Fleetsmith
Cloud-based mobile device management solution for SMEs
4,7 /5 (26 reviews) Write a Review!Great for startups on budget
Pros
Pricing is very attractive (free) with less than 10 assets, impossible to beat. Profiles are easy to setup and it does help to get started very quickly. Installation is also very straightforward which is GREAT as opposed to some other tools we assessed.
MDM and DEP are supported, which is awesome so that you can literally leave the computer setup itself (although we have not yet activated DEP).
Would recommend to anyone considering to secure a small park of computers to give it a try on a machine to see if it fits their needs.
Cons
It supports only Apple devices, pricing may give me second thoughts going over 10 users (we will want to retain the software but some competitor may become more interesting).
It does integrate a lot of features and software that can be installed automatically on computers, however it does not support ALL the software we wish to see. It also does not include (as yet) device location tracking or some "smart" features such as automatically enforcing updates within X days for vulnerable softwares (for example some Chrome updates are "cosmetic" but some do fix security issues and it would be great to see them automatically enforced without manual action). Still... quite sure these will come in time!
why don't they upgrade?
This is the first time I've supported a Mac fleet - sure makes it easy
Pros
the ease of use in pushing out mandated updates and software
Cons
while I admin the software I use a windows machine (I know) so I can't assign myself a machine - that makes a hit on my overall score
Very strong MDM solution - but scalability can be hard with complex needs/environments
I've been happy with the basic uses of Fleetsmith and the team is amazing. They are constantly working on new features and hopefully they tackle some of the biggest feature requests soon but it's the best value for money for SMB that I've ever worked with.
Pros
Fleetsmith has great integration with GSuite and a clear and straightforward management dashboard to deploy and manage assets. The setup is very simple and takes no time to get plugging away at configuring your environment. The support team via tickets or in Slack are super helpful, responsive, and all around a great group of people to help out if needed. Also, the way that FS keeps apps that don't require an update continuously updated while closed is a really elegant way to not worry about an ever growing collection of end user apps.
Cons
The biggest issues I have encountered come with the implementation of profiles in FS and the lack of custom package deployment. The approve and assign process could definitely use some streamlining as it's a few steps to get things how I like them. The Global Profile is not useful for me as there are a lot of different subsets of devices. This is further compounded by the inability to assign multiple profiles which I would find very useful in an enterprise settings (tailoring devices by department and/or geographic location).
As for the applications catalog, it's got some standards in there, but it is very limited. Without the ability deploy custom packages and now whitelist KEXT unless it's in the FS catalog, it really defeats a lot of convenience of an MDM
Fleetsmith for Me
Fleetsmith has accomplished a quality solution with its central OSX device management solution.
Pros
The ease of completing tasks such as archiving, reports and application integration make Fleetsmith fun to use. The solution is stable and free of any annoying lag or sync issues. The dashboard keeps me up to date with informative and useful data.
Cons
The inability to view installed applications per device. Not able to audit users & groups within each device.
Best MDM for Mac
Pros
-Integration of Gsuite with Fleetsmith
-Simple deployment, can get MDM certificate and whole account up and running within 30 mins
-Get you SOC 2 compliant
-Dashboard, new and really easy to see major areas of concern
-Easy to use even for non-IT staff
-Fantastic support team when we need assistance or would like to see upgrades and enhancements
-Top notch security
Cons
-New platform, so still features missing like custom apps
-Would really like to have windows compatibility so I don't need 2 separate MDMs
Response from Fleetsmith
Thanks for the review! We definitely hear you about new features, should have some exciting announcements on that front soon.

Fastest implementation ever
We really care about security at company and this tool helps us to manage our macs. We are always in control of patch management.
Pros
That if I have gsuite I can use the product straight away. I don't need to go throw sale persons and long response from the distributor. Great fit for startups.
Cons
Lack of functions we have a lot of suggestion to a product that we want to see in future
Fleetsmith works great
Pros
It works, and works very smoothly. Everything that Fleetsmith does, it does without having troubles of any kind - and in a very simple, most obvious way.
Cons
Fleetsmith is fairly expensive. If you have large enough number of endpoints to manage, the competition's offer becomes very attractive.

The best of all
Pros
Really good design for IT admin and for the user
Cons
I would like to have more possibility in term of app deployment
Review
It's been simple to use and great for what we need.
Pros
It's great for us because we don't have a lot of users on macs and it is a great way to organize our inventory for them there.
Cons
We only get 10 or 15 devices for the plan we are on.
Very Helpful
Pros
I like the fact that it lets you know when updates are available and ready to be installed.
Cons
I don't really know a lot about how the software works, so I am not really qualified to answer this question.

Easy solution to bootstrap your IT and MDM
Fleetsmith makes managing large number of devices easy and foolproof even when the organization is too small for an official IT owner.
Pros
We've been able to harness MDM and smoother onboarding with very little resource thanks to Fleetsmith. It's easy and very intuitive for any team member. Very light weight and functional.
Cons
It does not allow for remote wipe unless the computer is connected to online. I have also heard that when we have a robust security and IT process, we may have to move onto a more robust system.
Fleetsmith Was Great - Maybe They Will Be Again One Day?
Pros
Fleetsmith was a great fit for us until Apple purchased them and removed all the functionality that drew us to the product in the first place. Under Apple's ownership the security standards are high, and they are slowly adding functionality back in, so it might return to greatness.
Cons
Lack of integration with volume app purchasing, and the sale of the product to Apple which resulted in massive loss of functionality.
Great software for managing Macs - the way deployments should be
We needed to ensure our fleet of Mac computers were kept up to date with both OS and applications to meet our security certification requirements. Whilst some solutions are heavyweight, Fleetsmith is simple to set up, simple to manage and lets us be sure our computers are compliant. Zero touch deployments when combined with Apple's DEP was the icing on the cake!
Pros
The software is the perfect balance of enterprise ready and user friendly - almost zero setup time, easy to manage and keep running smoothly.
Cons
Initially it only worked with G-Suite accounts but the move to support Azure AD/Office 365 solved that.
Product
I do something to deploy all our Macs
Pros
Manage all Mac Laptops and easy to deploy
Cons
Process register DEP and ABM were long.. Instruction was not clear!
Different approach to many processes, well thought of not finished yet in main areas
I enjoy the people who work there. The concepts are great.
Pros
easy to setup, Excellent support, great concepts how do mundane tasks in a fun way.
Cons
Google sign in not for everybody. Not feature complete
Simple to use, automated MDM + App management for the modern IT team
Overall, the experience has been great! We've cut down onboarding times and have freed up our IT team members to focus on more pressing issues, longer term projects, etc.
Pros
The learning curve and ease of implementation. I literally setup in less than 30 minutes!
Cons
There are some feature sets that are lacking which can be found in most other competitors.
More of a DIY product instead of something that requires experts who've been trained in the software
I called, they answered, I had my trial setup. They answered my couple questions immediately and I felt confident enough to start rolling this out to a handle of different devices. After a few minutes things were just working. Couldn't believe the simplicity and effectiveness of this platform.
Pros
That I was able to setup in minutes, not months! The other solution I was looking into required costly onboarding that would requires weeks-months of setup and training. No thank you!
Cons
Haven't found anything I dislike yet. Still working on figuring out how to deploy office products but I haven't spent much time on it yet. I'm sure it will make sense once I start working on it.
Great product!
Pros
If you ever tried finding MDM software for company computers, you will understand why I love the product so much. Super easy, super effective and completely secure. The price is extremely reasonable as well
Cons
Not a current issue with us at the moment, but does not work with PC's. We only use Mac's in our office, but if I needed to, would not be able to use for PC (from my understanding, may have changed by now)
Made it easy to update my computer
Pros
Updates are sent directly to my computer so I can update as needed without having to give my computer in.
Cons
Can feel like an employer has unlimited access to your computer.
Easy and straightfoward to use!
Pros
As an end user, it's very easy to see suggested updates to the software that I need to install.
Very easy and strightfoward to use
Cons
Not really a con -might be too simple to use - there aren't many buttons as an end user
Solid product, fast support and oozes quality.
We were able to take a process that was painful, cumbersome and time-consuming and reduce it to something simple, fast and joyful.
The lack of a lengthy sales cycle was very refreshing. Being able to land on the homepage, click a few buttons and be up and running in less than five minutes was delightful.
Pros
It makes managing fleets of machines with a directory of users from Gsuite and flawlessly handles assignment of machines with Apples DEP product and removes 80-90% of the headache of managing a fleet of macs.
The UI is dreamy and is joyful to use due to the large (and ever-expanding) list of software and configuration options.
Cons
The one thing that lacks is support for Apples Volume Purchasing Program. It may be one thing, but it is a big thing.
The app store is central to Mac OS and not being able to make use of VPP is the one part of Fleetsmith that removes joy.
Finally IT that works like you expect it to
We are a small digital healthcare company. Despite being small, we need to have a very strong security posture for our clients. Fleetsmith makes compliance with various checklists easy, and reporting and visibility comes basically for free.
We are lucky that we have an all Mac fleet, but the combination of Fleetsmith and all Macs is a delightful IT deployment environment.
Pros
Deployment and MDM setup is simple.
Available software is bleeding edge and well supported.
Visibility into our laptop fleet is exceptional.
Most of all, this product makes compliance a cinch.
Cons
My only gripe is really the lack of written support for many of the software applications, but the support team more than makes up for this.
Fleetsmith - Great MDM Option
Overall, Fleetsmith has been great to work with. Product support is responsive and friendly. Fleetsmith is also easy to implement and set up. I would recommend Fleetsmith for small to mid sized businesses as an MDM solution.
Pros
I really love Fleetsmith's UI and ease of use. No training is required to figure out how Fleetsmith works.
Cons
I wish Fleetsmith had kernel extension whitelisting. This would make it possible to silently deploy custom software such as anti-viruses.
Great up and coming product
Solves the problem of managing assets + keeping endpoints up to date with latest patches for smaller organizations without the overhead of maintaining a more complex solution.
Pros
- ease of use
- unintrusive for end users
- up to date with latest patches
Cons
- lacks some customizability
- not enough self service software installs available for end users
Feedback
I generally have had a great experience using Fleetsmith at SunFunder. The user interface now looks pretty cool. The on-boarding process is made significantly easier. When the security of some apps is compromised Fleetsmith takes quick action to ensure safety of its users, like recently with Zoom.
Pros
I think locking and erasing stolen laptops is pretty cool. We recently had a stolen laptop that has not come on yet, waiting to see what happens then.
Checking a laptop's health status, battery and storage space is also really helpful in our situation.
Cons
That some of the software applications that we use aren't on Fleetsmith yet though you recently added box drive, could you add more such as Tunnelbear?
Keeping up to date with all patches and forcing users to do their updates is now a breeze.
Checking computer compliance such as hard disk encryption, screensavers, password policy is now also fully centralised.
Added controls such as remote wipe or preventing computer to connect to unknown wifi spots also certainly limit or mitigate risks of data theft.