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Jamf Pro vs Microsoft Configuration Manager comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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

Jamf Pro
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
106
Ranking in other categories
Mobile Device Management (MDM) (1st), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (2nd)
Microsoft Configuration Man...
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
81
Ranking in other categories
Server Monitoring (3rd), Configuration Management (3rd), Patch Management (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

Jamf Pro and Microsoft Configuration Manager aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Jamf Pro is designed for Mobile Device Management (MDM) and holds a mindshare of 31.0%, up 19.6% compared to last year.
Microsoft Configuration Manager, on the other hand, focuses on Server Monitoring, holds 9.8% mindshare, down 11.1% since last year.
Mobile Device Management (MDM)
Server Monitoring
 

Featured Reviews

Pete C - PeerSpot reviewer
Customizable with a self-service portal and a good security posture
Policies enabled for self-service should have keywords attached, so that multiple search terms can direct to a single preferred result, without having to clutter the description field. The new remote support tool is still lacking features compared to other industry solutions. There is no built-in functionality for tracking changes over time for multiple devices. All patch reporting is only a current snapshot. The password management tools are fairly outdated. The web console (GUI) is slow with maddening UI/UX inconsistencies.
MikeNelson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Deployment recovery works well but requires configuration improvements
While I do not use the product frequently, many issues were due to configuration rather than the product itself. I cannot give an exact recommendation as it is not my area of responsibility. The team that uses it finds it adequate. It is presently good enough for us not to investigate other options. Overall, I rate the product a six out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The remote wipe and lock features are by far the best tools."
"Jamf Pro allowed us to patch and manage endpoints while collecting log data to help improve operational efficiency."
"Integration with Apple's DEP program and the ability to image systems quickly and efficiently is one of the best features. I use Jamf Pro to push out remote access tools that allow us to help our users with issues that require more "hands-on" than only MDM can provide, which is nice as well."
"The ability to put a device into a lost mode state that will report locations as it checks in has allowed us to retrieve so many lost devices."
"The solution has good integration with Google and has high performance for our Mac fleet of devices."
"Automating the refresh of the devices is huge for both sides of the end-user experience."
"Jamf has made it achievable for us to easily deploy & manage Apple devices anywhere in the world, without the need for hands-on assistance from IT staff."
"The zero-day support regarding new Apple hardware and Apple operating systems is very good."
"The tool's most valuable features include security updates and patch management, which are critical functions for maintaining security. The automated software distribution and the ability to manage deployments are also highly useful. Enforcing compliance with set policies on systems is another key functionality we leverage."
"It is a very well-rounded product. It is a complete package with all the features using which we are able to manage our PCs very efficiently."
"It gives us the ability to set up schedules, according to what our security requirements are, to automate the patching of our servers and desktops."
"It uses detailed descriptions of the workstations, and that is good for me."
"It works well for the endpoints for the customer I'm consulting. It has a bunch of knobs, and you can tune it to do lots of things."
"This solution captures all the devices in our infrastructure."
"The solution has a very good set of features."
"We're a Microsoft-centric organization, so we are happy with the integration between products."
 

Cons

"The cheaper Jamf School is also a product that has been acquired and decked out to meet more educational needs for a good price. Some features of Jamf School aren't (yet?) available in Jamf Pro and for educational users/customers of Jamf Pro, it would beneficial to have these available in the Pro version too."
"The list of applications for patch management isn't sufficient."
"For patch management in Jamf, two Smart Groups are required as patch policies cannot be scoped as of now. This is not a major issue, as there is a great workaround by using a wrapped "member of" duplicate Smart Group. However, being able to avoid two Smart Groups for patch management would be nice."
"A dark mode would for sure be appreciated."
"I think that there should also be more integrations with Jamf that could better the intelligence-gathering when making business decisions."
"The product is pretty good as-is, but if anything could be improved I would say the UI could perhaps be a bit simpler. A mobile app to complement the web-based version, to perform specific tasks, would be nice to have - a good example of what I mean is the "Pulseway" MDM for Windows, they have a very useful and user-friendly mobile app."
"The new remote support tool is still lacking features compared to other industry solutions."
"The ability to ask a device to run a policy regularly would be a real advantage."
"Our company would prefer not rebooting computers while people are using them. There seems to be no strategy behind it."
"The solution could improve the functionality for automating, license management. Additionally, more and better-looking reports are needed."
"There's no way to say, "I want this maintenance window to be on the second Tuesday of the month." It's strict. This window is this and that's it. You can't fluctuate."
"Microsoft should extend support for additional platforms."
"Its client interface should be more accessible, and the notifications should be more customizable from the console. It should be more user friendly and have some kind of customized notifications so that we can use it on the client side. These are the reasons why we restricted its use only for the server environment and didn't use it on the client side."
"Initial setup was complex. There's a lot that goes into it."
"The operations could be faster and you need some patience with this tool."
"On some hardware, we'd like an easier way to get peripherals attached."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It would be beneficial if it could be reduced slightly."
"This product is surely worth the cost of implementation."
"Jamf Pro is on the expensive side and could be slightly cheaper."
"I know that as a school we get a discounted price, which is good because without it we would not be able to afford it."
"If you have the in-house capability to support Jamf, then paying for onboarding / JumpStart training is a no brainer."
"This is a pricey solution."
"Jamf is quite up there. It wasn't the cheapest solution, but it's reasonable. Apigee was cheaper than Jamf."
"With respect to pricing, Jamf Pro is the better bet."
"Microsoft provides a steep price for their enterprise products, but they offer very competitive pricing for their legacy customers."
"When you compare this solution with other tools in the market you might actually find a lot of variation in the pricing and that's why people opt for the other tools rather than Microsoft tools."
"There is not a license needed to use the solution."
"We have a support license from Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager and the overall price of the solution is reasonable."
"The price model is different for every client."
"The price of Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager is expensive."
"Along with buying a license for MECM, we also have to buy a service called CMG (Cloud Management Gateway) which is a virtual machine in the cloud with which you can link your MECM to the Azure tenant so as to manage teleworkers."
"Its price is okay because it is part of our licensing."
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions are best for your needs.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
43%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
University
5%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Jamf Pro?
The most valuable features of Jamf Pro for me are the device locator, which helps find missing iPads, and the ability to remotely manage and disable devices.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Jamf Pro?
Jamf Pro is considered a premium solution, and pricing can be a significant factor, especially in price-sensitive markets like India.
What needs improvement with Jamf Pro?
Jamf Pro should be standardized into one MDM product to make it more affordable and accessible. The App packaging process is time-consuming and could be improved. Additionally, the user interface i...
How does Ansible compare to Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (SCCM)?
Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager takes knowledge and research to properly configure. The length of time that the set up will take depends on the kind of technical architecture that your org...
How to choose between ManageEngine Desktop Central and Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (formerly SCCM)?
ManageEngine Desktop Central is very easy to set up, is scalable, stable, and also has very good patch management. What I like most about ManageEngine is that I can log on to every PC very easily a...
What do you like most about SCCM?
One of the standout features of SCCM is its application management capabilities. It allows us to create packages efficiently and deploy them to specific groups within our network. This streamlined ...
 

Also Known As

JAMF Software Casper Suite
Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM )
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Xero, National Geographic, Oxford University, Via, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Fallon, Cabela's
Bank Alfalah Ltd., Wªrth Handelsges.m.b.H, Dimension Data, Japan Business Systems, St. Lucie County Public Schools, MISC Berhad
Find out what your peers are saying about JAMF, Microsoft, Cisco and others in Mobile Device Management (MDM). Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.