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AWS Directory Service vs SailPoint Identity Security Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Directory Service
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
18th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SailPoint Identity Security...
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (2nd), Identity Management (IM) (1st), SaaS Management Platforms (1st), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of AWS Directory Service is 1.6%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is 13.0%, up from 10.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud13.0%
AWS Directory Service1.6%
Other85.4%
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Basa Saiteja - PeerSpot reviewer
A valuable access management system with a user-friendly and straightforward setup
The solution is scalable, and we can scale according to our needs. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. In our organization, our access to our AWS comes from IAM. We use AWS consoles using our credentials and don't have route access, so each person will log in through our IAM programmatic access, and everyone on our team can work on cloud. Over 10,000 people in our organization utilize the solution.
Mitch MO - PeerSpot reviewer
Adapts workflows with industry-specific flexibility for big companies
We find flexibility to be one of the most valuable features. The solution can be customized to adapt the workflow to our industry, offering considerable flexibility. Additionally, it is considered a good solution for large companies due to its scalability and ability to cater to the needs of many customers. It has also enhanced security and provided significant flexibility for our specifications module.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"We like the fact that it's got such great redundancy."
"AWS Directory Service is secure."
"I would rate AWS Directory Service nine out of ten."
"Two-step authentication is very useful and important."
"I like the manageability. Activate Connect makes it easier to assign information and to manage the resources in the network."
"The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost."
"Provides good performance and availability."
"AWS has eliminated the downtime we waste when our on-premises resources go down."
"The solution is very good at the management of the identity lifecycle."
"This solution has made our team more effective. We need less manual approvals when someone new joins our company. There is less paperwork and fewer support tickets raised for access."
"The big one now is that they're adding AI and machine learning to figure out automated approvals and make recommendations to their reviewers. So, if I bring up Doug McPherson and it says he has access to this application, the system will make a review based on peer group analysis. That's one of the biggest new things. The problem used to be that people would get everything loaded on, and they created too much work for themselves. Now, they can use these policies and start to let the machine pick the less risky things."
"The most selling modules for SailPoint are the compliance manager and the life cycle manager."
"Great product to manage the access control of users."
"I am satisfied with the overall performance and stability."
"Certifications and user provisioning features are the most valuable."
"The support is very good."
 

Cons

"Our only complaint is that you cannot integrate your Exchange server. Or, if you are planning to install an Exchange server on your Amazon EC2 instance, then you need to configure Active Directory on EC2 instance. We would like for this limitation to be lifted."
"Currently, there is no option to integrate our on-premises Cisco AWS Directory Service, requiring some manual configuration. If AWS Active Directory Service provided additional domain controller functionalities, like other on-premises Active Directory, it would be very helpful."
"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."
"The group policy can be improved."
"Accessing the data needs improvement."
"I would like to see better integration with other business solutions."
"The solution lacks certain features."
"To get CloudWatch to monitor your memory and storage, you have to do some configuration within your server, which sometimes results in errors."
"I would like for the next release to have a more user-friendly interface."
"The product’s cloud offering could be flexible."
"The product is unable to share suggestions with users."
"The pricing could be improved."
"The solution, in general, is quite expensive."
"Competitors are advancing by offering integrated solutions encompassing access and privileged access management in a single unified platform. IdentityIQ's focus has remained primarily on identity and access governance, neglecting to expand its offerings to include these additional functionalities within its existing product. Enhancing their product by incorporating modules for access management, privileged access management, and third-party access governance could address this gap."
"It is too technical. You need really good technical skills in Java and other technologies, which are hard to find. If they can make it easier so that things can be done with a few clicks, it will be great."
"It allowed to implement the automated processes when a new employee is hired. It allows to have a main central process for new hires."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"AWS' pricing is fair, and costs can be cut if you look carefully at when you're using it."
"The pricing depends because with AWS there are two types of directory objects: 30,000 and 500,000. It varies. AWS provides the pricing calculators so we can get an estimate from there as per the company requirement of how many users and objects that we need to create. So we can go to that portal, put in the data, and get the quotation. There are no extra licensing fees. It's all included."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"We pay an annual subscription fee."
"It's difficult to say that the solution saved costs because it is quite expensive."
"The pricing is based on the number of users and is reasonable."
"They are expensive."
"You do pay one price for the license but that price depends on what you choose to include as far as the optional modules go."
"We pay an annual licensing cost for SailPoint IdentityIQ."
"Its price is okay. It provides good value for money. It is subscription-based. You can go for a one-year or three-year subscription."
"I found the pricing to be relatively high."
"The price of the solution could improve, it is not priced well for smaller businesses to afford."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Performing Arts
11%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise40
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Directory Service?
The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost. You do not need to hire any system administrator to manage your Active Directory.
What needs improvement with AWS Directory Service?
Accessing the data needs improvement. Additionally, integration and compatibility with other AWS ( /products/amazon-aws-reviews ) services, network open LDAP, support for on-premise and cloud envir...
What advice do you have for others considering AWS Directory Service?
I would rate AWS Directory Service nine out of ten. Users need to be aware of how the system works locally to adapt easily to the integration and setup.
How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SailPoint IdentityIQ?
The product is expensive. People need to opt for a licensing plan for one year or three years.
What advice do you have for others considering SailPoint IdentityIQ?
You can use SailPoint Atlas to take identity security to the next level. In SailPoint IIQ, writing a custom connector using the open source framework is a good option.
 

Also Known As

AWS Managed Microsoft AD
IdentityIQ, IdentityNow, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, Intello
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Adobe, AXA Technology Services, Cuna Mutual Group, Equifax, ING Direct, Orrstown Bank, Rockwell Automation, SallieMae, Spirit Aerosystems, TEL
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Directory Service vs. SailPoint Identity Security Cloud and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.