Open-Source MDM: How to Pick the Right Solution for Your Devices

Choose by the devices you manage. For a mixed fleet of Macs, Windows and Linux computers, and phones, start with Fleet. For Android devices only, look at Headwind MDM. For Apple devices, NanoMDM and NanoHUB are building blocks you assemble into your own server, and Zentral pairs Apple MDM with the osquery, Munki, and Santa agents. Avoid starting a new deployment on MicroMDM, whose README says its v1 project is in maintenance mode.

Facts below were checked on October 13, 2026, from each project's repository, license files, and website.

What MDM software does

MDM (mobile device management) software lets an organization enroll its devices, push settings and apps to them, and see their status from one server. Despite the name, it covers laptops and desktops as well as phones.

Apple builds a device management framework into iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Apple Vision Pro, according to Apple's deployment guide. To reach those devices, an MDM server needs a valid Apple Push Notification service (APNs) certificate.

The open-source options compared

Fleet

Fleet's README calls it an "open-source platform for IT and security teams with thousands of computers." It manages Linux, macOS, Windows, Chromebooks, iOS, and Android devices from one server, and Fleet says its team helped create osquery, the open-source tool for querying device data. Fleet also supports managing device settings through GitOps, where configuration lives in a Git repository.

Read the license before you deploy. The repository is MIT licensed, except the docs directory (CC BY-SA 4.0) and the ee directory. Code under the ee license can be used in production only with a Fleet Enterprise Edition subscription. On October 13, 2026, Fleet's pricing page listed a Free plan at $0 per host per month, described as "Basic features, no support," and Premium at $7 per host per month. The page marked self-hosting as available on both Free and Premium. Fleet's own managed cloud was listed as available only to customers with 700 or more hosts.

Headwind MDM

Headwind MDM is an MDM platform for Android only. The free version enrolls Android 7 and later devices by scanning a QR code, deploys apps from its web panel, groups devices with shared configurations, and controls features such as GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Its website says it does not rely on any cloud services and can run on your own premises without an internet connection.

Some features are only in the paid Enterprise edition, according to the README, including kiosk mode for single-task devices, restricting what users can change on the device, and a cloud-hosted setup. Check the project's pricing page for current editions.

NanoMDM and NanoHUB

NanoMDM describes itself as a "minimalist Apple MDM server and library heavily inspired by MicroMDM." It is a core you build around. Its README lists what it does not include, among them a SCEP server, TLS termination, access to Apple's device enrollment (DEP) API, enrollment profiles, a JSON command API, and VPP app licensing. Commands are sent as raw property lists.

NanoHUB, from the same GitHub organization, combines NanoMDM, NanoCMD, and KMFDDM into a single MDM server. Its README says it is intended as a library and includes a reference command-line server.

Choose these if your team writes and operates its own infrastructure and wants full control over each part. Plan for the missing pieces before you enroll the first device.

Zentral

Zentral's GitHub repository describes it as "a control plane for secure, observable Apple endpoints in enterprises." It manages Apple devices through the MDM protocol and supports declarative device management, FileVault key escrow, and enforced software updates. It also coordinates three open-source agents: Munki for software distribution, osquery for device data, and Santa for allowing or blocking binaries.

Its LICENSE file puts the code under Apache-2.0, except files in the ee directory and any other files that reference the Zentral Pro Evaluation License 1.0 (ZPEL-1.0). That license allows development and testing but requires a separate commercial agreement for production use.

MicroMDM

MicroMDM is the Apple MDM server that inspired NanoMDM. Its README says the v1 project is in maintenance mode, with support officially ending at the end of 2025, and encourages users to move to NanoMDM and the other Nano projects. Use it only if you already run it, and plan the move.

How to choose

1. List every device type you manage. If you have Apple, Windows, and Android devices, Fleet is the only project here that covers all three.
2. For Apple devices, get an APNs certificate in place first. To enroll organization-owned devices automatically, Apple's guide points to Apple School Manager or Apple Business.
3. Read the license of each repository, including any ee directory, and decide which features you would pay for.
4. Decide who runs the server. Self-hosting an MDM means your team handles certificates, updates, and backups for a system that controls every enrolled device.
5. Pilot with a handful of test devices. Enroll them, push one setting, and test lock and wipe before you enroll anyone's real device.