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Cybersecurity · head to head

JumpCloud vs Tilt

JumpCloud logo

JumpCloud

Cybersecurity

Unified identity and device management for hybrid workforce.

From
$9/user/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Tilt logo

Tilt

Developer Tools

Local Kubernetes development loop that rebuilds and live-updates containers on save

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tilt has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: JumpCloud platform Essentials tier capped at 300 users; larger organisations must purchase unbundled tiers or negotiate custom pricing; Tilt docker acquired Tilt in 2022 and the team now splits its time across Compose and Docker Desktop, so feature velocity is modest and the product's long-term priority inside Docker is not guaranteed; treat it as a stable utility, not a growing platform.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which JumpCloud and Tilt actually diverge.

Attributes where JumpCloud and Tilt differ
AttributeJumpCloudTilt
Starting price$9/user/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, APILinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in JumpCloud

Nothing recorded that Tilt does not also cover.

Only in Tilt

  • Live update
  • Tiltfile as code
  • Unified web UI
  • Selective rebuilds
  • Local and remote clusters
  • Resource dependencies
  • Extensions registry
  • Custom buttons and triggers

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

JumpCloud

  • Organisations modernising from Active Directory to cloud identity infrastructurenot Tilt
  • Companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environmentsnot Tilt
  • IT teams implementing zero-trust security modelsnot Tilt
  • Managed service providers requiring multi-tenant identity and device managementnot Tilt
  • Educational institutions and nonprofits (eligible for special pricing)not Tilt

Tilt

  • A team of ten or more engineers whose application is fifteen microservices on Kubernetes and who currently wait on CI to test a changenot JumpCloud
  • An organisation onboarding new developers who want a single command that stands up the whole stack from a committed Tiltfilenot JumpCloud
  • A platform team giving product engineers a consistent local environment against a shared remote development clusternot JumpCloud
  • A codebase where one repository contains several services and rebuilding all of them on every edit is the main source of lost timenot JumpCloud

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

JumpCloud

  • Platform Essentials tier capped at 300 users; larger organisations must purchase unbundled tiers or negotiate custom pricing
  • À la carte pricing can become expensive when purchasing multiple features; device management at $9/user, SSO at $11/user totals $20/user for basic functionality
  • Bundled Platform and Platform Prime packages require contacting sales; no published pricing limits transparency
  • Zero-trust and AI & SaaS management capabilities only available in Platform Prime tier with custom pricing
  • No on-premises or self-hosted option; cloud-only deployment

Tilt

  • Docker acquired Tilt in 2022 and the team now splits its time across Compose and Docker Desktop, so feature velocity is modest and the product's long-term priority inside Docker is not guaranteed; treat it as a stable utility, not a growing platform.
  • The Tiltfile is Starlark, a Python dialect, so non-trivial setups become real programs that need reviewing and maintaining, and the person who wrote yours becomes a single point of failure.
  • Live update only works when the running container can accept synced files and restart the process; compiled languages, distroless images and read-only filesystems often force you back to a full image rebuild, which removes the main benefit.
  • It assumes Kubernetes. If your development target is plain Docker Compose or serverless functions, Tilt adds a cluster you did not need and a layer of abstraction with no payoff.
  • There is no commercial support contract, no SLA and no paid tier, so when a Kubernetes version upgrade breaks something you are dependent on GitHub issues and a Slack channel rather than a vendor you can escalate to.

Pricing, plan by plan

JumpCloud

$9/user/month
  • À La Carte - Device Management$9/user/month (annual) or $11 (monthly)
    • Device management across Windows, Mac, Linux
    • Remote assistance
    • Patch management
  • À La Carte - SSO$11/user/month (annual) or $13 (monthly)
    • Single sign-on
    • Multi-factor authentication
    • Password management
  • Platform Essentials$undefined/variable
    • Identity and device management with SSO and passwordless auth
    • Maximum 300 users
    • Contact sales for pricing
  • Platform$undefined/variable
    • Unified identity, device and access management
    • Contact sales for pricing

Tilt

Free
  • TiltFree
    • Apache 2.0 licensed
    • All features, no paid tier
    • Community support via the Kubernetes Slack #tilt channel

Which should you pick?

Choose JumpCloud if

  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API.
JumpCloud review

Choose Tilt if

  • You need live update.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want tiltfile as code.
Tilt review

Questions people ask

Is JumpCloud or Tilt better?
Neither clearly leads. JumpCloud starts at $9/user/month and Tilt at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, JumpCloud or Tilt?
Tilt has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/user/month for JumpCloud and Free for Tilt.
Does JumpCloud or Tilt run on more platforms?
JumpCloud runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API. Tilt runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Tilt for free?
Yes. Tilt has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. JumpCloud starts at $9/user/month.
What is JumpCloud best used for?
JumpCloud is most often used for organisations modernising from active directory to cloud identity infrastructure, companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environments, it teams implementing zero-trust security models, managed service providers requiring multi-tenant identity and device management. Of those, organisations modernising from active directory to cloud identity infrastructure and companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environments are not what Tilt is typically brought in for.
What can JumpCloud do that Tilt cannot?
Tilt covers Live update, Tiltfile as code, Unified web UI, Selective rebuilds.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

JumpCloud: What devices does JumpCloud support?

JumpCloud supports unified endpoint management for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android devices.

Source
Tilt: Is Tilt free?

Yes, entirely. It is Apache 2.0 open source with no paid tier and no licence fee.

JumpCloud: Can I use JumpCloud to replace Active Directory?

Yes. JumpCloud is designed for organisations modernising from on-premises Active Directory to cloud-based directory and identity management.

Source
Tilt: Who owns Tilt now?

Docker, which acquired it in May 2022. It remains open source and the repository is still actively maintained.

JumpCloud: Is there a free trial?

Yes. All users can access a 30-day free trial before purchasing.

Source
Tilt: Do I need a remote cluster?

No. It works against a local cluster such as kind, minikube or Docker Desktop, and also against a shared remote development cluster if your services are too heavy to run locally.

Tilt: How is it different from Skaffold?

Both automate the build-deploy loop. Tilt puts more weight on the live-update path and a multi-service dashboard; Skaffold is more configuration-driven and closer to Google's tooling.

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