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CyberArk Identity vs Microsoft Entra External ID comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 27, 2025

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
7.7
Users praised CyberArk Identity for its long-term value, cost savings, and contribution to a secure environment.
Sentiment score
4.3
Users faced a learning curve with Microsoft Entra External ID but gained productivity and returns despite higher costs.
It has led to cost savings as well as time savings because I can use a single solution for all applications.
Companies can leverage it for setting up external identities without needing to develop their own solutions.
In terms of return on investment, prior to using this product, our company managed our own mail server with all internal authentication happening on premises, resulting in a ROI in the thousands every year.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.3
CyberArk Identity support is praised for resolution speed but criticized for slow responses and limited staff product knowledge.
Sentiment score
4.3
Microsoft Entra External ID customer support is mixed, with inconsistencies in response times, accessibility, and communication effectiveness.
They resolved the problem immediately after I reported it, on the same day, within one hour.
They charge reasonable money for the features they provide.
There are times when there is a delay in handling my inquiries via email.
Companies without a Microsoft license for Entra ID or Azure portal cannot add Azure AD B2C, creating logistical issues for some of my clients who are unable to evaluate the platform.
The support for business applications, infrastructure support, and Entra has been mostly positive with highly skilled technicians.
The documentation is very thorough, reducing the need for support.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
CyberArk Identity offers strong scalability for diverse enterprises, with successful implementations; some users experience performance issues at higher scales.
Sentiment score
7.0
Microsoft Entra External ID is praised for scalability and security but criticized for limited authentication options and increased latency.
We can use it on different phones and computers, demonstrating its scalability.
This is one of EID's weak points compared to Azure AD B2C, which offers customizable authentication options, including attribute and password combinations.
End-user workloads experience increased latency in a cloud environment compared to on-premises resources.
Microsoft Entra External ID is quite scalable, and I would rate its scalability between eight and nine out of ten.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
CyberArk Identity is praised for high stability and reliability, with a 99.9% SLA ensuring minimal disruptions and strong support.
Sentiment score
5.7
Microsoft Entra External ID is rated highly for stability, reliable and glitch-free except during major disruptions like cloud incidents.
When you have it in the cloud, you have CyberArk every time you need it.
With respect to stability, I find that stability is very good.
I'd rate the stability of the Microsoft Entra External ID as a 10.
The stability of this solution is very good.
I have not encountered any stability issues with Microsoft Entra External ID.
 

Room For Improvement

CyberArk Identity requires enhancements in mobile management, scalability, integration, usability, governance, translation, multifactor authentication, support, and reporting.
Microsoft Entra External ID struggles with high costs, limited features, and slow synchronization, needing better integration and UI improvements.
Integration or deployment is extremely difficult for CyberArk Identity.
There's a need to enhance network performance.
Something they could improve is the management of multifactor authentication.
This is particularly challenging during enterprise agreement renewals, as it's difficult for customers to review costs leading to lengthy negotiations.
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.
I would like to see a more detailed alert system that provides a summary of why alerts are generated, who is generating them, and the reasons behind it.
 

Setup Cost

CyberArk Identity is costly but offers value with flexible licensing, appealing to enterprises despite potential setup costs.
Microsoft Entra External ID pricing is complex and potentially expensive, with varying costs and limitations on specific licenses.
Regarding pricing, it can be quite a lot for small companies.
The pricing is acceptable.
If I am not going fully cloud, there are additional resources I will need to purchase, such as spinning more VMs or acquiring an HSM device to encrypt the vault.
Regarding pricing, the cost seems high for single sign-on, especially for external applications like Oracle.
Microsoft's pricing is complex and difficult to fathom due to a range of different licensing options.
The cost can be a factor for Microsoft Entra External ID, but in general, it offers a scalable and efficient solution compared to deploying individual solutions.
 

Valuable Features

CyberArk Identity integrates diverse IDs with Active Directory, enhancing security with features like MFA, SSO, and compliance tracking.
Microsoft Entra External ID simplifies integration, enhances security with federated identities, and supports seamless hybrid environments and efficient user management.
It impacts zero trust security strategies. It prevents lateral movements in the organization.
It is the most powerful access management system.
Being able to integrate CyberArk Identity with Microsoft Defender is valuable.
It is crucial for hybrid environments, especially for integrating existing on-site infrastructures with cloud-based Active Directory, such as in Office 365 implementations.
EID unifies workforce users with external business partners, which is a very strong feature.
Microsoft's reliability in providing a clear roadmap for the solution is very important, especially at a time when cybersecurity is a risk in every company.
 

Categories and Ranking

CyberArk Identity
Ranking in Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
8th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Authentication Systems (9th), Identity Management (IM) (10th), Authorization Software (3rd), Enterprise Password Managers (8th), User Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) (9th), Access Management (6th), Active Directory Management (8th), Cloud Resource Access Management (2nd)
Microsoft Entra External ID
Ranking in Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (10th), Microsoft Security Suite (21st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) category, the mindshare of CyberArk Identity is 3.8%, up from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra External ID is 7.9%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
 

Featured Reviews

Julio Montero - PeerSpot reviewer
Access management system provides strong security and effortless user authentication
The solution can be deployed on cloud or on-premises. CyberArk is more on the cloud than on local hardware. The deployment is initially quite difficult. That said, when you are doing the implementation of CyberArk, there are so many tutorials that make the learning process very easy. The only complaint could be the language barrier. It's difficult if you don't have a very good level of English. Otherwise, it is very easy. You can have it set up within three months without much difficulty. It's hard to get started, however, once you get going, it gets easier. A full deployment takes half a year or less. There is some maintenance necessary. A company is constantly hiring and letting go of employees. The access is always changing, so access must always be adjusted. Or, if we need another law of filter, we would need to add those, or even take them away. That's another aspect of maintenance.
Corrado Vigano - PeerSpot reviewer
Solution integrates well with existing systems while being easy to use
The fact that it is quite integrated into the entire Microsoft environment makes it quite easy to use. Furthermore, Microsoft's reliability in providing a clear roadmap for the solution is very important, especially at a time when cybersecurity is a risk in every company. The solution is easy to reuse and not difficult to find expertise for in the market because it is widespread. It is gaining attention even from partners and from the market on the offering side. This serves as a good starting point for customers who can develop internal competence on the solution. Additionally, the presence of reliable partners who know the solution and can provide internal knowledge is the best aspect for them.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about CyberArk Identity?
The integration capabilities, ability to integrate CyberArk into the overall IBB strategy of our current clients.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for CyberArk Identity?
The pricing is acceptable. It is worth considering what we are protecting with the amount charged.
What needs improvement with CyberArk Identity?
Some areas experience slowness based on the workload. There's a need to enhance network performance despite the good user experience with access management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra External ID?
Concerning the pricing or setup costs for Microsoft Entra External ID, based on my experience with Entra and 365 in general, it shouldn't require a whole education on their software. That's been a ...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra External ID?
I have not utilized the adaptive authentication feature of Microsoft Entra External ID. Previously there was a question about adaptive authentication, and this is the first time I am hearing about ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra External ID?
I have experience with these products, and currently, we are using them in our organization. Regarding Auto-GPT, it was only a POC. I mainly work with Microsoft products in our system because we ha...
 

Also Known As

Idaptive
Azure Active Directory External Identities
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MLB, Citi, Pfizer, SulAmerica, GE Capital, Shiseido
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about CyberArk Identity vs. Microsoft Entra External ID and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.