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ManageEngine ADAudit Plus vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 9, 2024

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
8.4
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus reduces costs and boosts business value by enhancing compliance, risk management, and preventing security incidents.
Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Active Directory enhances operational efficiency by streamlining user management and access control, proving cost-effective and valuable.
Feedback from clients indicates their keen interest in the product, as it allows for easy budget approval without needing an advisory board meeting.
The solution is really time-saving since I don't need to create users in each server or system manually, and user access control is streamlined.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.3
Customers appreciate ManageEngine ADAudit Plus support for its prompt response and effective assistance, despite occasional developer delays.
Sentiment score
5.3
Microsoft Active Directory support is effective but variable, with resolution time issues and moderate to high user satisfaction.
Customer service is effective, even for new users who need guidance on complex issues.
I would give their support a nine out of ten, where one is bad and ten is very good.
Support documents are available on the internet in every language.
Sometimes support takes long to engage and resolve, extending over weeks or even months.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.3
ADAudit Plus is highly scalable, handling extensive file servers and Active Directory, with successful migration and adaptability reports.
Sentiment score
6.3
Microsoft Active Directory offers strong scalability, efficient user management, and adaptability, despite occasional management complexities in larger deployments.
This product is highly scalable and supports easy migration.
I rate the scalability as eight out of ten.
Microsoft Active Directory scales effectively; I don't foresee any issues with that at all.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.5
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is stable, quickly resolves issues, excels in identity management, and receives high user satisfaction ratings.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Active Directory is stable and reliable, though updates occasionally cause minor issues; scalability planning is crucial.
When compared to similar products like Accenture Plus or Reminder Plus, this solution excels in identity access management.
I've been working with Microsoft Active Directory for over 3 years, and we've had no problems.
With multiple domain controllers, stability is ensured.
 

Room For Improvement

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus requires improved custom reports, interfaces, integration, and documentation for better usability and diverse environment support.
Microsoft Active Directory requires updates in DNS services, interface, permissions, scalability, integration, security, and cost-effective cloud stability.
Activity monitoring is cost-effective, workstation monitoring can be challenging without additional training.
I would like to generate reports on users who have not logged into the Active Directory for a specific period, but this feature is not available.
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 current Active Directory UI is limited in report generation, necessitating script knowledge to generate various reports.
There are some features that need improvements in terms of ease of use and frequency of updates.
 

Setup Cost

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is cost-effective with flexible perpetual or subscription licensing, offering significant value and affordability.
Microsoft Active Directory costs vary by user count and license type, with educational discounts and potential Azure savings available.
I consider the pricing for ADAudit Plus a bit high compared to other software solutions, so I would rate it around two or three on the pricing scale.
It is cost-effective.
The pricing, setup cost, and licensing with Microsoft Active Directory is straightforward; you just buy the server and then have to buy the user CALs.
 

Valuable Features

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus offers extensive monitoring, user analytics, real-time alerts, and comprehensive reports for enhanced network security.
Microsoft Active Directory offers easy configuration, centralized management, strong security, scalability, and integration with Azure AD and Office 365.
The audit functionality and the ability to share user-based reports with management are significant advantages.
Engineers can receive reports and log details within one to five seconds, which is essential for monitoring user activity swiftly and effectively.
Permissions can be granted to a group or specific folder with one or two clicks in Active Directory.
If I change a password or need to reset a password, the information propagates relatively quickly, and the structuring inside is easy to understand and use.
Having active deployment and well-configured systems helps me manage tasks and easily oversee thousands of users.
 

Categories and Ranking

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus
Ranking in Active Directory Management
5th
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Active Directory Management
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
44
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Active Directory Management category, the mindshare of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is 10.6%, up from 9.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 6.5%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Active Directory Management
 

Featured Reviews

Md Abdul Hakim - PeerSpot reviewer
Advanced monitoring enhances user tracking that's cost-effective
I have been involved with this product for the last three years, participating in service and support within our company. We are currently supporting over 30 companies. This month, we deployed the solution for three companies, including two RMGs and one private bank in Bangladesh. The popularity of this product is due to its active directory monitoring abilities. Engineers can receive reports and log details within one to five seconds, which is essential for monitoring user activity swiftly and effectively. This product is very well-liked in Bangladesh due to user tracking, failed logins, and Jar reports for any Barna activity or execution. This solution's popularity extends through comprehensive auditing capabilities.
Roberta Politano - PeerSpot reviewer
Has good authentication features
The solution's group policy is a normal way to deploy configuration and helps deploy to a wider environment. The solution is deployed both on-premises and on the cloud. I would recommend the solution to other users based on their infrastructure. Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Retailer
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about ManageEngine ADAudit Plus?
The most valuable feature of ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is its reports.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine ADAudit Plus?
I consider the pricing for ADAudit Plus a bit high compared to other software solutions, so I would rate it around two or three on the pricing scale.
What needs improvement with ManageEngine ADAudit Plus?
The interface could be improved, and the log collecting feature should have additional functionalities. For example, I would like to generate reports on users who have not logged into the Active Di...
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?
There are a few areas that could be improved with Microsoft Active Directory, along similar lines as Intune. Not too much on the support side, but on the Group Policy side, it doesn't always functi...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
The use cases for Microsoft Active Directory are managing all users on-premises. We have over 200 employees and multiple computers, approximately over 200 computers. We have shared computers and sh...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Warsaw City Hall, Acument Global Technologies, Inc., Cosma International, Bank of South Pacific, Life Management Center, Central Bank, UncleBob's Self Storage, Leeds Building Society, California Transplant Donor Network, First Response, Blessing Hospital, Northern Land Council, RMK Marine
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Find out what your peers are saying about ManageEngine ADAudit Plus vs. Microsoft Active Directory and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,384 professionals have used our research since 2012.