Free Android MDM:
5 devices, forever.

When I first needed to manage a fleet of Android devices for a small project, I did what everyone does — I Googled “Android MDM” and started comparing solutions. Jamf, Microsoft Intune, VMware Workspace ONE, SOTI. The prices were... not for me. We're talking $4 to $12 per device per month, billed annually, with a minimum seat count. For a developer running a side project with 8 tablets, the math doesn't work.

So I did what indie developers do. I built it myself.

What does “free Android MDM” actually mean?

Most software that calls itself “free” means one of three things: a 14-day trial, a crippled feature set, or an open-source project that requires three days of DevOps work to self-host. None of those are actually free in any meaningful sense of the word.

When I built DroidMDM, I made a deliberate decision: the free tier would be genuinely useful. Not a teaser. Not a demo environment. Five real devices, with real features, that never expire.

Why five? Because that's the number where most small businesses, freelancers, and side projects live. A restaurant with a tablet POS. A food truck with two kiosk devices. A small warehouse with a few scanners. For those use cases, $0/month is the right price — and I wanted DroidMDM to be the obvious answer.

What you get on the free tier

No artificial limitations. The free plan includes everything you actually need to manage Android devices:

• Up to 5 Android devices — enroll them in minutes via QR code
• Kiosk mode — lock devices to a single app
• Remote reboot & lock — act on devices from your browser
• App management — push your own APKs to enrolled devices
• Device groups — organise devices and apply config per group
• Real-time device info — battery, model, OS version, storage
• 250 MB file storage — enough for most APK distributions

You don't need to enter a credit card. You don't need to speak to a sales rep. You sign up, enroll a device, and it just works.

How does it compare to other free Android MDM options?

Google Workspace (Android Enterprise)

Android Enterprise is Google's built-in device management framework, and it's genuinely powerful — but it's a protocol, not a product. To actually use it, you need an EMM (Enterprise Mobility Management) console on top of it. That console costs money. DroidMDM is built on Android Enterprise under the hood, which means you get the same deep OS-level controls without needing a $500/month enterprise contract to access them.

Self-hosted open-source MDM

There are a few open-source MDM projects out there. Some are genuinely impressive engineering work. But “free to use” isn't the same as “free to run”. Self-hosting means you're paying for a server, maintaining updates, handling uptime, and debugging at 2am when your fleet goes offline. For most people, that cost — measured in time — is far higher than any SaaS subscription.

Microsoft Intune (free trial)

Intune is a fantastic product if you're already deep in the Microsoft ecosystem. It's not for a 5-device Android fleet operated by one person. The learning curve alone will cost you a weekend, and the per-device pricing doesn't have a meaningful free tier.

When should you upgrade?

The free tier is permanent, not a funnel. But if you grow past 5 devices, or need more storage for large APK distributions, paid plans start at a flat rate — not per device. I believe that per-device pricing is one of the worst things that happened to the MDM industry. It punishes you for scaling. Flat-rate pricing means you can add a device without opening a calculator first.

If you're managing 30 devices, you pay one flat price. 100 devices, another flat price. No surprises on your invoice at the end of the month. If this matters to you, read more about how we approach affordable Android MDM pricing.

Who is DroidMDM for?

• Indie developers managing tablets or kiosks for their own apps
• Small restaurants, cafes, or retail businesses with a few Android POS terminals
• Startups that need device management before they can justify an enterprise contract
• IT admins who want a simple tool without a six-week onboarding process
• Anyone who has been quoted $8/device/month and laughed

My honest take

I built DroidMDM because the MDM market had a gap at the bottom. Enterprise solutions are genuinely excellent — if your company has 500 devices, an IT department, and a procurement budget. But for everyone else, the options were: overpay, self-host, or duct-tape something together with ADB scripts.

The free tier exists because I wanted a product I would have actually used when I was starting out. Five devices free forever isn't a loss leader — it's the product working as intended for the people who need it most.

If you manage more than five devices, I'd genuinely appreciate your support. If you don't, I hope DroidMDM solves your problem anyway.

Frequently asked questions

Is DroidMDM really free?

Yes. The free tier allows up to 5 Android devices with no credit card required and no expiry date. You get full access to kiosk mode, remote reboot, app management, and device groups at no cost.

What is the best free Android MDM?

DroidMDM offers the most generous permanently-free tier for Android MDM — 5 devices free forever with full features. Most competitors offer a 14-day trial or a heavily restricted free plan. We don't.

Can I manage Android kiosk devices for free?

Yes. DroidMDM's free plan includes full kiosk mode — lock devices to a single app, disable the status bar, and prevent users from accessing system settings, all for free on up to 5 devices.

What happens when I need more than 5 devices?

Paid plans start from a flat monthly rate covering up to 30 devices — not per-device pricing. You pay one price regardless of how many devices you add within your tier.