6 Best Free MDM Services & Solutions for iOS/Android/Wins

Free MDM solutions are often preferred by organizations because of their ability to provide the fundamental MDM functionalities and that too with no cost investment. It is especially opted by small businesses because of the lesser number of devices, leading to the requirement of only the basic MDM functions.

However, when it comes to free MDM solutions, the advanced features aren’t offered, but they serve as a good start toward the consistent and standardized management of devices.

Keeping this in consideration, this article explores six free MDM solutions in detail. It dives into the features, use cases, pros and cons, and rating of each platform to help you decide the right solution for your business.

1 6 Free MDM Solution (iOS/Wins/Android)

This section explores the key features and use cases of six free MDM solutions for the iOS, Windows, and Android platforms.

Miradore - Free Version

Miradore is an effective and cost-efficient MDM solution to manage and control your Android, iOS, and Windows devices. It equips organizations to gain better control over the security of devices and data carried by them.

Additional details about Miradore are as follows:

Cisco Meraki

Cisco Meraki is a cloud-first MDM solution to remotely manage and control your devices. The tool makes endpoint management easier by providing real-time risk evaluation and troubleshooting capabilities.

Additional details about Cisco Meraki are as follows:

Comodo ONE

Comodo ONE is a free MDM platform that equips you with the capabilities to manage, deploy, monitor, and secure your Android and iOS devices.

Additional details about Comodo ONE are as follows:

Action 1

Action 1 offers automated patch management functionalities for Windows Server, desktop OS, and third-party apps from a centralized dashboard. Additionally, all the features stand completely free for the first 100 endpoints.

Additional details about Action 1 are as follows:

Mosyle

Mosyle is an enterprise-grade Apple MDM solution. It equips an organization with all the device management and security functionalities to make Apple devices ready for work and school.

Additional details about Mosyle are as follows:

AirDroid Business: Free Trial for 14 Days

AirDroid Business is an award-winning MDM solution that helps manage endpoints while keeping security and device visibility in place. Although the tool is not free, it comes with a free trial for 14 days.

Additional details about AirDroid Business are as follows:

2 Who Needs Free MDM Software?

As seen above, free MDM software can equip you with several basic features required to manage and control the user devices of an organization. Considering that, the following bodies may be the potential users of free MDM solutions:

Startups

Startups usually have budget restrictions, but streamlining processes, managing devices, and securing endpoints are unquestionably important elements. This is where a free MDM solution can play a crucial role as it allows you to manage and secure your devices, without requiring you to spend a fortune.

Schools, Colleges, and Other Educational Institutions

A free MDM solution can help educational institutes streamline the management process by providing a centralized solution to manage, control, and secure user devices.

Non-Profit Organizations

Non-profit organizations have limited human and monetary resources to execute their processes. A free MDM solution can help automate the device management process, that too without a financial burden.

Individuals/Family

In family settings, parents need to have control over their children’s devices in the form of content restriction and privacy protection. This can be attained using a free MDM solution.

IT Administrators

A free MDM solution can help IT administrators efficiently manage and monitor devices, while they focus on important tasks, ultimately improving work efficiency.

3 Features List of Free MDM vs Paid MDM Solution

Free MDM solutions can be a good start to the management of end-user devices. However, they do have limitations, which is why businesses prefer to opt for paid MDM solutions.

The following table compares the features usually offered by free MDM and paid MDM solutions:

Note that the above-mentioned table summarizes the features on a generic basis, and they may differ from tool-to-tool. Therefore, before opting for any MDM platform, it’s important to go through its offered features and verify if they align with the requirements.

Security Concerns Comparison of Free MDM Solutions and Paid MDM Solutions

The following table compares the security concerns of a free MDM and paid MDM solutions:

4 Security Concerns of Free MDM Solutions

Although free MDM software equips you with a lot of features to help manage and control the user devices, it may still have certain restrictions. These include:

Compliance

At times, the free MDM solution may not meet the regulatory compliance standards. In less professional settings where there is little to no sensitive data involved, it may not be an issue. However, if sensitive data is involved, the inability to meet compliance may pose hidden security risks for you as there is no validation to verify the platform meets the accepted standards.

Reliability and Stability

A free MDM solution does not guarantee you the reliability and stable performance. This can cause issues in terms of unpredictable and unplanned downtimes, affecting your work cycles and collaboration models.

Data Privacy Policies

A free MDM platform, like any other free application, holds the potential of misusing or mishandling sensitive data. Therefore, as mentioned before, a free MDM is not the right choice in case of the involvement of sensitive data.

Customer Support

Free MDM software may fulfill all your basic requirements, but there is a high chance that you will not gain a feature of customer support in the free package. This may sound like not that big of an issue, but it is when you end up getting stuck on some problem with the software.

5 Factors to Consider When Using Free MDM

Although a free MDM solution can be a great way to streamline the management and security of your devices, it comes with certain limitations. The following are some of the factors to keep in mind when choosing a free MDM solution:

• Support and Response – One of the most common cons of free MDM solutions is the quality of their technical support and response times. Therefore, when choosing a free MDM platform, keep in consideration that you may not be able to get quick responses to your queries and problems from customer support.
• Regular Updates – Although free MDM solutions offer a lot of features, regular updates might not be one of them. Because the solutions are free, there is a high chance that little to no investment is made in offering updates of features and improvement of platform functionality.
• Review Privacy Policy – Before opting for a free MDM solution, it's crucial to go through their privacy policy. It is to help ensure that none of your data is misused in any form. You can find the data protection law implemented by the platform, which will give you insights into the level of protection offered by them. Missing this might cost your business a fortune in terms of reputation and fines.
• Compliance Standards – Not all free MDM solutions meet the compliance standards. Therefore, it's necessary to study the standards they abide by and the missing links. Some of the common compliance standards include GDPR and HIPAA. This can help save you from the investigations and consequences imposed by compliance bodies.
• Data Security – When choosing a free MDM solution, look for the offered security measures to protect your organization’s data. Some of these may include in-built VPN, multi-factor authentication, security policy configuration, and the ability to integrate with your existing endpoint security tools.

All in all, a free MDM solution can help you with the management and control of devices, and that too without any costs. However, it is important to consider if there are any security risks or potential concerns involved with the choice of software. As the business grows, free MDM may not meet the needs of the company. Therefore, it is necessary to use scalable paid MDM software.

6 Average Price of MDM Solutions

The pricing of MDM solutions can vary based on the selected platform. However, per the 2022 Maximizing Mobile Value study by Oxford Economics, the organizations spend between $3.25 and $9 per device per month.

Additionally, small businesses may spend $5 per device per month whereas large businesses may spend around $3.25 per device per month. The difference is because the higher number of devices may reduce the subscription amount.

7 AirDroid Business - Comprehensive Mobile Device Management Solution

Bringing it all together, AirDroid Business is one of the most effective MDM solutions. It stands as a preferred choice because of its extensive capabilities to manage, control, and secure devices and applications. It offers a vast range of features ranging from business continuity to device visibility and simplified management to kiosk mode. Additionally, all this comes within an affordable price point.

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