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For managed service providers (MSPs) and the IT professionals they work with, securely managing a complex fleet of mobile devices is an incredible challenge. Ensuring proper device management for multiple client organizations is even harder.
Tech-forward organizations might equip their employees with a company laptop, cell phone, and tablet. On top of these assets, employees may have company data saved on personal devices and cloud-hosted storage solutions. Mobile device sprawl makes it difficult to guarantee predictable outcomes when security incidents occur.
NinjaOne and ManageEngine are two popular options for addressing these problems. Both companies provide customers with comprehensive endpoint management platforms that simplify the process of securing mobile devices.
This article will cover the benefits and drawbacks of each, and help IT decision-makers find the right solution for their use case. By the end, you’ll know if ManageEngine, NinjaOne, or another mobile device management (MDM) provider is the best option for you.
Overview of ManageEngine
ManageEngine is owned by Zoho, known for a wide range of web-based business tools. The company’s MDM platform supports mobile devices, desktops, servers, and network hardware. It comes in multiple tiers (including a Free edition), providing a single, unified interface for setting and enforcing policies for phones, tablets, and computers.
Features and capabilities
The Endpoint Central platform includes tools for security management, email configuration, content management, and containerization. It can detect devices that are compromised or rooted and remotely wipe device data when necessary.
Compatibility and support
ManageEngine Endpoint Central supports all major operating systems — including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS — and the company has formed partnerships with major mobile device manufacturers like Lenovo, Sony, and Samsung, among others.
Overview of NinjaOne
NinjaOne specializes in remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions, which are similar in scope to MDM solutions like ManageEngine. It offers a unified endpoint management (UEM) platform that enables IT teams to monitor and support end devices throughout the network. It also allows users to control devices remotely, automate IT tasks, and remediate technical issues with ease.
Features and capabilities
As an RMM provider that includes unified endpoint management in its product, NinjaOne bundles security, management, and support into a single product. It works through software agents installed on the devices it manages, which draws slightly from their overall performance, but allows IT teams to automate time-consuming tasks, manage patches, and deploy custom scripts at scale.
Compatibility and support
Like ManageEngine, NinjaOne supports a wide range of devices and operating systems. Unlike ManageEngine, it avoids relying on manufacturer-specific APIs to accomplish this. This broadens some of its capabilities and makes it less reliant on device-specific hardware specifications.
Comparison of ManageEngine and NinjaOne
Before comparing ManageEngine with NinjaOne, it’s important to emphasize the technical details that distinguish them from one another. ManageEngine relies on native APIs provided by the original device manufacturer, while NinjaOne installs proprietary agents on endpoint devices.
This leads to subtle differences in what each platform is best suited for. While ManageEngine improves security and ensures compliance with mobile device policies, NinjaOne focuses more on reducing IT costs and complexity. NinjaOne provides visibility into the entire IT portfolio while enabling IT teams to provide remote support to end users — but you can use it to enhance security as well.
Both platforms have features that overlap in various ways, however. A more direct head-to-head comparison will help identify what use case scenario is appropriate for each one.
Pricing Comparison
Both ManageEngine and NinjaOne allow customers to try their products for free, but ManageEngine is much more descriptive about what it offers to customers and how much it costs:
- ManageEngine offers a 30-day free trial of its Endpoint Central software, available both as a cloud-hosted and on-premises solution. You can manage an unlimited number of endpoints and use a variety of free IT management tools.
- NinjaOne offers a free trial as well, but neglects to clearly display how long the trial lasts or what features it includes.
Similarly, ManageEngine offers three pricing tiers for its Professional, Enterprise, and Complete UEM products. All the information you need to select the appropriate tier is available on the company’s website. NinjaOne offers ambiguous “pay-per-device” pricing and requests customers apply for a custom quote.
| Payment Tier | ManageEngine | NinjaOne |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not publicly advertised |
| Professional Edition: $795 annually | Includes 50 computers and one service technician | Not publicly advertised |
| Enterprise Edition: $945 annually | Desktop and laptop management | Not publicly advertised |
| UEM Edition: $1,095 annually | Complete endpoint management for servers, desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices | Not publicly advertised |
Ease of Use and Setup
Users of ManageEngine and NinjaOne agree that both are relatively easy to use mobile device management solutions, but they offer very different setup and implementation experiences. This is because ManageEngine relies on device-specific hardware APIs while NinjaOne uses an agent-based approach.
ManageEngine streamlines the process for users of common devices, but falls short of zero-touch deployment. For example, Android devices can enroll into ManageEngine’s MDM platform using their built-in NFC chips. Apple users can enroll in multiple ways — such as Apple Enrollment, Apple Configurator, or the Apple Push Notification Certificate. The same may not be true for less widespread devices, and ManageEngine does not provide timely and reliable support to customers with technical issues.
NinjaOne admits that its enrollment process can be time-intensive. It offers a wide range of resources to help new customers simplify and automate that process, and provides more comprehensive support to customers who run into problems during onboarding.
| Feature | ManageEngine | NinjaOne |
| Intuitive user interface | Clean and uncluttered user interface, but very little customization. | Simple features are easy to understand, but advanced scripting and automation is complex. |
| Informative dashboards and visualizations | Included in every pricing tier. | Included, with support for custom reports and dashboards. |
| Ease of installation | Simple, as long as all enrolled devices are perfectly compatible. | Can be time-consuming and complex. |
| Troubleshooting and support | Practically nonexistent — if you run into problems, you may have to solve them on your own. | Comprehensive support offered by highly professional technical experts. |
Device Management Capabilities
Both ManageEngine and NinjaOne provide comprehensive features for mobile device management. Since they use different methods for enrolling devices and enforcing security policies on those devices, their capabilities also differ from one another.
For example, both companies include patch management in their MDM platforms, but handle the process differently:
- ManageEngine provides a comprehensive set of services for managing patch releases, such as testing and approving patches on certain groups of devices before deploying them across the organization.
- NinjaOne provides far more comprehensive patch automation services, and extends patch management support to any device that can support its endpoint agent.
These differences extend to the way both platforms handle access management, security, and automation capabilities.
| Feature | ManageEngine | NinjaOne |
| Access management | Fully featured, but not fully cloud compatible. | Fully supported with role-based remote access controls. |
| Device and application security | Fully supported with advanced features. | Fully supported, with additional endpoint security capabilities. |
| Data security | Offered as a separate service (ManageEngine DataSecurity Plus). | Granular backup and retention options included, along with flexible storage. |
| Task automation | Supported, but with limited capabilities. | Supported, with strong support across every device. |
| Patch management | Supports customization and limited automation. | Supports customization and full automation. |
Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)
NinjaOne has a more comprehensive RMM platform than ManageEngine, which requires customers to purchase a separate, additional product in order to perform remote monitoring tasks on their network.
ManageEngine’s Endpoint Central product does include some remote access and troubleshooting capabilities, but it is not a purpose-built RMM solution. ManageEngine does provide customers with a separate product called RMM Central that offers more specific remote monitoring capabilities, however.
| Feature | ManageEngine | NinjaOne |
| Automated network discovery | Included in a separate ManageEngine OpManager tool. | Incorporated directly into NinjaOne’s RMM software. |
| Network device monitoring | Proactive network device monitoring service identifies and inspects key performance indicators in real time. | Custom-built network monitoring software provides SNMP monitoring for the entire IT environment in real time. |
| Server management | Supports OS deployment and software distribution for Windows servers. | Full server management capabilities for multiple operating systems. |
| Software deployment | Only available with Endpoint Central Enterprise Edition. | Included for all customers. |
Support and Customer Service
Timely, reliable customer support is critical to long-term success with any complex technological deployment — and mobile device management platforms are no different. Both ManageEngine and NinjaOne offer dedicated technical support to their customers, but NinjaOne has a much better track record of addressing customer issues quickly and professionally.
ManageEngine offers premium support to its Endpoint Central customers, but it does not always resolve support tickets in a timely manner. Some customers may be confused about which features are included in their subscription because ManageEngine offers multiple products with seemingly similar feature sets but neglects to integrate those products with one another.
| Feature | ManageEngine | NinjaOne |
| Technical support response time | Data not publicly available. | 65-minute average first response time is among the best in the industry. |
| Knowledgeable customer service | Generic customer service provided through parent company Zoho doesn’t always lead to successful outcomes. | NinjaOne customer service consistently earns recognition for its professionalism and competence. |
| Accurate communication | ManageEngine doesn’t communicate its product features clearly enough to prevent tickets from being logged in the first place. | NinjaOne presents its products and their features very clearly through a custom sales pitch process. |
JumpCloud as an Alternative Solution
Both ManageEngine and NinjaOne present benefits and drawbacks that can make it difficult to choose the right MDM vendor for your organization’s needs. JumpCloud may be the choice that offers the greatest value with fully cloud-native mobile device management and best-in-class automation with clear, easy-to-understand pricing.
JumpCloud supports zero-touch deployments with the ability to provision, authorize, and control cloud server resources on Amazon AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. It offers seamless cross-OS diagnostics, reporting, and authentication to organizations, and provides a complete device management solution for Apple, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux devices.
Comparison: ManageEngine vs. NinjaOne vs. JumpCloud
Let’s take a quick look at how JumpCloud compares to ManageEngine and NinjaOne on three major points:
- Clear and competitive pricing. JumpCloud has a simple a la carte pricing structure, with flexible package options and a device management only option starting at $9/user per month. Additional subscription tiers allow customers to add specific features — like Zero Trust identity management or an integrated password manager — as needed. Tailored pricing specifically for MSPs is available to help secure clients & increase operational efficiency (interested parties can speak with a JumpCloud representative to receive the MSP pricing sheet).
- Intuitive automation and easy onboarding. JumpCloud supports completely automating the onboarding and offboarding process. It provides users with advanced lifecycle management capabilities and supports a wide range of integrations.
- Comprehensive device management capabilities. Although not solely an RMM vendor, JumpCloud provides remote access capabilities for managing and monitoring devices, such as silent assist and background tools that provide the ability to run scripts remotely. This makes it easy to mitigate identity sprawl and control security risks without having to integrate multiple solutions piecemeal.
JumpCloud Addresses the Limitations That ManageEngine and NinjaOne Share
ManageEngine provides a wide range of independently siloed solutions that do not integrate with one another, or the cloud. NinjaOne offers a complex cloud-enabled solution with unclear pricing, and makes its customers reliant on customer support. JumpCloud addresses both of these factors with an MDM solution defined by open integrations, intuitive onboarding and controls, and powerful automation.
As a fully cloud-native MDM vendor providing comprehensive support for customization and automation, JumpCloud enables organizations to keep track of their devices and assets without losing valuable time and resources in the process. This gives organizations an easy track to successfully managing compliance, defining and enforcing BYOD policies, and more.
Find Out if JumpCloud Is the Right MDM Solution for Your Organization
Every organization is different, and we encourage IT decision-makers to conduct in-depth research and evaluate technologies based on their unique needs. Deploying an MDM solution doesn’t have to involve getting a secret custom pricing quote or committing to a platform you know will lead to frustrating unresolved support tickets.
If you’re looking for a mobile device management solution that combines remote monitoring capabilities with cloud-native infrastructure, automated onboarding, and an accessible user experience, consider choosing JumpCloud. Discover exactly what our MDM solution includes and find out if JumpCloud is the full-featured MDM you’ve been waiting for.
