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AWS Directory Service vs Workspace ONE UEM 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)
16th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Workspace ONE UEM
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
101
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (5th), Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) (7th), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (2nd), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 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 Workspace ONE UEM is 1.3%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
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.
Ajit Pratap Kundan - PeerSpot reviewer
A tool that needs to improve scalability but is useful to manage user
There is a need for better user lifecycle management within VMware Identity Manager, along with better user governance, including the separation of duties of the users. In my company, we are not able to create a policy for the separation of duties of the users, so it is an area where improvement is required. The official authentication and fingerprint authentication should be part of VMware Identity Manager, and I feel these areas are currently missing. The scalability of the product needs to improve. The product should be tightly integrated with the third-party products because it's not like a customer is going to purchase all the VMware products, as they might have different solutions for different purposes.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost."
"The most valuable feature is that because it's all in the cloud, you don't need to manage the infrastructure."
"The most valuable feature of AWS Directory Service is cost-cutting features."
"The support is very good. I would rate the technical support as a nine out of ten."
"The most valuable feature is ease of use."
"We can provide specific access to people based on what they need from our accounts."
"AWS Directory Service is secure."
"I like the manageability. Activate Connect makes it easier to assign information and to manage the resources in the network."
"If an outside person tries to track or hack information, it is not possible without us being notified."
"The location and remote management services are the most valuable."
"The Workspace ONE UEM interface is very easy to understand; there are not many doubts regarding configuration and providing use cases, so it's good."
"The most valuable feature of VMware Workspace ONE is its reliability."
"The most valuable feature is the User Experience Designer, which has been very helpful for our project."
"It seems highly stable and scalable."
"The bigger vendors like VMware, Insight, and MobileIron can assign engineers to customers. You can work with them to develop the right competency to use the product."
"The most valuable feature is single sign-on."
 

Cons

"Can be improved by including on-premises access for services through Identity Access Management."
"The AWS Directory Service should be easier to integrate."
"Accessing the data needs improvement."
"Currently, there is no option to integrate our on-premises Cisco AWS Directory Service, requiring some manual configuration."
"I would like to grant partial access to a table contained in a database without having to provide full access to the whole database."
"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."
"The group policy can be improved."
"To get CloudWatch to monitor your memory and storage, you have to do some configuration within your server, which sometimes results in errors."
"There should be better compatibility with Linux devices."
"There is a need for better user lifecycle management within VMware Identity Manager, along with better user governance...The scalability of the product needs to improve."
"The portal is not user-friendly."
"The database gets corrupted when used in the cluster. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
"One thing VMware needs to improve is compatibility with different operating systems."
"We'd like to see a better connection to Microsoft Azure and a better connection with Check Point."
"I would like to see some integration with native Microsoft products such as Anti-value."
"Security aspects such as data loss prevention could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay an annual subscription fee."
"The pricing is reasonable."
"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."
"Depending on the requirements of users, there is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"The solution is more expensive than Intune."
"I think the pricing of the product needs advisement. It would be great to bundle the VM products together. I think the actual box itself should be included in the license. At present, it is not paired with the mobile device."
"Our customers are concerned about the costs. The solution is higher than they want it to be."
"We are paying about $145,000 a year on a three-year subscription with no ability to scale up or scale down within that class model."
"If you have a host of custom requirements (including licensing), make sure to set aside enough time for the initial setup because it can take up to a few weeks depending on how complex your environment is."
"It is quite expensive, but I think large companies have agreements with these organizations that provide remote monitoring for phones, and they get massive discounts. The public price does not reflect what they pay. You won't get the same pricing if you're buying for 10 employees versus 1,000 employees. On the public price, you get perhaps a 10% discount, but if you're buying 1,000, the discount could be really massive, especially if you signed a contract for a number of years."
"The solution is about $45 per device for a 12 month subscription. The price is standard across the world."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Performing Arts
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS Directory Service?
The most valuable feature of AWS Directory Service is cost-cutting features.
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...
How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes it easy to control security and manage the usage of mobile apps when you have a ...
How does VMware Workspace One compare with VMware Horizon 7?
VMware Workspace One has a powerful set of helpful features. The solution offers very good documentation, the initial setup is easy, and the product is very stable and reliable. I think the fact th...
What do you like most about VMware Workspace ONE?
The platform provides a stable environment for operations and quickly creates new environments. Additionally, it offers efficient flexibility.
 

Also Known As

AWS Managed Microsoft AD
VMware Workspace ONE, VMware AirWatch, Workspace ONE Assist, VMware Identity Manager, Workspace ONE Access, VMware Horizon Air
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Australian Sports Commission, Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, Lomond School, Merck, United Bank, Medical College of Wisconsin, Latymer Upper School, 2gether NHS Foundation Trust, Dowling Aaron Inc., Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Harrogate Grammar School, Duke University Football, Delta Air Lines, Adventist Health System, Giochi Preziosi, Cramlington Learning Village, Intermountain Healthcare, Safexpress, TAG Aviation
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Directory Service vs. Workspace ONE UEM and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.