48,000 |
| Intune Plan 1 plus EPM ($11.00) | 50 × $11.00 × 12 = $6,600 | 500 × $11.00 × 12 = $66,000 |
| Intune Plan 1 plus Intune Suite ($18.00) | 50 × $18.00 × 12 = $10,800 | 500 × $18.00 × 12 = $108,000 |
| Intune, already licensed through E3 or E5 | $0 extra | $0 extra |
| Iru | Quote | Quote |
| Apple Business built-in management | $0 | $0 (fit is the question, not cost) |
| UK: Intune EPM add-on at £2.30 | 50 × £2.30 × 12 = £1,380 (£1,656 inc VAT) | 500 × £2.30 × 12 = £13,800 (£16,560 inc VAT) |
Three things change the ranking more than list price.
- Phones. If each of 500 Mac users also carries a managed iPhone, the per-user Intune seat covers it at list price. On Jamf, 500 Jamf for Mobile devices add $34,500, taking the total to $75,000 + $34,500 = $109,500 a year.
- Security tooling. Jamf for Mac includes endpoint protection and vulnerability management. Intune Plan 1 does not include EDR, so the fair comparison for a firm without Microsoft 365 E5 is Plan 1 plus whatever EDR you buy.
- Iru's break-even. To match Jamf for Mac on licence cost alone, Iru must quote $12.50 per Mac per month or less for equivalent scope (management plus EDR plus vulnerability management). Ask for each product as a separate line.
A 50-person UK agency on Microsoft 365 E3 at £33.50 per user already pays for Intune Plan 1. For a 500-Mac US firm on Google Workspace with no Microsoft licences, Jamf for Mac at $75,000 a year competes with Intune Plan 1 at $48,000 plus separate EDR, and Iru's quote decides whether it enters the race.
Decision table
| Choose | If |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Intune | You own Microsoft 365 E3, E5 or Business Premium, run Windows too, and want Entra Conditional Access everywhere |
| Jamf (Jamf for Mac) | Macs dominate, you want macOS features on release day and endpoint protection in the per-Mac price |
| Jamf Now | You have fewer than 25 employees and want a low-cost Apple tool from $4 a device |
| Iru (ex-Kandji) | You want management, identity, EDR and compliance evidence from one vendor and will negotiate a quote after 9 December |
| Apple Business built-in management | You run a small Apple-only fleet with simple needs and no EDR requirement |
Migration and rollout checklist
- Claim your Apple Business account and check that every Mac bought through Apple or an Authorised Reseller appears there; link your identity provider for Managed Apple Accounts.
- Inventory by chip and OS. Intel Macs cannot install macOS 27, so split the fleet by chip first.
- Run a 14-day trial of your top two tools on 5 to 10 Macs per department, testing DDM updates, FileVault key escrow, single sign-on login and app deployment.
- Price the whole fleet, phones included, and ask Iru and Jamf for UK quotes in GBP with VAT shown.
- Plan re-enrolment. Moving MDM needs user approval on each Mac; Iru's Migration Agent cuts interaction to the minimum approval Apple requires, and other moves need a scripted plan.
- Map to frameworks. Under the Cyber Essentials requirements for applications registered after 26 April 2026, not installing high-risk or critical updates within 14 days is an automatic fail, so set update deadlines in the tool inside that window. Our Cyber Essentials Danzell guide covers the full question set.
How eCorpIT can help
eCorpIT is a Gurugram-based technology organisation, founded in 2021, assessed at CMMI Level 5 and MSME certified, with senior-led engineering teams working across AWS, Microsoft and Google platforms. We help US and UK teams score Intune, Jamf, Iru and Apple Business against their existing licences, pilot macOS 27 and plan MDM migrations through our cybersecurity services. Talk to us at /contact-us/.
Last updated: 12 November 2026.
