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Microsoft Active Directory vs OneLogin by One Identity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 20, 2026

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
4.4
Microsoft Active Directory enhances efficiency and access control, providing value through centralized management despite lacking direct ROI calculation.
Sentiment score
6.3
OneLogin boosts ROI by reducing IT workload, improving productivity, and lowering costs through efficiency and automation enhancements.
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.
Senior Consutant at HCLSoftware
Teams spend far less time on password issues, access requests, and onboarding, often cutting IT tickets by 30 to 50 percent.
Digital Marketer at DigiLiterate
The full return on investment, including licensing, deployment, and training, was achieved within one month, making it significant.
Senior Technical Support Executive at DigitalTrack Solutions Pvt Ltd
From a security standpoint, ROI is also significant, as security breaches cost companies billions each year.
CTO at Fraoula
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.5
Microsoft Active Directory support is inconsistent, with varying response quality, reliance on online resources, and better service via premium options.
Sentiment score
6.8
OneLogin's support is knowledgeable and proactive, though response times and issue handling vary, especially for complex queries.
Support documents are available on the internet in every language.
Owner at a computer software company with 1-10 employees
If you purchase retail, the support will be more difficult because they will assess the priority or rating from the customer.
IT Operations & Security at veris
Sometimes support takes long to engage and resolve, extending over weeks or even months.
Senior Consutant at HCLSoftware
I would rate the customer support a 10.
Senior MSC Engineer Manager at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
I have contacted support on a few occasions, mainly for advanced configuration guidance, troubleshooting provisioning issues, and clarifying documentation for complex integrations.
Business Analyst at a startup based organization
Whenever we've had questions or needed help with setup, their team responded quickly and really guided us step by step.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Active Directory is scalable and integrates well, but faces challenges at larger scales, suggesting hybrid solutions.
Sentiment score
7.5
OneLogin offers scalable identity management, supporting growth with cloud architecture, automation, and seamless integration for enterprise and mid-sized environments.
Microsoft Active Directory scales effectively; I don't foresee any issues with that at all.
Network Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Role-based access controls, automated provisioning, and directory integration scale smoothly, allowing me to maintain consistent policies and workflows even as complexity increases.
Business Analyst at a startup based organization
It has strong technical capabilities designed to be horizontally scalable, easily supporting a large user base without the need for manual infrastructure upgrades.
Network & Security Engineer at Arrow PC Network Pvt.Ltd.
Since it is a cloud-based IAM platform, scaling is much easier compared to traditional systems.
Senior Business Development Associate at DigitalTrack Solutions ind pvt ltd
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
6.4
Microsoft Active Directory is praised for its stability and reliability, with minor issues not significantly affecting performance.
Sentiment score
8.2
OneLogin ensures consistent reliability and robust performance with minimal downtime, offering strong authentication and single sign-on services.
If you meet the installation requirements from Microsoft, it will be very stable.
IT Operations & Security at veris
With multiple domain controllers, stability is ensured.
Senior Consutant at HCLSoftware
I've been working with Microsoft Active Directory for over 3 years, and we've had no problems.
Network Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
Overall, OneLogin's stability gives me confidence that it can support my organization's current needs and scale as we grow.
Business Analyst at a startup based organization
There have been no major outages, and performance has been really consistent.
Network Security Engineer at Connecting Cyber Networks
If OneLogin has an issue, users can suddenly lose access to multiple applications at the same time.
Senior Business Development Executive at Digitaltrack
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Active Directory needs improvements in usability, integration, security updates, synchronization, setup, reporting, support, scalability, and email group sync.
OneLogin users seek interface simplification, better integration, faster support, enhanced customization, stability, and improved onboarding for new administrators.
Exporting and verifying group memberships require command line scripts, which isn't simple.
Senior Consutant at HCLSoftware
There are some features that need improvements in terms of ease of use and frequency of updates.
Information Technology Specialist at stelios@biolandenergy.com
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.
Network Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
More real-time alerts, such as when access fails or MFA is triggered, would help users understand issues faster.
Digital Marketer at DigiLiterate
Step-by-step tutorials and troubleshooting guides would help users resolve issues faster without needing to contact support.
Founder's Office at a tech vendor with 1-10 employees
The two major pain points are customer support needing improvement and the integration with third-party software needing to be more flexible.
IT Manager at Flash.co
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Active Directory pricing varies by region and model; Azure offers cost-effective solutions for large enterprises despite perceived expense.
OneLogin offers competitive, transparent pricing with scalable features, providing good value and efficiency for enterprise identity management.
For the cloud solution in our region, the pricing of Microsoft Active Directory is very high.
Network & Security Section Head/Digital Transformation at a government with 201-500 employees
I consider Microsoft Active Directory expensive because if you buy this thing bundled with the Windows Directory Server, you get five user licenses for about a thousand euros, or a little bit less than this.
Owner at Syntlogo GmbH
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.
Network Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
The cost is less compared to Okta and Entra ID.
Senior Analyst - IDAM at Toll Holdings Limited
Overall, the pricing, setup, and licensing structure are transparent and deliver a good return on investment, especially when considering the operational efficiency and security improvements gained from using OneLogin.
Business Analyst at a startup based organization
I consider the pricing of OneLogin to be competitive since it is cheaper than other products I used, such as Okta, which is beneficial for mid-size organizations.
Senior Cloud Engineer at Applied Cloud Computing
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Active Directory simplifies management with integration, group policies, and scalable operations across on-premises and cloud environments.
OneLogin offers secure, streamlined access with features like Single Sign-On and integration, enhancing productivity and user management.
To assess the impact of Microsoft Active Directory's centralized domain management on security protocols and access permissions, Microsoft Active Directory itself has constraints with security because when we have a solution such as SSO or Single Sign-On, which makes it easier for users to log in, some parts have security openings.
IT Operations & Security at veris
One valuable feature is the centralized creation of IDs.
Senior Consutant at HCLSoftware
I can control all the devices in my domain by just changing the group policies in one place.
Information Technology Specialist at stelios@biolandenergy.com
Multi-Factor Authentication is generally useful for adding an extra layer of security, which is crucial, especially for the sensitive nature of the data we handle.
Developer Intern at Stealth
With SmartFactor Authentication, I can balance between them. I can give users an easy and smooth user experience as long as the risk indices are low, but I can implement pretty rigid authentication workflows if the risk gets higher.
Presales Manager at 1D Consulting
OneLogin's best features are its MFA capabilities as well as making it easier to access different applications depending on the user.
Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Active Directory Management (2nd)
OneLogin by One Identity
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
97
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (4th), Identity Management (IM) (4th), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (3rd), Access Management (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 3.0%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OneLogin by One Identity is 4.1%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
OneLogin4.1%
Microsoft Active Directory3.0%
Other92.9%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
 

Featured Reviews

Eko Kurniawan - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Operations & Security at veris
Has simplified credential management and improved secure access control across departments
The features I find most useful in Microsoft Active Directory are especially for the Single Sign-On. This is very useful for users, particularly if they have plenty of applications, such as tablet applications. When they log in to their computer, the application will automatically log in with their credentials. They don't need to remember another user and password to log in to the application because it's already maintained with Microsoft Active Directory using Single Sign-On. To assess the impact of Microsoft Active Directory's centralized domain management on security protocols and access permissions, Microsoft Active Directory itself has constraints with security because when we have a solution such as SSO or Single Sign-On, which makes it easier for users to log in, some parts have security openings. When their computer is compromised with a threat, malware, or other cyber threats, it becomes easier to enter the application without login permission.
Amit Rathod - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Analyst - IDAM at Toll Holdings Limited
Unified sign-in has simplified access control and has supported end-to-end identity lifecycle
The authentication process is good, but sometimes the responsiveness to requests for enhancement is very slow. I sometimes face issues with platform stability, flexibility in configuration, and limited API availability. I experience downtimes two to three times per year. OneLogin's support team is sometimes very slow to respond. There is a feature limitation with mapping, as OneLogin does not provide one-to-all mapping. For client deployment, we need to create separate mappings for each request, and we cannot use the same mapping for multiple requests. Other areas that have room for improvement are related to API limitations. If a client requires more APIs, such as 5,000 or 6,000, OneLogin charges more. The API rate limits by default or the standard limit should provide more than 5,000. Additionally, OneLogin could provide more flexibility in configuration. These are the main limitations I have identified with OneLogin.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
19%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise20
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business134
Midsize Enterprise28
Large Enterprise66
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?
The best way to protect this is to use Microsoft Defender. For Microsoft support for Microsoft Active Directory, I would rate it as eight. If I give it 10, it would be too perfect. Eight is fair. M...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
My main use cases for Microsoft Active Directory are to manage user access and credentials.
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Active Directory?
Regarding Microsoft Active Directory's integration with third-party applications, it depends on the requirements. It's not always linked or combined with Microsoft Active Directory. In my experienc...
What needs improvement with OneLogin by One Identity?
I think OneLogin could improve the learning curve for administrators and make the configuration more user-friendly.
What is your primary use case for OneLogin by One Identity?
OneLogin's main use case for my organization is unified authentication. I apply it for Single Sign-On management in my day-to-day work within the company. I have noticed that this tool especially m...
What advice do you have for others considering OneLogin by One Identity?
I would advise other companies considering using OneLogin to compare prices with other tools before making a decision. I have given this review a rating of 8.
 

Also Known As

No data available
OneLogin Workforce Identity
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
OneLogin has thousands of customers across multiple industries and from around the globe such as Uber, Airbnb, Noom, Petco, Sony, Lucky Brand, Tesco, Airbus, Japan Airlines, Aetna, Compass, Kaplan, Susan G. Komen, AAA and PennyMac.
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Active Directory vs. OneLogin by One Identity and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
905,526 professionals have used our research since 2012.