AWS IAM Identity Center vs Google Cloud Identity comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google are both solutions in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.7, while Google is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.9. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.4% mindshare in IAMS, compared to Google’s 10.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of Google users who would recommend it.

AWS IAM Identity Center

Read 11 AWS IAM Identity Center reviews

628 Views
339 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Google Cloud Identity

Read 25 Google Cloud Identity reviews

4,109 Views
3,082 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

AWS IAM Identity Center

Google Cloud Identity

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Google Cloud Identity and AWS IAM Identity Center compete in the identity management market. Google Cloud Identity excels in pricing and customer service, whereas AWS IAM Identity Center provides more comprehensive features that justify its higher cost.

Features: Google Cloud Identity focuses on streamlined access management, user provisioning, and security features like multi-factor authentication and single sign-on. It offers group access controls, integration with Google Workspace, and intuitive interface for easy management. AWS IAM Identity Center provides detailed access management, robust security controls, and tight integration with various AWS services. Features include role-based permissions, permission set templates, and centralized management with multi-factor authentication.

Room for Improvement: Google Cloud Identity could enhance its security features to match competitors like Microsoft's offerings and improve integration with non-Google services. Its organizational unit system is beneficial but might be improved for greater flexibility. The GUI, while intuitive, may need enhancements for more complex configurations. AWS IAM Identity Center requires a simpler deployment process and a more accessible user interface. Documentation could be more streamlined for rapid navigation. The service complexity might be reduced to cater to smaller businesses seeking straightforward solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Google Cloud Identity is known for straightforward deployment and seamless integration with Google's product suite accompanied by responsive customer support. AWS IAM Identity Center, despite challenging deployment, benefits from comprehensive documentation and robust customer support, which can assist with complex setups and ongoing management.

Pricing and ROI: Google Cloud Identity offers a more affordable initial cost, making it especially attractive for organizations already using Google's services. Its lower setup costs facilitate a quicker ROI. AWS IAM Identity Center requires a greater initial investment, resulting in a longer ROI timeline, but its extensive features and integration with AWS may justify the cost for businesses demanding extensive control and versatility.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 865,384 peers since 2012

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 IAM Identity Center

Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

7th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (8th)

Google Cloud Identity

Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

6th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (11th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of AWS IAM Identity Center is 1.4%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Cloud Identity is 10.5%, down from 12.0% 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

Khaled Saidi

DevOps Engineer | Cloud Architect & Automation Specialist | Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, AWS EKS at Phoenix Marketing & Advertising

Manage cloud security with granular access control and enhanced authentication

Managing IAM in complex environments can be challenging, and there are several areas for improvement. First, incorporating automation tools or a centralized dashboard for managing roles and policies across multiple accounts would simplify administration, especially for large organizations. Additionally, policy debugging and validation could be more streamlined, as troubleshooting misconfigurations can be time-consuming and prone to errors. A more robust error messaging system or a dedicated debugging tool would be beneficial. Another area for improvement is temporary access credentials. AWS documentation should offer more detailed guidance on edge cases and exceptions, along with clearer examples of how to handle various scenarios. Lastly, enhanced session-level policies that are more context-sensitive and based on specific conditions (such as IP address, device, or time) would greatly increase flexibility and allow for more granular control over user sessions.

Read full review

Joel Prodigalidad

Central and Enduser Computing Manager at Infopro Business Solutions, Inc.

User-friendly solution simplifies modern application integration and streamlines data investigation

We do not use these capabilities of Google Cloud Identity because of the limitations for Active Directory integration. Google Cloud Identity could have impacted our organization positively, but if it weren't for the Active Directory integration requirement, we could have been using the Google Identity solution. Google Cloud Identity can be improved by having better integration with Active Directory, but since Active Directory is also a Microsoft solution, we don't think it will happen; that's the only disadvantage of Google. The Active Directory integration that Entra has is a better implementation compared to Google, which we found lacking.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The features of AWS IAM Identity Center that I appreciate are single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, and we can manage all authentication aspects while integrating it with third-party applications."

"We efficiently use AWS to create multiple user privileges and permissions, making it very scalable and supportive of our clients' operations."

"The most valuable feature of AWS Identity Center is its ability to centrally create permission templates, known as permission sets, which define AWS IAM roles."

"Its valuable features include granular access control, allowing precise control over who can access specific AWS resources and under what conditions using JSON-based policies."

"The most valuable feature is the security configuration ease, which is great for me, especially as a beginner."

"Overall, IAM Identity Center is a great service, currently rated at nine out of ten."

"IAM Identity Center provides micro-level control over resources, services, and users, allowing organizations to grant specific access and privileges safely."

"The solution enhances security through features like multifactor authentication."

More AWS IAM Identity Center pros

"The best features of Google Cloud Identity are that it's free and works with modern applications, meaning if it's OAuth or using the OAuth protocol, it's very easy to integrate with those applications."

"The most valuable feature is the performance."

"Although we have not looked at the whole product and explored it completely, we find that all the authentication features that we are using now are valuable."

"The initial setup is easy."

"The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is its stability."

"The solution is moderate to difficult to use. I found the approach was practical. Following the steps made it very easy to use."

"The Cloud Identity is well advanced in terms of features, applications, and the components that it is offering."

"I have not experienced any serious problem with stability."

More Google Cloud Identity pros

Cons

"The configuration with other tools can be hard."

"I would like to see more flexibility in the features as sometimes it doesn't meet my expectations."

"I have opened support tickets and received responses, although not always resolving my queries fully. I would appreciate a live chat option with technical support for quicker resolutions."

"For AWS services in general, I had trouble creating an S3 bucket due to a repetitive error message regarding existing names."

"IAM is challenging to manage in complex environments."

"Focusing on further allowing customization and flexibility in developing solutions as a solution architect or developer would enhance user experience."

"The initial setup isn't very easy, around four on a scale of one to ten. It permits setting up policies that might not be entirely secure if improperly configured, which can lead to issues later."

"The AWS Identity Center's user interface could be improved to provide a clearer understanding of how the system operates."

More AWS IAM Identity Center cons

"Overall, I would give a zero out of 10 for Google's support. There is no easy way to navigate issues without paid consultation, making it quite frustrating."

"I would like to see more integration in future releases."

"Google Cloud Identity the UI could improve."

"The management of external users needs to be introduced in the tool as it is an area of concern in the tool presently."

"If I were to suggest enhancements, it would mainly revolve around ensuring compatibility and maximizing integration options with various services."

"The interface could be more user-friendly."

"I want the tool to improve its support. It should also incorporate some functionalities. Currently, preparing presentations in Google is a pain point. The tool’s certain features like user provisioning are not intuitive as well. The product’s LDAP support is very poor. Clients do not trust the product due to the spam."

"Google Cloud Identify could make the technology used easier to understand as a layman making it more user-friendly."

More Google Cloud Identity cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is cheap since it is available on the cloud."

"We probably spend about $50,000 a year on licensing."

"The product is billed on a monthly basis depending on the number of users."

"When I worked on Cloud Identity, they offered a free or enterprise version. You can synchronize and create up to 100 user identities in the free version. After that, you have to purchase a business or enterprise license. In that model, you'll be charged based on the number of users."

"The solution is not expensive."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."

"The licensing cost depends on the partners and the relationship between the company and the partners."

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis."

More Google Cloud Identity pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS IAM Identity Center?

The product is easy for beginners to learn and use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS IAM Identity Center?

AWS provides the lowest pricing among other service providers like Azure, Google, Oracle. It is cost-effective, and they use a pay-as-you-go model.

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS IAM Identity Center?

The tech support for AWS is time-consuming, as we have experienced this issue. However, I am not aware of many other cases.

See all answers

How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also access to both Microsoft’s user community as well as around-the-clock customer s...

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Cloud Identity?

The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is its stability.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud Identity?

It's crucial to monitor costs carefully, as there can be unexpected charges. I have been charged even when there was supposed to be free credit.

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Entra ID vs AWS IAM Identity Center

Compared 49% of the time

Microsoft Active Directory vs AWS IAM Identity Center

Compared 13% of the time

Red Hat Single Sign On vs AWS IAM Identity Center

Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs AWS IAM Identity Center

Compared 11% of the time

Auth0 vs AWS IAM Identity Center

Compared 8% of the time

More AWS IAM Identity Center Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 67% of the time

Okta Workforce Identity vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 5% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 2% of the time

JumpCloud vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 2% of the time

More Google Cloud Identity Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AWS IAM Identity Center

August 2025

Download AWS IAM Identity Center product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Identity

August 2025

Download Google Cloud Identity product report

Also Known As

AWS Single Sign On, AWS SSO

Cloud Identity, Cloud Identity Premium

Overview

AWS IAM Identity Center is the recommended service for managing your workforce's access to AWS applications or your multiple AWS accounts (or both). It is a flexible solution that can be used to connect your existing identity source or help you create users in AWS. IAM Identity Center can be used alongside your existing AWS account access configurations.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Cloud Identity is an Identity as a Service (IDaaS) and enterprise mobility management (EMM) product. It offers the identity services and endpoint administration that are available in G Suite as a stand-alone product. As an administrator, you can use Cloud Identity to manage your users, apps, and devices from a central location - the Google Admin console.

Google

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

ExtraHop Networks, HealthChannels

Buyer's Guide

AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity

July 2025

Free Report: AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity

Find out what your peers are saying about AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our AWS IAM Identity Center vs. Google Cloud Identity report.

See our list of best Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) vendors.

We monitor all Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.