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IBM MaaS360 vs IBM MobileFirst comparison

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Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
319
Ranking in other categories
Configuration Management (2nd), Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
IBM MaaS360
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (13th), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (6th)
IBM MobileFirst
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Mobile App Platforms (6th), Mobile Development Platforms (14th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM MaaS3606.1%
Microsoft Intune28.3%
Workspace ONE UEM11.3%
Other54.3%
Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM)
Mobile App Platforms Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
IBM MobileFirst6.5%
Android SDK10.1%
SAP Mobile Platform7.2%
Other76.2%
Mobile App Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

AkashKamble - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr MacOS specialist engineer at Cyber24
Enables management of multiple operating systems with a single license
The best feature is that it's a Microsoft product, so if anything goes wrong, we get quick support for anything required. Remote system functionality allows us to sit anywhere and take control of any device via remote management. We can enhance security for clients' laptops with built-in Microsoft Defender, which is available with the Microsoft Intune license. We use it for reporting purposes through endpoint analytics. When pushing scripting, there are two types available: remediation script and reservation script. Through endpoint analytics, you can push defender policies to clients. It helps with reporting, inventory updates, and monitoring tenant status health.
reviewer2173776 - PeerSpot reviewer
President at a wholesaler/distributor with 11-50 employees
Bulk phone setup has become more efficient while content distribution remains manageable
The main benefit of IBM MaaS360 is phone control and rollout. I acquired it because I was onboarding 15 new people, and it was more efficient to manage 15 phones from a computer than to handle each phone individually. I was able to manage what apps people were downloading with IBM MaaS360, ensuring they had what they needed. I could monitor their downloads and remove applications if necessary.
MT
Senior Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Streamlines development of hybrid applications, and has ability to integrate device-native code
It was a cakewalk for us to develop mobile apps for three different platforms using IBM MobileFirst. Since it was a consumer application built for large-scale events, it was very crucial for us to manage application compatibility with all sort of devices. With MobielFirst, we could actually achieve this with very little trouble. With help of this product, we have been able to develop mobile applications without having complete knowledge of each mobile OS's native programming. App development, delivery, and code management have been very efficient using this product.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The biggest benefit for me in Microsoft Intune is control; I can control my users and what they can do and enforce the policies that I want to enforce, and it is a great tool to control and put structure to take the organization to the place I want to take it."
"Microsoft Tech Support is good, providing solid support."
"Microsoft Intune has been a time saver and reduces the time and effort IT admins have to invest."
"If any user tries to access company data, it directly interacts with the conditional access policy. This helps us protect our data and set the criteria for how data can be accessed and shared."
"While Microsoft Intune boasts a wide range of features, its user-friendliness and bundled licensing cost are key considerations for me."
"The most valuable features are the ones that make sure that the deployment is of a standard operating system and the Zero Touch deployment, which is very useful. This allows users to have an out of box experience."
"The solution has significantly improved managing a diverse range of devices. We have observed enhancements across Android, iOS, and Windows devices."
"This solution saves us a lot of time once it's implemented."
"​The graphic, friendly interface allowed us to start without almost any ​support from the manufacturer.​​​"
"The most valuable features of IBM MaaS360 are remote control and setting up a phone."
"Maas360 uses distribution groups to deploy apps, which makes it a bit easier than, for example, Intune."
"Remote enablement feature and access to internal resources on the VPN."
"Mobile Device Management, Secure Productivity Suite, and document management are valuable features."
"The most valuable features are mobile device management and security (which allows you to quarantine infected devices)."
"The product’s most valuable feature is email, browser, and application security."
"The ability to send an iPad out to someone and have them auto-provision it when they are out in the field is fantastic. We don't have to have it all configured before we ship it. This is probably the biggest value add."
"IBM MobileFirst has one of the most feature-rich admin panels."
"I like Its capability for developing hybrid applications, with an ability to integrate device-native code as well"
"With help of this product, we have been able to develop mobile applications without having complete knowledge of each mobile OS's native programming technology. App development, delivery, and code management have been very efficient using this product."
 

Cons

"It just doesn't handle software updates well at all by itself. You need to be a scripting wizard to make those happen properly, or you use third-party tools. The Windows feature updates are very difficult to implement. I would like to see a proprietary built-in remote control tool. I know that they have Team Viewer integrated, but it is not seamless. It would be nice if they had a seamless remote desktop capability directly from the Intune console."
"The pricing could be improved."
"The installation could be improved to be simplified."
"Sometimes, it takes time to synchronize the policies between the portal and the devices, you don't have a way to estimate how long it will take to deploy. You have some kind of gray area, where it can deploy in 30 minutes or three days."
"Integrating certain group policies can be challenging and may necessitate using on-premises systems to integrate them with Microsoft Intune."
"A more incisive reporting tool with automated progress updates and graphical representation would be beneficial, as the current manual method lacks efficiency and visual clarity."
"One issue that Inutune can improve is password integration with the BitLocker key option. Another issue is assigning licenses. We can assign the licenses for some users on the BPM side, and our BPS users work on Outlook 365 but cannot access it there. A BPS person can go to the company portal and download Outlook 2016. They could improve the NDIS part to assign a license directly to the BPS person that allows them to install the Intune device manager directly on our system."
"It could offer more attributes for authentication."
"MaaS360 definitely caters to a few of the requirements, but when someone is going for a solution, all the features are not available in MaaS360."
"The solution needs to offer live technical support. Right now, it's just a chat window and it's rather unhelpful."
"When we have MaaS360 installed on smartphones, it consumes the battery of the device at a much faster pace. This is one of the areas of improvement that I would like to highlight. We have also observed that in the contact list, a lot of duplication is happening. A single contact is duplicated three or four times, which also consumes more memory resources. If they can work on improving it for these aspects, it will have a more positive impact not only on the way the application is being consumed by the user but also on user satisfaction. A lot of new features are being deployed or rolled out by companies that are competitors of IBM MaaS360. IBM will have to ensure that all those features are on board so that we have a complete suite of features in the platform, rather than deploying multiple diverse solutions to cater to the requirements of our customers."
"Its integration with Microsoft Teams could be better."
"It's difficult for someone like me to set up a phone that doesn't require a SIM card, like Apple's new phones."
"I would rate IBM MaaS360's stability as seven out of ten, though I don't use it extensively."
"Zero day support is something they can work on. They can make it a little bit more user-friendly."
"Can be added process of export/import environment configuration to simplify any migration processes."
"There are issues with push notifications, especially for Windows mobile apps. JSONStore also crashes abruptly at times."
"I would like to see improved support for native device functions."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's affordable. It's cheaper if you have an Office 365, E5, or E3 subscription because everything is there."
"Microsoft Intune is more expensive than other solutions, but it offers a wider range of features and control."
"The licensing is on a yearly basis."
"We work with the subscription rather than a server license. I think it's economical this way because we don't have to have a server license for that, and I think that works in our favor."
"Our Office 365 Business Premium license, including Office 365 and Intune Management, offers excellent value."
"Even if they charge a premium, they aim to provide equal value."
"If you're ever going to buy an Office 365 environment, then pricing is reasonable given all that it does, but if you're not, then you might find the pricing expensive."
"Its price is quite okay. I wish they provide certain additional features with the same license."
"IBM products are a little pricey."
"I feel the pricing to be very high."
"IBM products are expensive compared to the tools offered by its competitors. IBM MaaS360 is an expensive tool."
"Fees are monthly and it's approximately $8 per user."
"Price is something for which we are always under pressure. If we have to look at the MaaS deployment, the price definitely has to come down. This is clearly one of the areas that we will have to work on, not only as a provider to our customers but also as a consumer of this service."
"The licensing structure is broken down into levels, each with different functionalities available. Depending on your license, there may be additional fees for extra features."
"I rate IBM MaaS360’s pricing a six out of ten."
"The solution is cost-effective."
"Cost depends upon various factors. Size of the overall application and product usage matter a lot. For an enterprise-grade application, this certainly comes out as an economical solution. However, for small-scale applications, it can turn out to be on the higher side."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
9%
University
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business122
Midsize Enterprise48
Large Enterprise160
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business20
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise12
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM MaaS360?
The pricing and licensing experience with IBM MaaS360 was satisfactory and not expensive.
What needs improvement with IBM MaaS360?
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Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
Fiberlink MaaS360, MaaS360
MobileFirst, Worklight
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Bancroft, Garuda Indonesia
UniCredit Business Integrated Solutions, Gruppo Unipol, Raymond James Financial, Toshiba GCS, CST, ABK-Systeme GmbH, BNP Paribas
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Omnissa, ManageEngine and others in Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM). Updated: February 2026.
882,637 professionals have used our research since 2012.