Best MDM software for Canadian small businesses

A Smithville shop does not need an enterprise UEM RFP. It needs a way to lock or wipe a lost phone, an honest CAD or USD sticker, and a clear line between a personal iPhone and a company laptop. US “best MDM 2026” lists skip the part that changes the bill: GST/HST on Intune, and the fact that Workspace or Business Premium may already include the console.

This comparison is four paths shops actually open: Microsoft Intune (CAD Plan 1, or the Business Premium seat), Jamf (Apple-heavy; Now is free for the first three devices), Google Workspace endpoint management (no extra MDM SKU), and Hexnode (public USD cards from 15 devices). MDM and endpoint-management prices checked against public vendor pages, 6 September 2026.

Who this page is for

• A Canadian shop with a handful of iPhones, Androids, or Windows laptops that now need a passcode policy and a wipe button — not a 5,000-device RFP.
• Anyone already paying Workspace or Microsoft 365 Business Premium who was quoted a second MDM for the same phones.
• An Apple-heavy crew looking at Jamf Now, or a mixed fleet looking at Hexnode, who needs currency honesty.
• Not a hands-on lab. Not a PIPEDA legal opinion. Not Apple Business Manager setup support.

Snapshot (public pages, 6 September 2026)

Sources: Microsoft Intune; What is Intune; Intune core concepts; Jamf; Jamf Now; Jamf SMB blog; Workspace endpoint management; endpoint feature sets; Hexnode.

Microsoft Intune — CAD, and often already on the seat

Official microsoft.com/en-ca Intune pricing (6 September 2026 retrieve): Plan 1 CAD $10.90/user/month paid yearly. Plan 2 CAD $5.40/user/month paid yearly as an add-on to Plan 1. Intune Suite CAD $13.60/user/month paid yearly as an add-on to Plan 1. Confirm the live CAD widget — Microsoft cards move. Source: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/security/business/microsoft-intune-pricing.

Official same page: Plan 1 is included with Microsoft 365 E3, E5, F1, and F3, Enterprise Mobility + Security E3 and E5, and Business Premium — including no-Teams versions of those suites. The Business Premium cards already used on this site list Intune P1 on the seat. Defender for Business, Defender for Office 365, Intune P1, Entra ID, Purview information protection / DLP — listed on the Business Premium card Microsoft’s Canadian cards move. A third-party “July 2026 revision” table is not this page. Confirm the live CAD widget before you budget a year of seats. Sources: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/security/business/microsoft-intune-pricing; https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/security/pricing/small-medium-business.

Official Learn: Android, iOS/iPadOS, Linux, macOS, tvOS, visionOS, and Windows. Cloud service — no on-premises infrastructure required. Each managed user or device needs an Intune license; administrators can manage Intune without one. Official Microsoft Learn “What is Microsoft Intune?”: MDM enrolls the whole device (Company Portal, Autopilot, Apple Automated Device Enrollment, or Android Enterprise) and can wipe it. MAM manages only work apps and the data inside them — typical for personal / BYOD phones; you can selectively wipe organization data without touching personal content. Official core concepts: organization-owned hardware should be MDM-enrolled; personal devices can stay MAM-only. Sources: What is Intune; core concepts.

Tax is determined by the business address, or the shipping address if it is different. North/Central/South America section: in Canada, various tax rates apply depending on the product and your location. Canada is listed as a Limited Risk Distributor market. Tax-exempt path: Certificate of Exemption (or equivalent) via a service request. Not tax advice. Source: Microsoft 365 tax information.

Stay on Intune if the shop already pays Business Premium or you want Windows Autopilot plus iPhone enrollment in one CAD console. Skip a standalone Plan 1 invoice if that P1 is already on the suite. Seat math: Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 in Canada. Intune is not the Defender agent — that page is antivirus for Canadian small businesses.

Jamf — Apple-heavy, Now is the SMB door

Official jamf.com/pricing: Jamf for Mac (macOS; powered by Jamf Pro, Connect, and Protect), Jamf for Mobile (iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Android), and Jamf Now for organizations with less than 25 employees (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS). The public business pricing page did not print a static CAD or USD sticker on this retrieve. Do not invent a CA$ Jamf SKU from a blog. Source: https://www.jamf.com/pricing/.

Official jamf.com/products/jamf-now: Apple MDM for growing small businesses — app distribution, email configuration, zero-touch deployment, blueprints, inventory, OS updates, FileVault recovery keys, remote lock. Official Jamf blog “MDM for Small Business” (22 April 2022, still the public SMB setup guide): the Jamf Now plan is free for the first three devices. Getting started names Apple Business Manager for automated device enrollment and Apps and Books. Sources: https://www.jamf.com/products/jamf-now/; https://www.jamf.com/blog/apple-mdm-for-small-business/.

Official jamf.com/pricing FAQ: Jamf offers pricing in multiple currencies. Localized pricing is updated periodically and may not reflect the current exchange rate of displayed pricing in USD. Contact a Jamf representative or a local authorized reseller for a detailed quote in your local currency. No official Canadian GST/HST matrix was retrieved — confirm tax on the invoice. Not tax advice. Opening that admin on hotel Wi-Fi is still a VPN problem.

Buy Jamf Now when the fleet is Apple and you actually need Apple Business Manager enrollment, blueprints, and a remote lock — not because a US list converted $4 into loonies. Move to Jamf for Mac / Mobile when you outgrow “less than 25 employees” and you have a CAD quote. Skip Jamf if the phones are Android and the laptops are Windows: that is Intune or Hexnode.

Google Workspace endpoint management — already on the CAD seat

Official workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca endpoint page: no additional cost for endpoint management. It is included with Google Workspace. Certain advanced features are only available with Business and Enterprise licenses. Official Help: licenses are by user, not by device. workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/business/ prints “All prices $CAD.” Do not paste the US Workspace USD table as Canadian. Business Starter CAD $11/user/month (flexible). Business Plus CAD $34.40/user/month (flexible). Sources: https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/products/admin/endpoint/; https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/business/.

Official Google Workspace Help “Compare Google endpoint management feature sets”: Fundamental (default) is on Business Starter, Standard, and Plus — basic passcode, basic mobile management, remote account wipe on mobile, remote sign-out on computers, company-owned inventory for computers. Advanced (admin must enable advanced mobile management) is on Business Plus, not Starter or Standard — Android work profiles, zero-touch Android, remote device wipe, Windows device management, public iOS app management. Enterprise endpoint management (company-owned mobile inventory, company-owned iOS, Context-Aware Access) is on Enterprise Standard/Plus; some inventory rows are also listed for Business Plus. Source: Compare endpoint feature sets.

Official en-ca endpoint page: “Bring your own device (BYOD)” — Google Workspace endpoint management is marketed as truly BYOD. Agentless endpoint management (passcodes and wipe specific accounts on Android and iOS without installing software) is on by default. Android separates business apps from personal apps. Company-owned Android gets additional security settings. Source: https://workspace.google.com/intl/en_ca/products/admin/endpoint/.

Canadian billing address: Google calculates and charges tax from that address (GST, HST, PST, QST) unless you claim an exemption with a tax ID. You are contracting with Google LLC. Google LLC is registered for the simplified GST/HST regime (Excise Tax Act s. 211.11) and the simplified QST regime. Province on the invoice billing address sets the rate. Google does not advise on tax. Source: Workspace taxes in your region.

Stay here if the shop already lives in Workspace. Turn on what your edition includes before you buy Hexnode for the same Android phones. Upgrade to Plus when you need Android work profiles and Windows device management — that is still one CAD seat, not a second MDM invoice. Seat math: Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 in Canada.

Hexnode — the public SMB card for a mixed fleet

Official hexnode.com/pricing/uem/ (6 September 2026): start with 15 devices. Widget labelled USD. Pro (MDM Essentials) $2.2/device/month. Enterprise (Advanced MDM) $3.2/device/month. Ultimate (UEM Essentials) $4.7/device/month. Ultra is request pricing. Annual toggle: save 10% with annual. 14-day trial, no credit card on that page. Source: https://www.hexnode.com/pricing/uem/.

Official Pro card lists Apple Business Manager and Android Enterprise. Enterprise adds basic desktop management. Ultimate adds Windows Autopilot, FileVault, Windows/Mac app management, and remote control. That is mixed phones and laptops — not an Apple-only MDM. Official pricing widget is USD. Official Hexnode subscription help: a check must be written for the full amount in USD. No Canadian GST/HST matrix was retrieved — confirm tax on the invoice. Do not invent a CA$ Hexnode SKU. Not tax advice. Sources: https://www.hexnode.com/pricing/uem/; Hexnode subscription help.

Pick Hexnode when you are not on Workspace or Business Premium, you have at least 15 devices, and you want a sticker you can read without a Jamf sales call. Confirm USD vs any tax on the invoice. Skip it if Intune or Workspace already covers the same phones. MSP multi-tenant is a different Hexnode SKU on that page — quote, not this Pro card.

When built-in Apple, Google, or Microsoft tools are enough

• One or two phones, a passcode, Find My, and no app-push or wipe policy: stay off a fourth vendor.
• Already on Google Workspace: Fundamental / agentless wipe is in the seat. Turn it on.
• Already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium: Intune Plan 1 is listed on that CAD card. Use Company Portal or MAM for BYOD.
• Three Apple devices and you actually need enrollment: official Jamf Now is free for those first three. Apple Business Manager is the Apple-side enrollment, not a second MDM bill.
• You do not need kiosk mode, Autopilot, or a 15-device Hexnode minimum for a sole prop and a spare iPad.

Move up when devices leave the shop every day, when you must wipe a lost till phone, or when BYOD Outlook needs a container that is not the whole personal phone. That is Intune MAM, Workspace work profiles, Jamf, or Hexnode — not another consumer “find my phone” toggle you cannot prove to an insurer.

A practical pick

1. Already on Microsoft 365 Business Premium: turn Intune on. MDM the laptops you own; MAM the personal phones.
2. Already on Google Workspace: turn on endpoint management. Buy Plus if you need Advanced mobile / Windows management.
3. Apple-only, under 25 people, and you need enrollment: Jamf Now. First three devices free on the official SMB guide. Confirm CAD if you go past that.
4. Mixed phones and laptops, not on a suite: Hexnode from 15 devices. USD cards. Confirm tax on the invoice.
5. The scan on those laptops is still antivirus. The admin on café Wi-Fi is still a VPN. Seat math is still Workspace vs 365.