Purple vs JumpCloud
Purple and JumpCloud overlap in one place: cloud RADIUS for WiFi authentication. Everything else is different. JumpCloud is a directory and IT-management platform — RADIUS is one module alongside MDM, SSO, password management, and patch management. Purple is a WiFi platform — guest, staff, and multi-tenant WiFi with captive portal, analytics, and marketing automation. The right choice depends on whether RADIUS is a feature of your directory or a part of your WiFi.
Last fact-checked 2026-04-24. JumpCloud: open directory platform with cloud RADIUS, MDM, SSO, and patch management bundled for small- to mid-market IT teams.
Best for Purple
Multi-site venues and enterprises where WiFi is a customer-experience surface. Marketing automation, first-party data, analytics, captive portal, and multi-tenant iPSK matter alongside the auth plane.
Best for JumpCloud
Small- to mid-market IT teams that want a single vendor for directory, SSO, MDM, RADIUS, and patch management. Microsoft-alternative shops that do not want to commit to Entra ID.
Feature-by-feature comparison
| Feature | Purple | JumpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | WiFi platform with cloud RADIUS | Open directory platform (directory, SSO, MDM, RADIUS, patching) |
| RADIUS-as-a-Service | Yes — multi-region, full EAP methods, per-AP billing | Yes — as a module within the directory subscription |
| EAP-TLS / certificates | Supported; managed PKI available | Supported via SCEP and managed device certificates |
| Directory / identity | Consumes external IdP (Entra ID, Okta, Google, JumpCloud) | Is the directory — primary source of truth |
| SSO | Consumes SAML SSO | Ships SSO as a core product |
| MDM | Integrates with Intune, Jamf, Kandji, Hexnode | Ships MDM as a core product |
| Captive portal | Full portal builder with branding, social login, SMS, email | Not in product scope |
| iPSK (Identity PSK) | Yes — first-class product, powers Multi-Tenant WiFi | Not in product scope |
| Analytics | Footfall, dwell, repeat visits, cohort benchmarks | Device posture and endpoint telemetry |
| Marketing automation | Purple Engage — email, SMS, CRM sync | Not in product scope |
| Best fit | Customer-facing WiFi at venue scale | Back-office IT unification at SMB / mid-market scale |
| Pricing transparency | Published pricing calculator | Published per-user pricing with modular packages |
When Purple is the right call
If you are deploying WiFi that faces customers — retail, hospitality, stadiums, MDU — Purple's captive portal, analytics, marketing automation, and iPSK are capabilities JumpCloud does not offer. You are also likely to pick Purple if you already have a directory (Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace) and just need the WiFi platform layer to plug into it.
When JumpCloud is the right call
If your reality is a 200-employee company that wants one vendor to handle directory, SSO, MDM, RADIUS, and patching — and your WiFi is just staff and a simple guest SSID — JumpCloud's bundling is hard to beat. You get usable RADIUS as part of the directory subscription without needing a specialist WiFi platform. Not the right fit if WiFi is a customer-experience surface.
Frequently asked
Can I use Purple RADIUS with JumpCloud as the directory?
Yes. JumpCloud is a supported identity provider — Purple RADIUS-as-a-Service authenticates users against JumpCloud via LDAPS or SAML. This is a common pattern for teams that want the JumpCloud directory but the Purple WiFi platform for customer-facing use cases.
Is JumpCloud RADIUS enough for guest WiFi?
JumpCloud RADIUS is designed for employee authentication — it does not ship a captive portal, branding, marketing integrations, or visitor analytics. For staff WiFi at a small company, it can be enough. For guest WiFi with branded portals, data capture, or marketing automation, you need a WiFi platform on top.
Which is better for small businesses specifically?
Depends on the WiFi use case. If WiFi is just staff and a handful of guests, JumpCloud's bundled RADIUS inside an IT-management subscription is efficient. If the venue is customer-facing (a café, a clinic, a coworking space), Purple's SMB tier ships the captive portal and analytics JumpCloud does not.
Can I migrate from JumpCloud RADIUS to Purple?
Yes, and the migration is straightforward — the RADIUS protocol is identical, so the access points barely notice. Typical path: add Purple as a secondary RADIUS target, let it accumulate traffic, remove JumpCloud from the AP config once validated.
See Purple running on your infrastructure
Purple deploys as a cloud overlay on your existing access points — Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Juniper Mist, Meraki, Ubiquiti. No hardware swap, live in weeks.
