Workspace ONE vs Intune: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Workspace ONE UEM and Microsoft Intune both enrol devices, push apps, apply configuration and report compliance. On a feature checklist they look similar. The real question is different: you’re probably already paying for one of them.

Start from the licence

Intune comes with Microsoft 365 E3, E5 and Business Premium. If a business already has those, Intune isn’t an extra cost. Workspace ONE has to justify itself on top of that spend, so the question becomes what it does that Intune can’t, or can’t do as well, for this customer.

Decision flow: if not already licensed for Intune, compare full cost of both. If licensed and you need one console across many customers, Workspace ONE fits well. Otherwise, if you need low-code workflows or Hub, Workspace ONE adds value; if not, Intune is enough.

Where each one is strongest

	Intune	Workspace ONE UEM
Licensing	Included in M365 E3/E5 and Business Premium	Separate subscription
Identity	Native to Entra ID and Conditional Access	Integrates with Entra ID and other IdPs
Multi-tenant	One Entra tenant per customer; MSPs use tools like Lighthouse	Hierarchy of organisation groups in one console
Automation	PowerShell scripts, remediations and Graph	Freestyle Orchestrator low-code workflows, plus API
User portal	Company Portal	Intelligent Hub, which can include Horizon apps
Platforms	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux	Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, rugged, Linux
Windows 365 and AVD	Native management	Supported, less native

Omnissa’s own comparison claims stronger multi-OS depth, real-time reporting and low-code automation. Microsoft’s case is integration: one licence, one identity platform and one security stack with Defender. Both are worth testing against your own requirements rather than taking on trust.

When Intune is enough

The customer already has Microsoft 365 E3, E5 or Business Premium.
Devices are mostly Windows, with some iOS and Android phones.
Security is built on Entra ID Conditional Access and Defender.
There’s someone who can script PowerShell and Graph for the gaps.

When Workspace ONE adds value

You manage many customers and want one console with a tenant hierarchy.
There are rugged or shared devices with deep vendor-specific needs.
You want low-code workflows instead of maintaining scripts.
Horizon is the delivery platform, and Hub as a single app portal matters to users.

Keep management separate from security

Whichever tool manages the device, the security layers shouldn’t depend on it. Identity, EDR, application control and patching can stay the same if you change management tools later. That makes the decision less risky.

From the field: the same question in PowerShell

The first thing I check in either tool is what’s actually enrolled, grouped by platform.

Intune (Microsoft Graph PowerShell):

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes 'DeviceManagementManagedDevices.Read.All'
Get-MgDeviceManagementManagedDevice -All |
    Group-Object OperatingSystem |
    Select-Object Name, Count

Workspace ONE UEM (REST API):

$uem     = 'https://asXXXX.awmdm.com'
$cred    = Get-Credential
$basic   = [Convert]::ToBase64String([Text.Encoding]::UTF8.GetBytes(
               "$($cred.UserName):$($cred.GetNetworkCredential().Password)"))
$headers = @{
    Authorization    = "Basic $basic"
    'aw-tenant-code' = '<api-key>'
    Accept           = 'application/json'
}

(Invoke-RestMethod "$uem/API/mdm/devices/search?pagesize=500" -Headers $headers).Devices |
    Group-Object Platform |
    Select-Object Name, Count

Replace the console URL and API key with your own, and page through results on larger estates.

Bottom line

Start from what’s already licensed. Intune is enough for most single-company, Microsoft-first environments. Workspace ONE earns its cost where multi-tenant management, low-code workflows or a Horizon-centred user experience matter.