Skie vs Microsoft Intune

Microsoft Intune is a broad cloud platform for managing every device a company owns. Skie is built around schools and hostels with Android tablets and phones.

Facts checked 12 November 2026 · Microsoft, United States

Summary

Microsoft Intune is the device management service inside Microsoft's business cloud. It manages Windows, Apple and Android devices, ties into Entra identity, and is priced per user. It can manage Android phones and tablets as fully managed devices, which is the same device-owner level Skie uses. Skie is narrower: Android only, designed for schools, hostels and institutes, with a class-to-organisation hierarchy, school-hour schedules and breach alerts routed by role.

Skie gives a school or hostel the same device-owner control on Android tablets and phones, with classes, schedules and role-based alerts ready out of the box.

Side by side

What you are comparing	Microsoft Intune	Skie
What it is	Cloud service that manages devices, apps and access policy, part of Microsoft's business security and management products.	Android device management software for parents, schools, hostels and organisations.
Main audience	Companies and public bodies that already run Microsoft 365 and Entra identity, including IT teams with mixed fleets.	Schools, institutes, hostels, companies and families that run Android phones and tablets.
Platforms	Windows, macOS, iOS and iPadOS, Android and Linux, per Microsoft's documentation.	Any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet. No iOS or Windows.
Do you have to buy hardware from them	No. Intune is software. Microsoft does not require you to buy devices from it.	No. Skie is software only. Customers use devices they already own or buy their own.
Works on devices you already own	Yes. Android devices need Android 10 or later and Google Mobile Services, with no OEM restriction.	Yes. Any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet, set up fresh or reset once to become managed.
Level of control on Android	Android Enterprise fully managed mode is the device-owner level. Microsoft documents blocking factory reset, restricting installs to Managed Google Play and blocking uninstall of managed apps.	Runs as the Android device owner, so the rules are enforced by Android itself.
Can the user remove it or reset around it	Microsoft documents factory reset blocking and uninstall blocking on fully managed devices. A full list of other hardening switches is not summarised in one place.	Built to be tamper-proof. Factory reset from Settings, safe mode, developer options, uninstalling Skie and force stop are blocked by default, and Factory Reset Protection ties a wiped device to the Skie admin account. If anything did get through, the admin is alerted down to the exact device.
App control	Managed Google Play apps, assignment by Entra group, required and available app deployment.	Allowed apps are set per group from an organisation app store. An app installed outside the list is removed silently. Apps are hidden or suspended, not deleted, and an impact preview shows what a change will touch.
Web filtering and safe search	Not publicly documented as a school-style filter. Web filtering normally comes from a separate Microsoft Defender or third-party product.	Filtering DNS is locked on the device, so it works on any Wi-Fi or mobile data. Chrome SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode are forced, incognito is blocked, and more than 50 alternative browsers, VPN and proxy apps are always blocked. Per-website allow and block lists are not available yet.
Schedules, school-hour and night modes	Not publicly documented as a school timetable feature. Time-based rules are not a headline Android feature.	Built in. Windows with days, start, end and allowed apps, including overnight windows, so devices switch between school hours, study block, break and night mode on their own. Hostel night mode can keep calls allowed.
Location and geofences	Not publicly documented in the sources checked for Android fully managed devices.	Live location, fresh location on request, geofences attached to groups and a go-to directions button.
Lost or stolen device handling	Not publicly documented in the sources checked. Intune is known for compliance and wipe actions, but that was not verified here.	Lost mode locks the device, shows a contact message, tracks it and builds evidence for a police report. Remote erase is not available yet.
Replace or reassign a device	Not publicly documented for the Android case. Devices are enrolled with a token and named by template.	Replace a device keeps the student, group and history and frees the old seat. A reset device is recognised by IMEI or serial, so it does not take a second seat.
Alerts and who gets them	Compliance reporting and alerts for IT admins through the Intune admin centre. Not designed to alert a class teacher or hostel warden.	Breach centre at device, group, branch, school and organisation level, so the right person sees it. A missing check-in counts as a breach. Email alerts are not available yet.
Roles and organisation structure	Role-based access control with scope tags, so different admins see different devices, plus Entra groups. No built-in class or student model.	Organisation, school, branch, group, student, device. Roles run from organisation admin and branch head to class teacher, plus read-only parents. Rules flow down and the most specific level applies last.
Kiosk or single-app lock	Not publicly documented in the sources checked for this page.	Full-screen kiosk mode, and a one-app allow list also locks a device to one app.
Screen time reports and per-app limits	Not a student screen time product. Not publicly documented as per-app time limits.	Not available yet: per-app time limits and screen time reports. The team is working on it.
Integrations, SSO and API	Strong. Deep Entra, Microsoft 365 and Graph API integration, single sign-on, conditional access.	SSO and an API are not available yet. Everything is run from a browser dashboard.
Pricing model	Per user per month, billed annually. As of November 2026 Microsoft lists Plan 1 at 8 US dollars, Plan 2 add-on at 4 and Intune Suite at 10, in the United States.	Seat-based licence, one device per seat. Pricing is on request.
Countries available	Worldwide, wherever Microsoft 365 and Android Enterprise are supported.	Worldwide, subject to local law, wherever the device has Google Play services.
Setup effort	Needs an Intune tenant, a Managed Google Play connection and enrollment profiles. Enrollment by NFC, token or QR code, zero-touch or Knox. Skilled IT staff expected.	Guided Skie Provision app or a laptop with adb, one-time token per device, readiness check per model. The Skie team supports the rollout.
Data and privacy approach	Microsoft cloud tenant, governed by your Microsoft agreement. Details are in Microsoft's privacy documentation.	Data is stored in an India region (Mumbai). Skie does not read messages, and the device shows that it is managed, with no hidden mode.
Best suited for	Organisations with Microsoft 365, mixed Windows, Apple and Android fleets and a dedicated IT team.	Schools, hostels, coaching institutes and Android-only fleets that want school-shaped rules and fast rollout.

As of November 2026 (United States), Microsoft lists Intune Plan 1 at 8 US dollars per user per month billed annually, an add-on Plan 2 at 4 and Intune Suite at 10. Intune is also included in some Microsoft 365 and EMS plans, and Microsoft says prices vary by agreement. Education pricing was not shown on the page checked. Skie is priced per seat, one device per seat, and pricing is on request. Contact us for a quote.

Where Microsoft Intune is strong

Manages Windows, Apple and Android in one console, which Skie does not.
Deep integration with Entra identity, single sign-on, conditional access and Microsoft 365.
Role-based access control with scope tags and a documented admin API for automation and reporting.
Many enrollment routes for Android: NFC, token or QR code, zero-touch and Samsung Knox.
Backed by a large vendor with extensive public documentation.

Where Skie stands out

Built for schools, hostels and institutes, with organisation, school, branch, group, student and device levels and teacher and parent roles.
Schedules switch app sets for school hours, study block, break and night mode, with a hostel night mode that keeps calls on.
Breach alerts go to the person responsible for that device, at group, branch, school or organisation level.
Lock filtering DNS on the device, force Chrome SafeSearch and block more than 50 alternative browsers and VPN apps.
Replace a broken tablet and keep the student, group and history in one step.
Rollout support from the Skie team, with no tenant, identity or licence stack to set up first.
Priced per seat, with a school or hostel in mind, and available worldwide.

What Intune does well, and what it assumes

Intune is Microsoft's cloud service for managing devices and the access they have to company data. It sits next to Entra identity and Microsoft 365, and it is priced per user, not per tablet. For a company with Windows laptops, iPhones and Android phones, one console covering all of them is a real benefit, and Skie does not try to match it.

It also assumes an IT team. You need a tenant, a link to Managed Google Play, enrollment profiles and groups before the first device is managed. That is routine for a company IT department. For a school with a single coordinator, or a hostel with a warden, it is a lot of setup before anyone benefits.

Control on Android

Both products can manage an Android device as its full owner. Microsoft calls this Android Enterprise fully managed. Its documentation says this mode can restrict app installation to Managed Google Play, stop users uninstalling managed apps and block factory reset. Devices must run Android 10 or later with Google Mobile Services.

Skie also runs as the device owner, on Android 12 or newer. On top of that it ships a set of hardening switches already tuned for students: safe mode, developer options and adb blocked, Skie itself protected from uninstall and force stop, VPN setup blocked, date and time forced to automatic, and Factory Reset Protection tied to the Skie admin account. Each switch can be set from organisation down to a single group. If a protection ever fails, the admin sees it as a breach on that device.

Structure, roles and education features

Intune offers role-based access control and scope tags, so one admin can be limited to certain devices. That is useful, but it is an IT model, not a school model. There is no built-in idea of a class, a student or a parent.

Skie is organised the way a school is. An organisation holds schools, schools hold branches, branches hold groups, and each student has one device. A class teacher sees only their class. A branch head sees their branch. Parents get read-only visibility of school devices. Rules flow down and the most specific level applies last, so a teacher can add extra apps for one lesson across a class in one step. Schedules, such as school hours or hostel night mode, switch the allowed apps without anyone touching the device.

Setup effort and cost

Intune enrollment offers NFC, a token or QR code, zero-touch and Samsung Knox. Each is powerful, and each assumes you understand Android Enterprise. As of November 2026 Microsoft lists Plan 1 at 8 US dollars per user per month billed annually, with add-ons above that. A school that manages shared tablets rather than one device per person should check how Microsoft counts users for its situation.

Skie licenses one device per seat. Devices are provisioned with the Skie Provision app or a laptop and a pasted command, using a one-time token for each device. A device needs one fresh setup or reset, because Android only allows device-owner management on a device that has not been set up. The Skie team supports the rollout. Skie does not support single sign-on or an API yet, and the team is working on both.

Who should pick which

Pick Intune if your institution is Microsoft-first, has an IT team, and manages Windows and Apple devices next to Android. Its identity integration and API are well ahead of what Skie offers today.

Pick Skie if you run Android tablets and phones for students or residents, want school-hour and night schedules, role-based alerts and a quick rollout, and do not want to build a Microsoft tenant first. Skie also works for coaching institutes and hostels in any country where devices have Google Play services.

Choose Microsoft Intune if

Your institution runs on Microsoft 365 and needs device compliance tied to Entra sign-in.
You manage Windows laptops and iPads alongside Android and want one console.
You need an API, scripting or single sign-on today.
You already own Microsoft licences that include Intune.

Choose Skie if

You run Android tablets or phones for students, hostel residents or coaching classes.
You want class teachers and wardens to manage their own groups without seeing the whole school.
You want school-hour and night schedules without building rules by hand.
You want a vendor who helps with rollout and replacement of devices.
You want web filtering and browser lockdown for students on the device itself.

Verdict

Intune is the stronger choice for a Microsoft-based organisation with mixed Windows, Apple and Android devices, an IT team and a need for single sign-on and an API. Skie is the better fit for a school, hostel or institute with Android tablets or phones, because it gives the same device-owner control with classes, schedules, filtering and role-based alerts ready from day one, and a team that helps with rollout.

Questions people ask

Skie vs Microsoft Intune: which is better for a school with Android tablets?

Intune suits schools that run on Microsoft 365 and have IT staff. Skie is built around classes, schedules, web filtering and role-based alerts on Android, so it is usually the quicker fit for an Android-only school.

Does Microsoft Intune support Android device owner mode?

Yes. Microsoft calls it Android Enterprise fully managed, for Android 10 or later with Google Mobile Services. Skie also uses device owner, on Android 12 or newer.

How much does Microsoft Intune cost?

As of November 2026 in the United States, Microsoft lists Plan 1 at 8 US dollars per user per month billed annually, with add-ons. Skie pricing is per seat and on request.

Can Intune lock a tablet to one app for students?

Microsoft documents several Android modes, but kiosk setup for classrooms was not verified in the pages checked. Skie has full-screen kiosk mode and a one-app allow list.

Does Skie work with Microsoft sign-in or Entra?

Not yet. Single sign-on is not available in Skie, and the team is working on it. Intune is stronger here.

Can Skie manage Windows laptops or iPads?

No. Skie manages Android 12 or newer phones and tablets only. For mixed fleets, a platform like Intune is the better fit.

Sources

Not publicly documented when we checked: Intune education price lists were not on the pricing page checked.; A school-style web filter or timetable schedule for Android was not found in Microsoft's public documentation.; Android location, geofence and lost device actions were not verified..

This comparison was prepared from publicly available information and was last checked on 12 November 2026. Product features, prices and availability change, and anything we could not find is marked as not publicly documented. Microsoft Intune and other product names belong to their owners and are used here only to identify their products. Skie is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft. If something here is out of date or wrong, email contact@knowphone.in and we will check and correct it promptly.