Head to head · Reviewed August 2026
Microsoft Intune vs Apple Business
List pricing, per-device cost once the units are levelled, operational load and the capabilities where the two are scored differently. Every figure carries its source.
The short answer
Apple Business is included at no cost and Microsoft Intune lists at $8.00 per user per month, which normalises to $6.67 per device. They answer different questions. Apple Business manages Apple hardware only and does no Windows, Linux or Android, so for most organisations it is not a replacement for Intune but a floor underneath the Apple part of the fleet. It has no managed app configuration, no third-party patch management and no scripting; on advanced features, the scored matrix puts Microsoft Intune at 5 of 10 against Apple Business's 1. Choose Intune when one console has to cover every platform and Conditional Access is a requirement; use Apple Business when the Apple estate is small, simple, and separable.
What each one costs
Microsoft
Microsoft Intune
$8.00/user/mo
Normalised to $6.67 per device at 1.2 devices per user.
- Minimum devices
- None
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux
Source: Microsoft.com, 2026-03
Apple
Apple Business
Free
Priced per device, so no normalisation is applied.
- Minimum devices
- None
- Platforms
- macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, visionOS
Source: Apple Newsroom / Apple Support, 2026-04
Cost and operational load
| Measure | Microsoft Intune | Apple Business |
|---|---|---|
| With security bundle | $18.00 | N/A |
| Typical implementation | 8-12 mo | Days |
| IT staff per 1,000 devices | 0.5-1.0 | <0.1 |
| Policy delivery latency | 8-24 hrs | Not published |
Three-year licence cost by fleet size
| Fleet size | Microsoft Intune | Apple Business | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 devices | $24,000 | $0 | $24,000 less on Apple Business |
| 500 devices | $120,000 | $0 | $120,000 less on Apple Business |
| 2,000 devices | $480,000 | $0 | $480,000 less on Apple Business |
| 5,000 devices | $1,200,000 | $0 | $1,200,000 less on Apple Business |
Apple Business carries no licence fee, so its column is $0 at every size. The cost of running it is staff time and whatever it cannot do.
Capability scores by category
Scored against the Amaris MDM Practices reference, where each criterion is full, partial or absent. Criteria the reference does not assess for one of the two are excluded from both totals rather than counted as a zero.
Microsoft Intune
Apple Business
Where they actually differ
| Capability | Microsoft Intune | Apple Business |
|---|---|---|
| Day-0 macOS supportApple integration · Same-day support for new Apple OS releases | None | Full |
| Passkey authenticationIdentity · Support for passkeys as modern authentication method | Full | None |
| Conditional access integrationSecurity · Device compliance-based resource access controlsJamf: MS + Google BeyondCorp. WS1: MS + Google BeyondCorp. Intune: native MS conditional access | Full | None |
| Endpoint Detection & ResponseSecurity · Built-in or deeply integrated macOS threat detectionJamf Protect native; Intune requires Defender add-on; Mosyle built-in malware scanning | Full | None |
| SIEM / EDR integrationVisibility & remediation · Integration with security information and event management toolsJamf: webhooks + API. Intune: native MS Defender/Sentinel. WS1: built-in SIEM integration | Full | None |
| Natural-language device searchAI & intelligence · Query fleet inventory and device state in plain EnglishJamf: AI Assistant Search skill (cloud-hosted Jamf Pro only). Iru: Kai, enabled by default for all customers. Omnissa: Omni assistant, GA March 2026. Intune: Copilot device query | Full | None |
| AI configuration & policy guidanceAI & intelligence · AI-assisted setup, policy recommendations, and misconfiguration detectionJamf: AI Assistant explains policies, scripts, Smart Groups and blueprints. Intune: Copilot policy insights & error explanations. Fleet: optional AI-generated policy descriptions and remediations (4.50.0+) | Full | None |
| AI security explainabilityAI & intelligence · Plain-English explanation of compliance drift and risky settingsJamf: shipped scope covers configuration and compliance benchmarking; Jamf Protect alert analysis is announced as coming soon. Intune: Security Copilot integration. Omnissa: Intelligence anomaly context | Full | None |
| Beta program for new featuresApple integration · Pre-release testing of new MDM capabilities | None | Partial |
| Apple GitHub device management integrationApple integration · Blueprints integrated with Apple's device management repo | None | Partial |
| Return to ServiceApple integration · Remote wipe and re-enrollment without physical accessIntune: to be implemented | None | Partial |
| Managed Apple Accounts supportApple integration · Support for Apple services including Managed Apple Accounts | Partial | Full |
| IdP integration (Okta, Entra, Google)Identity · Integration with major identity providers and directory services | Full | Partial |
| Platform SSO readinessIdentity · Support for Apple Platform SSO during and after enrollmentIntune: not available during Setup Assistant. Jamf: Okta supported during setup | Partial | None |
Showing the 14 widest of 37 scored differences. The criteria where the two tie are on the MDM Encyclopedia, alongside every other platform.
Which to choose
Choose Microsoft Intune if
Majority-Windows fleets already standardised on Microsoft 365 and Entra, where Apple is the minority platform.
Strengths
- One console for Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux
- Conditional Access and compliance policies native to Entra
- Windows Autopilot for zero-touch PC provisioning
- Frequently already paid for inside an existing Microsoft 365 bundle
Trade-offs
- Apple feature support trails Apple releases - the matrix scores it lowest of the six on Apple integration
- Policy delivery measured in hours where the Apple-first platforms deliver in seconds
- Conditional Access (Entra ID P1), Defender, Remote Help and Endpoint Privilege Management are each licensed separately
Choose Apple Business if
Small, simple Apple estates that need enrolment and app distribution rather than policy depth or compliance evidence.
Strengths
- Free, with no per-device fee
- Zero-touch enrolment through Automated Device Enrolment
- Account-driven BYOD enrolment with no wipe
- Blueprints, Managed Apple Accounts and VPP app distribution
- The only option here that covers visionOS
Trade-offs
- No managed app configuration (AppConfig)
- No email account payloads
- No third-party patch management
- No scripting and no custom reporting
- Apple publishes no device-count limit, but consultancies report the gaps start to bite somewhere around 30 to 50 devices - their field observation, not an Apple statement
Questions people ask about Microsoft Intune and Apple Business
- Is Microsoft Intune cheaper than Apple Business?
- Apple Business is included at no cost, so on the licence line it is always cheaper. Normalised to a per-device figure at 1.2 devices per user, that is $0.00 against $6.67 per device per month, a gap of about 100%. These are vendor list prices current to 2026, not quotes: licence cost is only one line of total cost of ownership, and implementation, add-on SKUs and IT labour routinely move the ranking.
- Can you move from Microsoft Intune to Apple Business without wiping the devices?
- Not with Apple's no-wipe path. Apple shipped MDM-to-MDM migration in the iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 generation, but it is vendor-to-vendor only and does not work into or out of Apple Business's own built-in management. Moving between Microsoft Intune and Apple Business therefore means unenrolling and re-enrolling the devices.
- Microsoft Intune or Apple Business - which should we choose?
- Microsoft Intune fits best where majority-Windows fleets already standardised on Microsoft 365 and Entra, where Apple is the minority platform. Apple Business fits best where small, simple Apple estates that need enrolment and app distribution rather than policy depth or compliance evidence. This model does not name a single winner, because the answer depends on which evaluation pillars matter to you and on what you already pay for elsewhere.
Related comparisons
These are modelled estimates, not quotes
Prices are vendor list rates current to 2026 and dated on the methodology page. Real cost moves with fleet size, sector, negotiated discount and which add-on SKUs you need. Amaris Consulting, Part of Mantu, runs Apple and MDM migrations for a living - if you want these numbers checked against your estate, ask.