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Microsoft Entra ID vs One Identity Active Roles comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.3
Organizations achieve significant ROI with Microsoft Entra ID through cost reduction, security improvement, and productivity enhancement.
Sentiment score
6.8
One Identity Active Roles automates tasks, significantly reducing manual efforts, improving efficiency, and achieving rapid ROI for organizations.
We leverage existing licensing, like Windows Server or SQL, and hybrid benefits, and our sales and marketing teams benefit from co-selling and partnership advantages.
Cloud Engineer at Med Tech Solutions
We get a return from not needing to pay other vendors to do what we already had from Microsoft, which was better than the competition.
Lead Architect, Chief Technology Officer Office at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
By eliminating the need for multiple VPN channels and enabling direct work from Azure servers, we have achieved approximately 30% efficiency savings.
Infrastructure Specialist at Renova AB
One Identity Active Roles provides excellent reporting and auditing functionality, allowing administrators to track permissions, actions, and responsibilities effectively.
solution architect/ engineer at APEX.IT Sp. z o.o.
Automation has really reduced the time spent on user provisioning, access management, or access changes by around 40 to 60 percent, which has significantly improved team productivity.
Technical Specialist at VDA Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd.
User onboarding time reduced by around seventy to eighty percent, from thirty to forty-five minutes to under ten minutes.
Senior Business Development Executive at DigitalTrack Solutions Ind Pvt Ltd
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.3
Users experience varying customer service with Microsoft Entra ID, praising expertise but suggesting improvements for quicker and efficient support.
Sentiment score
7.0
Users rate One Identity Active Roles support highly for expertise and guidance, with some delays for complex issues.
The actual support when you get to that level is a ten out of ten.
Senior Consultant at Convergeone
There are immediate answers to any issues that arise with great knowledge and a deep understanding of the product and business needs.
Lead Architect, Chief Technology Officer Office at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
They usually try to deflect, buy time, and often do not address the problem immediately.
Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
They are ready to provide support at any time.
Technical Specialist at VDA Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd.
The support team is knowledgeable about the product and AD environments.
Network Security Engineer at DigitalTrack Solutions Private Limited
Support is usually responsive for critical issues and provides solid practical guidance for AD workflow problems.
Cyber Security Analyst at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Entra ID offers scalable identity management, efficiently supporting growth and integration with third-party applications and on-premises systems.
Sentiment score
7.0
One Identity Active Roles supports enterprise identity management with scalability, centralized control, automation, and role-based delegation for multi-domain environments.
Microsoft Entra ID meets our needs better, especially when discussing integration.
Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Practice Lead at Invoke
Integrating seamlessly with Microsoft services like Microsoft 365, Azure, and other Microsoft platforms, while also supporting integration with thousands of third-party applications such as Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Google Workspace using standards including SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect.
Technical Support Engineer at Digitaltrack
We experienced no scalability issues with Microsoft Entra ID.
Technical architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
One Identity Active Roles works well in hybrid environments, handling both on-premises and cloud identities from a single platform.
Senior Business Development Executive at DigitalTrack Solutions Ind Pvt Ltd
It is commonly used in medium to large organizations managing complex Microsoft Active Directory and hybrid identity environments.
Professional Services Consultant at Check Point Software
The platform can scale without needing a complete redesign.
Senior Technical Support Executive at digital track
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Entra ID is highly stable with 99.9% uptime, overcoming minor issues with transparency and swift updates.
Sentiment score
8.2
One Identity Active Roles is stable, reliable, and efficient for user management and AD automation, ideal for enterprise use.
It's a critical solution that we can't do without.
Cloud Principal & Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
I haven't experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Microsoft Entra ID.
Director, Modern Workplace at a legal firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
I have not experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Microsoft Entra ID.
Director Security at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees
Overall, One Identity Active Roles has proven to be a stable, reliable, and well-suited solution for managing Active Directory at scale.
Bdm at Digitaltrack
Overall, I consider One Identity Active Roles to be a stable solution, suitable for enterprise-grade environments.
Technical Support Engineer at Digitaltrack
Consistently performing for daily operations like automation and user management without major downtime reported.
Associate technical desktop support at Digitaltrack soluctions Pvt. ltd
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Entra ID requires improvements in integration, scalability, documentation, and user interface to enhance usability and access control management.
Enhancing user interface, setup, cloud integration, performance, and pricing can improve usability and accessibility of One Identity Active Roles.
A recent incident we dealt with took four months to resolve with a seven-day deadline, which was quite frustrating.
Cloud Principal & Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Synchronization issues occasionally occur, making it challenging to analyze logs and pinpoint the exact problem.
Senior Nutrition Officer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
There is a need for better transformation support from on-premises Active Directory policies to the cloud, as Entra ID doesn't cover this sufficiently yet.
Sales Representative at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
The current REST API feels like an afterthought, and my developers want the ability to operate through CI/CD pipelines instead of logging into the GUI.
Identity and Access Management Specialist at a university with 10,001+ employees
Improving documentation and providing more guided implementation resources would help organizations accelerate deployment and reduce dependency on external support.
Technical Support Engineer at Digitaltrack
Stronger, more seamless integration with cloud and hybrid environments like Azure AD, along with enhanced real-time reporting dashboards and easier troubleshooting tools, would help in faster issue resolution and a better overall administration experience.
Senior System Administrator at 3i Infotech
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Entra ID is cost-effective for Microsoft users, but complex licensing and hidden costs present challenges.
One Identity Active Roles is costly but offers high ROI through automation, efficiency, governance, and security for enterprises.
We are getting our money's worth.
Cloud Architect at Palmer College of Chiropractic-Davenport
Microsoft sets pricing based on customer demand, adjusting to find the optimal balance between sales volume and profit per unit, similar to how Costco manages product prices.
Owner at Alopex ONE UG
Most features of Entra ID are part of Microsoft's ecosystem and included in Microsoft 365 bundles, which means there are no additional costs associated with pricing and licensing.
Senior Consultant at Convergeone
It is quite expensive, costing more than 50 euros per identity.
solution architect/ engineer at APEX.IT Sp. z o.o.
I think our total was in the seven-figure range for a couple of years of service.
Director, Identity & M365 Engineering at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
The initial investment includes licensing, infrastructure setup, and implementation effort, with licensing typically based on the number of managed users or accounts, which can increase costs in large environments.
Technical Support Engineer at Digitaltrack
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Entra ID excels in security, user management, and integration, enhancing organizational security and efficiency with comprehensive features.
One Identity Active Roles automates Active Directory tasks, enhancing security, efficiency, and compliance through centralized management and integration.
We can secure the applications that we are building and make sure that if the application were to be compromised, there is no full access to a customer's environment causing issues and other security concerns.
Senior Consultant at Convergeone
It's integrated with Microsoft technologies like Authenticator, SSO, and MFA, streamlining operations and creating a seamless environment.
Vice President, Sales & Cloud at Aztek
The granular control, such as preventing logins from specific locations, enhances security significantly.
Cloud Architect at Palmer College of Chiropractic-Davenport
It's improved our security posture. It has limited access to our crown jewels, where all our identities lie within Active Directory.
IAM Specialist
It helps in removing custom Active Directory delegation, which enhances security by eliminating unnecessary privileges, addressing identity-based breaches by reducing the number of Active Directory delegations.
Head of Global Digital Identity Services at a hospitality company with 10,001+ employees
Dynamic groups are also one of the best features, eliminating the need to add or manage members manually.
Technical Specialist at LSEG
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Entra ID
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
276
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (1st), Identity Management (IM) (2nd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (2nd)
One Identity Active Roles
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
80
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (3rd), Active Directory Management (1st), Non-Human Identity Management (NHIM) (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

While both are Identity and Access Management solutions, they serve different purposes. Microsoft Entra ID is designed for Single Sign-On (SSO) and holds a mindshare of 9.8%, down 26.9% compared to last year.
One Identity Active Roles, on the other hand, focuses on Active Directory Management, holds 11.9% mindshare, up 6.8% since last year.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Entra ID9.8%
Okta Platform10.4%
Auth0 Platform6.1%
Other73.69999999999999%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
Active Directory Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
One Identity Active Roles11.9%
Netwrix Auditor10.6%
ManageEngine ADManager Plus10.1%
Other67.4%
Active Directory Management
 

Featured Reviews

Stafin Jacob - PeerSpot reviewer
Microsoft 365 Security & Compliance Practice Lead at Invoke
Identity has become our central gatekeeper and has provided secure single sign-on for all users
Microsoft Entra ID can improve by focusing more on new passwordless methods and becoming a primary adopter. One feature we would like to see is the ability to have security questions for password resets. I know the current capability is phasing out, so we do not have an alternative method yet. Customers who already use security questions require a smoother transition for that capability to be available. My experience with the deployment has had some challenges, particularly around the Microsoft MFA campaigns. The hardest part is moving users from a different MFA provider to the Microsoft MFA provider, as it ultimately depends on user activity. In large enterprises with numerous users across various geographies, this transition takes time. If there are ways to exert more control around that process, it would improve the situation.
Varun Mehra - PeerSpot reviewer
Collaboration Support Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees
Automation has transformed onboarding and access control and now streamlines daily governance
While One Identity Active Roles is a strong identity and access management solution overall, there are a few areas where it could improve. One challenge we experienced was the initial setup and configuration complexity. Deploying workflows, policies, and delegation models require careful planning and a good understanding of the Active Directory environment. For organizations without experienced administrators, the learning curve can feel quite steep in the beginning. The user interface could also be more modern and intuitive. Some administrative tasks require navigating through multiple menus and the overall experience could be simplified for faster day-to-day management. Another area for improvement is reporting and customization. While the auditing features are good, creating highly customized reports sometimes requires additional efforts or scripting knowledge. More built-in reporting templates and easier dashboard customization would be helpful. We have also noticed that troubleshooting workflows or synchronization issues can occasionally take time because the logs can be very detailed and technical. Better diagnostic tools and simpler error explanations would improve the operational experience. That said, once the platform is properly configured and maintained, it performs reliably and delivers strong automation, delegation, and governance capabilities. One additional area where One Identity Active Roles could improve is cloud integration and hybrid environment management. While it works well with Active Directory and the Microsoft environment, organizations moving heavily towards cloud-first infrastructure may want even deeper and more seamless integration with modern SaaS platforms and identity providers. Performance optimization in large environments could be improved. In very large enterprise deployments with complex workflows and multiple managed domains, some administrative actions and synchronization tasks can occasionally feel slower than expected. Another point is documentation and onboarding resources. The product is feature-rich, but some advanced configurations require going through extensive documentation. More practical examples, guided setup wizards, and easier to follow best practice guides would help new administrators adopt the platform faster. Overall, the core functionality is solid, and most of the pain points are related more to usability, complexity, and modernization rather than the reliability. One additional improvement I would mention is around integration flexibility with third-party ITSM and DevOps tools. While the platform integrates well within Microsoft-centric environments, broader out-of-the-box integration and simpler API workflows for non-Microsoft ecosystems would make deployment and automation easier for organizations using diverse infrastructure. Another area is upgrade and migration simplicity. In enterprise environments, version upgrades and environment migration sometimes require careful planning and testing. Streamlining that process with more automated compatibility checks and migration assistance would reduce operational overhead.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
20%
Computer Software Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business90
Midsize Enterprise41
Large Enterprise161
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business83
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise40
 

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?
We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Active Directory?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing is that going through and being able to use these things is always part of delivering an M365 bundle, so I don't think the experience is great ...
What needs improvement with Azure Active Directory?
Microsoft Entra ID can be improved by open-sourcing it. You already have Windows Subsystem for Linux, which is open-source Linux in Microsoft. One major shift for Microsoft would be using the commo...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for One Identity Active Roles?
My experience with pricing and licensing for One Identity Active Roles has been reasonable for an enterprise solution, but it does require proper planning. The initial setup can involve some cost i...
What needs improvement with One Identity Active Roles?
One Identity Active Roles is very useful, though there are a few areas where it could be improved, such as the user interface, policy creation, and reporting - it requires good knowledge of Active ...
What is your primary use case for One Identity Active Roles?
One Identity Active Roles is used primarily for managing Active Directory, including user provisioning and group management. When a new employee joins, I use One Identity Active Roles to automatica...
 

Also Known As

Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator
Quest Active Roles
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.
City of Frankfurt, Moore Public Schools, George Washington University, Transavia Airlines, Howard County, MD. See all stories at OneIdentity.com/casestudies
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Entra ID vs. One Identity Active Roles and other solutions. Updated: March 2020.
896,202 professionals have used our research since 2012.