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Cloudanix vs Microsoft Entra External ID 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cloudanix
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
23rd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
GRC (27th), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) (32nd), Cloud-Native Application Protection Platforms (CNAPP) (21st), AI Legal & Compliance (9th)
Microsoft Entra External ID
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (5th), Microsoft Security Suite (16th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of Cloudanix is 0.3%. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra External ID is 1.9%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Entra External ID1.9%
Cloudanix0.3%
Other97.8%
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

AM
Sr. Executive Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Unified data access has boosted analytics speed but still needs better governance and cost control
The best feature that Cloudanix offers is the unified data access layer connecting multiple sources, allowing access to all data from one place. It ensures real-time sync data across systems on-demand, keeping data up to date without manual export. It has cross-platform compatibility across AWS, Azure, GCP databases, and SaaS applications, supports hybrid and multi-cloud environments, and simplifies data queries by letting users query multiple sources as if they are one instance, reducing the need for complex ETL pipelines. The best feature of Cloudanix is the ability to unify distributed data sources into a single, scalable, and easy-to-query layer for faster analytics and simple data management. I have seen specific outcomes and metrics such as reducing the time spent on stitching data sets from multiple systems, where queries now run directly across the connected layer. The analysis time drops from thirty to sixty minutes. Reporting cycles improve, with reports generated five times faster. I reduce engineering data team workload by thirty to fifty percent fewer ad hoc data extraction requests and achieve lower infrastructure and pipeline costs, reaching a ten to thirty percent cost saving in data pipelines and ETL maintenance. Moreover, improved decision speed leads to reduction in the decision cycle from days to hours, enhancing data consistency with fewer discrepancies between reports. For example, before Cloudanix, an analyst spent three hours pulling data from three systems and another two hours cleaning and joining it. After using Cloudanix, the same analysis can be done with one unified query that gets results in a minute, allowing focus to shift to interpretation instead of preparation. Consequently, Cloudanix typically delivers major gains in analyst productivity, achieving fifty to eighty percent faster data preparation and faster reporting cycles with reduced engineering workload and lower data pipeline costs by unifying access to distributed data sources.
FS
Consultant at Artifield
Offers strong identity unification but needs better customization
Microsoft Entra External ID can be improved with additional features, specifically customizable flexibility and a customizable user interface for the login dialog. Currently, the login dialog has very limited customization options, which only include font styles, colors, text messages, or brand icons. Last month, Entra ID introduced some customizable features in their login dialog, but this does not apply to Microsoft Entra External ID, indicating a significant gap between the two. In theory, Entra External ID can support many external identity providers where custom login dialogs could be integrated, potentially via SSO feature coordination, although I have not yet confirmed this. Hence, enhanced customizable login options and the ability to use attribute password logins are critical features that are required for Microsoft Entra External ID to gain dominance in the authentication market.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Choosing Cloudanix has proven very efficient and intuitive, and it remains easy to handle compared to other products available in the market."
"Consequently, Cloudanix typically delivers major gains in analyst productivity, achieving fifty to eighty percent faster data preparation and faster reporting cycles with reduced engineering workload and lower data pipeline costs by unifying access to distributed data sources."
"The fact that it is quite integrated into the entire Microsoft environment makes it quite easy to use."
"Microsoft Entra External ID is more secure, offering a secure environment."
"It's quite easy to manage and monitor."
"The positive impact of Microsoft Entra External ID on my organization is that it enhances ease of use for the administrative side."
"For policy management in my organization, I would say it is perfect."
"It's similar to using a Microsoft account to create accounts on other websites. We are also using Microsoft Entra to monitor which applications our guests are using. This allows us to filter, block, or adjust permissions for these applications as needed for our collaborators."
"The impact of having multiple authentication types available significantly helps with security practices using Microsoft Entra External ID."
"The times that I have gone into it, I found it easy to use and I haven't had any issues with it."
 

Cons

"Costs are flexible but can become unpredictable if query volume grows quickly."
"Cloudanix could improve by addressing the limitations in terms of customization."
"There have been a couple of times when it was unavailable because of Microsoft issues, but other than that, I don't remember any problems."
"The training generally is complicated to understand, leading us to often go through a managed service provider."
"The support engineers are not as skilled as our engineers. When they say something would not work, or there is no solution, we usually hear that Microsoft would not support this."
"Microsoft Entra External ID isn't a complete cloud-based account solution, as it must handle internal employees and collaborate with internal Active Directory."
"There is room for improvement in AI technology for Microsoft Entra External ID, particularly in providing detailed alerts."
"The problem with Microsoft products is that they often cater to enterprise-level needs, which can be too costly for medium-sized businesses."
"I would like to see faster synchronization."
"A common concern among the customers I visit is the unpredictability of Microsoft's costs at every renewal. This is really bothersome for the customer, and I would say it is the worst element I have seen in these years."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"We don't pay separately for Microsoft Entra External ID as it's part of our Microsoft Exchange subscription."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
63%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
3%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cloudanix?
My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing shows that pricing is more affordable compared to other vendors in the market.
What needs improvement with Cloudanix?
Cloudanix could improve by addressing the limitations in terms of customization. The feature expectations suggest that integrating products such as Slack for IAM workflows or enhancing asset manage...
What is your primary use case for Cloudanix?
My main use case for Cloudanix is to get controls to model the cloud environment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra External ID?
Microsoft is flexible in the pricing for the product, so I cannot say that it is expensive, but definitely they are flexible in the price lists and their ways of doing payments.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra External ID?
Not really at the moment, but perhaps when we go deeper into using Microsoft Entra External ID, we may experience some things we may not prefer. However, up to now, we have not encountered anything...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra External ID?
When I say identity, I mean Microsoft Entra External ID. We have been using Microsoft Entra External ID since the beginning of 2022. I am using it as a client. The purposes for using Microsoft Entr...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Azure Active Directory External Identities
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Okta, SailPoint and others in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS). Updated: May 2026.
894,738 professionals have used our research since 2012.