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Change Auditor for Active Directory vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 19, 2025

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

Change Auditor for Active D...
Ranking in Active Directory Management
7th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Active Directory Management
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Active Directory Management category, the mindshare of Change Auditor for Active Directory is 7.5%, down from 8.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 6.2%, up from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Active Directory Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Active Directory6.2%
Change Auditor for Active Directory7.5%
Other86.3%
Active Directory Management
 

Featured Reviews

RémyMAURAS - PeerSpot reviewer
Real-time notifications and protection for Active Directory accounts with good documentation
The primary use case is to manage human errors, like protecting identities from being modified by the software, and to audit security. This includes monitoring high-privilege accounts and having the ability to back up previous values if unauthorized modifications occur in the Active Directory…
Giovanni Baruzzi - PeerSpot reviewer
Mature technology delivers consistent capability and enhances centralized user management
I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Directory with third-party applications is that it can be made better. It's not the tendency of Microsoft to use a standard, but to modify it to their needs. This is catastrophic if you have to integrate other applications that use the same standard. This creates a major problem, so you have to be very careful and implement step by step, knowing that the partner is Microsoft. I would leave Microsoft Active Directory as it is and build possibly interfaces. For example, there is a provisioning protocol standard named SCIM. It seems that Microsoft Active Directory does not yet have a SCIM interface, which is a problem.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are the ability to protect Active Directory accounts and groups, and the real-time notifications that help manage Active Directory more effectively."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is authentication."
"The scalability of the solution is high...The initial setup of the solution is easy, and I would rate it an eight or nine out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one being difficult and ten being easy."
"The user-friendliness of Microsoft Active Directory is a valuable feature."
"I find the product makes it easier to enhance various tools with Microsoft Active Directory."
"We use the tool for FSMO, policies, and customized user registrations."
"I've been working with Microsoft Active Directory for over 3 years, and we've had no problems."
"Active Directory makes managing user policies easier, like when a user wants to share files. We also use it to create and manage our email accounts."
"It is easy to understand all the components."
 

Cons

"Areas that could be improved include having more management capabilities with command-line scripts and more flexibility in general."
"Typically, it depends on the customer's situation. If the customer operates in smaller locations where most PCs are in a common location, we usually aim to consolidate the directory infrastructure for easier maintenance. However, for distributed setups spanning multiple countries, configuring multiple sites becomes necessary and more intricate to handle. Our objective is to minimize the number of sites, simplifying operations for IT administrators and reducing errors. Mistakes in Active Directory can be costly for organizations, as disruptions can occur rapidly. Moreover, when it comes to hybrid single sign-on across various applications, Microsoft hasn't put forth significant effort. Single sign-on has become a challenge for many customers who utilize diverse solutions beyond Microsoft products. While implementing single sign-on is relatively straightforward in the Azure cloud, it's considerably more complex when dealing with the local Active Directory. This presents a big challenge for many of our customers."
"Sometimes, it can be overly complicated, and when you apply Group Policy in an Active Directory environment, sometimes those settings apply and sometimes they don't."
"The product must provide remote password reset features."
"Microsoft Active Directory restricts most of the features our company's employees want to use since they are involved in research and development activities."
"The solution could be made more safe by using authentication mechanisms."
"I did not have a good experience with the product's tech support. First-level support takes a lot of time since they ask many questions."
"Could use more structure in the cloud version."
"Active Directory's user experience is a little dated. Group policy management should be more customizable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."
"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."
"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."
"The version of Microsoft Active Directory I was using was expensive because it was used for large companies."
"I'm unsure about the cost of the solution, as I was never involved in that aspect. However, I don't think it would be expensive. It might be average, around four or five out of ten."
"Active Directory is built-in into Microsoft Windows 10. I'm not an administrator and would not be involved in purchasing decisions for new versions of the software. I have only used the client portion of it, I do not know if there is a cost to using the solution."
"Its price is reasonable."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Insurance Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
The price can vary based on the components purchased and the needs and budget of the organization. It is considered a bit pricey, especially for smaller companies.
What needs improvement with Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
Areas that could be improved include having more management capabilities with command-line scripts and more flexibility in general. Often this type of tool could benefit from better scripting capab...
What is your primary use case for Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
The primary use case is to manage human errors, like protecting identities from being modified by the software, and to audit security. This includes monitoring high-privilege accounts and having th...
What do you like most about Microsoft Active Directory?
The solution is easy to install and has good reliability.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?
I haven't explored all the features of Microsoft Active Directory yet, as I'm still learning and exploring all the options within the platform. There is one minor improvement I can suggest. Sometim...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
I use Microsoft Active Directory when I need to perform password resets, account unlocks, add users to groups, create users, disable accounts, set account expirations, check memberships, or add lic...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Airlines, Bank of America, BARCLAYS, ebay, Ford, intel, MARS, MERCK, Microsoft, UBER, VISA
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about One Identity, Netwrix, ManageEngine and others in Active Directory Management. Updated: September 2025.
867,445 professionals have used our research since 2012.