Canonical MAAS vs ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
Canonical MAAS
canonical.com
ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
manageengine.comSide by side
| Figure | Canonical MAAS | ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | $0.82/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 10 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 9.1 (#3) |
| API authentication | API authentication uses 0-legged OAuth, and the documentation provides Python, Ruby, cURL and HTTPie examples. | API examples use Zoho OAuth access tokens in Authorization headers, and the documentation provides Java, Python and cURL examples. |
| Company size | LinkedIn places Canonical in the 1,001–5,000-employee range. | LinkedIn lists ManageEngine as privately held with 5,001–10,000 employees. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation is organized into tutorials, how-to guides, explanations and reference material, including installation, API, Terraform, troubleshooting, metrics, logging and security-hardening sections. | The help center contains installation guidance, enrollment procedures, feature documentation, API reference pages and release notes. |
| Founded | 2004 | 1996 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Pleasanton, California, United States |
| Integrations | Canonical documentation names Juju, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Terraform, OpenStack and Kubernetes as MAAS automation or orchestration integrations. | Documented integrations include Apple Business Manager, Managed Google Play, Chrome Web Store, Windows Business Store, Active Directory, Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace and Zoho Directory. |
| What it does | MAAS is Canonical's private-cloud infrastructure manager that turns physical servers into cloud-like, repeatably deployable resources. | Centralizes enrollment, configuration, application deployment, monitoring and remote security actions for corporate and BYOD smartphones, tablets and laptops. |
Plans
Canonical MAAS
- FreeFree
- Self-supportFree
- Essential$30 a year
- Essential$30 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
- Free editionFree
- Free editionFree
- Standard edition (Cloud)$1.28 a month
- Professional edition (Cloud)$2.38 a month
- Standard edition (On-premises)$9.90 a year
- Professional edition (On-premises)$17.90 a year
- Standard Edition (Cloud)$64 a month
- Professional Edition (Cloud)$119 a month
- Standard Edition (on-premises)$495 a year
- Professional Edition (on-premises)$895 a year
In their own words
Canonical MAAS
Canonical MAAS is an open source platform for provisioning physical servers as centrally managed cloud resources. It automates server discovery, inventory, commissioning, deployment, and decommissioning, and lets operators manage nodes through a web interface, command line, or API. Hardware discovery uses PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled machines, as well as subnets, VLANs, and switch fabrics. MAAS integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation. It can configure networking and storage, run hardware tests, and manage LXD and KVM virtual machines. Listed images include Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL; images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use. Canonical describes MAAS for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, and bare-metal Kubernetes. A free self-support plan covers all machines but excludes HA support, RBAC, Knowledge Base, a Sev 1 response SLA, phone support, and ticket support. Paid plans start at $30 a year per managed machine. Ubuntu Pro is required for MAAS controllers; Canonical says it provides security patching and enterprise support for controllers and Ubuntu machines.
ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus
ManageEngine Mobile Device Manager Plus gives enterprise IT teams a unified console to manage and secure devices, apps, and data. It covers phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, TVs, and rugged devices running Android, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, macOS, Windows, or Chrome OS. Administrators can enroll devices, set Wi-Fi and VPN policies, distribute in-house or store apps, review app inventories, and use Kiosk Mode. Work and personal profiles can be separated. Security controls include remote lock and wipe, rooted or jailbroken device detection, role-based permissions, data loss prevention, and device and app access controls. The product also supports managed email with Office 365 and Azure, plus document distribution, remote updates, and restrictions on third-party backups. Cloud and on-premises editions are available, with integrations including ServiceNow, Jira, Active Directory, Entra ID, Google Workspace, and REST APIs. The free edition supports up to 25 devices. Cloud Standard starts at $1.28 a month; a 30-day trial is listed.