Hi, we are a small organization and trying to decide whether to invest in Apple Business Essentials. Can someone clarify the difference between Apple Business Manager and Apple Business Essentials?
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Replies (8)
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Participant
1 week ago
Apr 03, 2026
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ABM is more like a connecting service you need when using any MDM. ABE, on the other hand, is an MDM solution itself.
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Participant
1 week ago
Apr 04, 2026
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Apple Business Manager is completely free and lets organizations create and manage Managed Apple IDs, maintain a record of organization-owned devices, and enable automated device enrollment with an MDM.
Apple Business Essentials is a paid solution that builds on top of ABM and includes built-in device management, app distribution, iCloud storage for users, and optional AppleCare support.
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Participant
1 week ago
Apr 04, 2026
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Got it. So ABM doesn’t actually manage devices on its own?
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Participant
1 week ago
Apr 05, 2026
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Exactly. ABM only prepares and assigns devices. For actual management like pushing apps or applying restrictions, you’ll need either a third-party MDM like Hexnode or Apple Business Essentials.
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Participant
7 days ago
Apr 05, 2026
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So if you go with ABE, you don’t need another MDM. But if you choose something like Hexnode, ABM is still required.
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Participant
6 days ago
Apr 06, 2026
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Thank you! So essentially, no matter what, even if I go with a third-party device manager, I would still need to sign up for Apple Business Manager, right?
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Participant
5 days ago
Apr 07, 2026
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Yes, that’s correct. ABM is the foundation either way.
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Participant
4 days ago
Apr 08, 2026
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That clears it up. Thanks everyone!
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