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IBM Cloud Identity Service vs SailPoint Identity Security Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

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

IBM Cloud Identity Service
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
28th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SailPoint Identity Security...
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (2nd), Identity Management (IM) (1st), SaaS Management Platforms (1st), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of IBM Cloud Identity Service is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is 13.0%, up from 10.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud13.0%
IBM Cloud Identity Service0.7%
Other86.3%
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1054431 - PeerSpot reviewer
Excellent support, beneficial integration, and low maintenance
I have found IBM Cloud Identity Service to be highly scalable. It can handle thousands of users. IBM solutions are truly enterprise-grade. You don't find a lot of use cases for small businesses, or even sometimes medium businesses, the price point does not fit smaller businesses. The implementation effort, it's hard to find that cost-benefit.
Mitch MO - PeerSpot reviewer
Adapts workflows with industry-specific flexibility for big companies
We find flexibility to be one of the most valuable features. The solution can be customized to adapt the workflow to our industry, offering considerable flexibility. Additionally, it is considered a good solution for large companies due to its scalability and ability to cater to the needs of many customers. It has also enhanced security and provided significant flexibility for our specifications module.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It is stable. We can automate many of our daily operations with it, and we don't have to manage many things manually."
"One of the most valuable features of IBM Cloud Identity Service is that it delivers integrations with the commercial SaaS software that's available."
"It is multiple identity and access management, so all of the applications are valuable. It's also part of the automated process."
"It is a scalable product."
"The support is very good."
"The most valuable features of SailPoint IdentityIQ are the reporting because it is better than other solutions. The workflows can be customized to our requirements and the overall features are good."
"SailPoint has allowed us to ensure the right people have the right access and to the rights things."
"The compliance features are the most valuable features."
"The governance features, such as certification and provisioning, are the most beneficial for enhancing security."
"SailPoint IdentityIQ has a good and straightforward user interface. They also have a lot of resources and documentation available to understand the process."
"This solution has improved our organization through its ease of application onboarding, approvals, provisioning, and lifecycle UI performance."
 

Cons

"IBM Cloud Identity Service is going in the right direction with the product. They need to keep building out the integrations and having the library is very critical."
"The initial setup is complex, it's not straightforward. It takes months because it's not straightforward."
"Everything can be more stable and secure. There could also be more account features. I would like to be able to do more things through it to manage users' accounts."
"It is not readily available and cannot be downloaded from the net."
"One needs to understand that SailPoint is into full-fledged IAM practice with a long-term vision, and customers will get a quick ROI with best practices implementation."
"The connectors should be improved."
"It allowed to implement the automated processes when a new employee is hired. It allows to have a main central process for new hires."
"In the past, we had a lot of problems with SailPoint IdentityIQ, particularly in providing access and provisioning. There were some gaps in the operation of the solution because they were manual rather than automated, and the users and administrators were given access directly via Active Directory, and it wasn't appropriate for us at the time to use. In terms of integration, we could provide a more automated solution after a minimum number of years, but not in the SailPoint IdentityIQ platform, but there were problems in the registration, for example, with putting information inside ADP, but in general, we were able to solve those problems, and after implementing SailPoint IdentityIQ we had increased evaluations."
"The product’s cloud offering could be flexible."
"SailPoint IdentityIQ could be cheaper."
"The user interface is not very user-friendly."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the solution is expensive for non-enterprise companies. IBM's always going to be a little more expensive, you're going to be paying a premium. However, depending on the organization's needs, there's probably a benefit there to do even with the price being the way it is."
"They are expensive."
"The price of the solution could improve, it is not priced well for smaller businesses to afford."
"I rate the solution a seven on a scale where one is cheap and ten is too expensive. In short, the solution falls under the higher side of pricing."
"SailPoint is expensive compared to its competitors. It's one of the most expensive products, so I'd rate it as one out of five, cost-wise."
"It is a costly solution. Its cost, for sure, should be reduced."
"SailPoint IdentityIQ is too expensive for small and medium companies. It is an expensive product."
"You do pay one price for the license but that price depends on what you choose to include as far as the optional modules go."
"You are able to get discounts if you plan to use the tool for the long-term i.e. discounts for 5+ years of usage."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise40
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SailPoint IdentityIQ?
The product is expensive. People need to opt for a licensing plan for one year or three years.
What advice do you have for others considering SailPoint IdentityIQ?
You can use SailPoint Atlas to take identity security to the next level. In SailPoint IIQ, writing a custom connector using the open source framework is a good option.
 

Also Known As

No data available
IdentityIQ, IdentityNow, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, Intello
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Baxter Healthcare, 
Adobe, AXA Technology Services, Cuna Mutual Group, Equifax, ING Direct, Orrstown Bank, Rockwell Automation, SallieMae, Spirit Aerosystems, TEL
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Cloud Identity Service vs. SailPoint Identity Security Cloud and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
869,952 professionals have used our research since 2012.