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.
Where Purple beats JumpCloud
See the product hub and the industries where teams pick Purple over JumpCloud.
See Purple Passwordless WiFi
Replace shared passwords with EAP-TLS, iPSK, Passpoint, or SAML/SSO. Identity-based credentials on your existing access points.
Industries where teams switch to Purple
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.