Both products can lock a device into kiosk mode.
Both show up on the same shortlists.
So it is easy to assume they do the same job.
They don’t.
KioWare and Hexnode start from different places. One is built to lock down kiosks. The other is built to manage every device in your organization, and kiosk mode is one of the things it can do. Neither approach is wrong. But they fit different deployments, and picking the wrong one means working around it for years.
This guide covers what each product actually is, why “they both have kiosk mode” is the wrong way to compare them, how they stack up side by side, and how to decide which one fits your kiosks.
What Each Product Actually Is
KioWare is kiosk and device lockdown software. It runs on Windows, Android, and Linux, and it is built for shared, public-facing, and unattended devices: the self-service station, the check-in tablet, the wayfinding screen. When you need to manage a fleet of those kiosks centrally, KioWare adds kiosk management through KioCloud (hosted) or KioWare Server (self-hosted).
Hexnode is a unified endpoint management (UEM) platform from Mitsogo. It is designed to manage the phones, laptops, desktops, tablets, and TVs across an organization, on more than ten platforms. Kiosk mode is one of its solution areas, alongside mobile device management, app management, patching, and compliance.
That difference in starting point shapes everything else. Hexnode begins with the device and asks how to manage it. KioWare begins with the kiosk and asks how to keep it secure when a stranger is standing in front of it.
Why “They Both Have Kiosk Mode” Falls Short
On a feature list, kiosk mode looks like a checkbox. Either a product has it or it doesn’t.
In the field, it is a lot more than that.
A kiosk used by the public has to survive people who are not your employees and have no reason to be careful. It has to keep them inside the experience, block the websites and downloads you never intended, recover when a page errors out, and wipe everything the moment they walk away. It often has to drive hardware, like a payment terminal or a document scanner, and show an attract screen when nobody is using it.
Kiosk mode software built for that environment treats all of it as the core job. A device management platform’s kiosk mode is usually built to keep a managed device focused on one task. Both are useful. They are solving different problems.
KioWare vs. Hexnode, Side by Side
Here is how the two compare on the points that matter most in a kiosk deployment. Details below come from each company’s own website as of fall 2026, so confirm current specifics with each vendor before you buy.
Core focus. KioWare is lockdown first, with management as an add-on. Hexnode is management first, with kiosk mode as one feature of a broader platform.
Platforms. Hexnode covers more ground: iOS, Android, Fire OS, Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, tvOS, and more. KioWare covers Windows, Android, and Linux. If you need Apple devices in kiosk mode, Hexnode supports them and KioWare does not list them.
Windows kiosks. Hexnode’s Windows kiosk is built on Windows Assigned Access. Its multi-app mode is described as running a set of specific UWP apps, and its website kiosk requires Windows 10 or 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. KioWare for Windows runs on Windows 10, 11, and Server 2016–2022 (x86-based systems only), and provides OS and desktop lockdown, startup on boot, keyboard filtering, and single app mode, with a browser built on Chromium. Because it’s Chromium-based, KioWare can run virtually any browser-based application: if it works in Chrome, it will work in KioWare. If your kiosk runs a traditional desktop application, ask each vendor exactly which app types and Windows editions are supported.
Browser lockdown and session reset. Both can clear browsing data between sessions. Hexnode offers a kiosk browser with URL whitelisting and idle timeouts that clear history, cookies, and cache. KioWare adds domain and page blocking, popup window control, file download management, and advanced browser error handling. For a browser-based public kiosk, this is where browser lockdown depth shows up.
Peripherals. Hexnode’s kiosk features focus on controlling device functions such as hardware keys, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. KioWare adds support for kiosk peripherals release by release, including recent support for the PAX A80 payment terminal and Pertech check scanners. If your kiosk takes payments or scans documents, bring your exact hardware list to both vendors.
Management. With Hexnode, management is the product, delivered through a cloud console with an on-premises option. With KioWare, management is optional. You can run locked-down kiosks without it, or add KioCloud (hosted) or KioWare Server (self-hosted) when the fleet grows.
Pricing model and trials. Both price per device. Hexnode lists monthly or annual per-device plans, with a 15-device minimum on its cloud plans. KioWare sells annual per-device licenses in three tiers, Starter, Essential, and Enterprise, and one license installs on Windows, Android, or Linux. Both offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required.
When Hexnode Is the Better Fit
Hexnode makes sense when kiosks are a small slice of a much larger device fleet.
If your IT team needs to manage employee phones, laptops, and Macs in one console, and a handful of those devices happen to run in kiosk mode, a UEM platform keeps everything in one place. It is also the stronger choice if your kiosks run on Apple hardware.
When KioWare Is the Better Fit
KioWare makes sense when the device is shared and needs to stay locked into one application.
If your devices are public-facing and unattended, if they run a browser-based experience that has to reset cleanly for every user, if they rely on peripherals like payment terminals or scanners, or if you run a mix of Windows, Android, and Linux kiosks under one license, dedicated kiosk software is built for that job.
And the two are not mutually exclusive. Some organizations run a UEM platform for employee devices and dedicated kiosk software on the machines the public touches.
What to Ask Before You Choose
Work through these before you commit. They will point you to the right fit faster than a feature list.
Who is touching the device?
Employees using a managed device are one thing. Anonymous members of the public are another. The less you trust the person at the screen, the more lockdown depth matters.
What does the kiosk actually run?
A single web page, a set of mobile apps, and a traditional Windows desktop application are three different requirements. Confirm each vendor supports the exact app type and OS edition you plan to deploy.
What hardware has to work on day one?
Payment terminals, card readers, printers, and scanners need specific support. Ask for it by make and model.
What else are you managing?
If the answer is “a few thousand laptops and phones,” that points toward UEM. If the answer is “just the kiosks,” that points toward kiosk software.
What happens between users?
Ask how each product clears data, handles idle timeouts, and recovers from errors. Then test it on your own hardware during the free trial.
The Bottom Line
KioWare vs. Hexnode is not really a question of which product is better. It is a question of what you are managing.
If kiosks are one feature inside a larger device strategy, Hexnode’s UEM approach is worth a look. If the kiosk is the product your customers, patients, or visitors actually touch, you want software that was built to lock it down first. For more on vetting any vendor, see our guide to choosing a kiosk software company, or compare KioWare’s tiers side by side.
Ready to see the difference on your own hardware? Try KioWare free for 14 days, or download our Kiosk Security Checklist to pressure-test your deployment plan before you commit.
