Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Microsoft Active Directory vs SAP Single Sign-On 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

Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
Active Directory Management (5th)
SAP Single Sign-On
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
15th
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 3.2%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Single Sign-On is 0.8%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Active Directory3.2%
SAP Single Sign-On0.8%
Other96.0%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
 

Featured Reviews

Giovanni Baruzzi - PeerSpot reviewer
Mature technology delivers consistent capability and enhances centralized user management
I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Directory with third-party applications is that it can be made better. It's not the tendency of Microsoft to use a standard, but to modify it to their needs. This is catastrophic if you have to integrate other applications that use the same standard. This creates a major problem, so you have to be very careful and implement step by step, knowing that the partner is Microsoft. I would leave Microsoft Active Directory as it is and build possibly interfaces. For example, there is a provisioning protocol standard named SCIM. It seems that Microsoft Active Directory does not yet have a SCIM interface, which is a problem.
AhmedHaridy - PeerSpot reviewer
A flexible solution that has two-factor authentication feature
The solution has been integrated into our mobile workforce using SAP IAS. This service links all SAP products with a central authentication platform, allowing users to access various systems and functionalities. We can easily integrate this solution with Active Directory or other solutions such as Microsoft or IBM. Additionally, SAP IAS also supports digital authentication, not only for SAP but also for other platforms like Microsoft Azure. Customers can quickly establish user authentication with SAP IAS in just a few minutes, enabling secure access to specific products or systems based on predefined rules. The two-factor authentication feature of SAP Single Sign-On is highly valuable for enhancing security. It allows users to access SAP products using various authentication methods, such as Microsoft user or their authentication service. This ensures secure access to all systems, both SAP and non-SAP, while giving the company control over user access. Additionally, the solution offers location-based access control. We find that it's already quite flexible and doesn't require much customization. It's mainly about configuration, which doesn't demand technical expertise. Customers often delve deeper into the solution's features to understand how to use it more effectively. They ask questions that are already addressed within the platform. This reliance on the solution's features, alongside their internal on-premises systems, has a very positive impact. The tool is compatible with different products.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Audit, authentication and authorization are the best features."
"Technical support is helpful."
"Active Directory plays a focal point in security management, encompassing aspects like credential management, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and the network infrastructure of customers."
"The solution’s management capability is very good. The tool is also very scalable. You can add any number of users that you want to operate. Moreover, you can easily organize the solution."
"The product is very stable and flexible. You can also integrate the solution with other products like mail solutions."
"We can also have separate domain controllers in different Active Directory sites based on their location."
"I advise consideration of this solution. The overall product rating is ten out of ten."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the group policies."
"The solution has been integrated into our mobile workforce using SAP IAS. This service links all SAP products with a central authentication platform, allowing users to access various systems and functionalities. We can easily integrate this solution with Active Directory or other solutions such as Microsoft or IBM. Additionally, SAP IAS also supports digital authentication, not only for SAP but also for other platforms like Microsoft Azure. Customers can quickly establish user authentication with SAP IAS in just a few minutes, enabling secure access to specific products or systems based on predefined rules."
 

Cons

"The DNS services could improve in Microsoft Active Directory."
"The product must provide remote password reset features."
"I expect additional features like maximizing user flow, improving the branding of the UI, and enabling non-interactive login. Customizing the login page is limited to changing the background and logo, and adding terms and conditions during registration requires JavaScript."
"In the solution, assigning permissions is complex, making it difficult to grant them at a granular level or to multiple users without templates or alternative tools."
"It could be more stable."
"It's not the tendency of Microsoft to use a standard, but to modify it to their needs. This is catastrophic if you have to integrate other applications that use the same standard."
"There is room for improvement in the support."
"The challenges everyone now has in mind is how to really migrate fully to the cloud. Many companies face both technical and cost-related challenges when moving from on-premise Active Directory to Microsoft Intra."
"The only improvement I suggest for SAP Single Sign-On concerns employees without emails. We addressed this by allowing users to set up security questions themselves. However, to further enhance this, integrating with mobile SMS for password resets could be beneficial."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is not very expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."
"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."
"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."
"The price of Microsoft Active Directory could improve. We pay annually for the solution."
"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."
"We purchase the license for the solution on a yearly basis."
"The tool is free of cost."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions are best for your needs.
869,202 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Retailer
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise20
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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?
I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Directory with third-party applications is that it can be made better. It's not the ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
My usual use case for Microsoft Active Directory is to share groups of authorization among many different applications. The other use case for Microsoft Active Directory is the authentication of us...
What do you like most about SAP Single Sign-On?
The solution has been integrated into our mobile workforce using SAP IAS. This service links all SAP products with a central authentication platform, allowing users to access various systems and fu...
What needs improvement with SAP Single Sign-On?
The only improvement I suggest for SAP Single Sign-On concerns employees without emails. We addressed this by allowing users to set up security questions themselves. However, to further enhance thi...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
1. Adidas 2. Aetna 3. Airbus 4. Allianz 5. American Express 6. AstraZeneca 7. Audi 8.Bayer 9. BMW 10. Boeing 11. Cisco 12. Coca-Cola 13. Colgate-Palmolive 14. Dell 15. Eni 16. Ericsson 17. ExxonMobil 18. Ford 19. General Electric 20. Google 21. Hewlett Packard 22. Honeywell 23. IBM 24. Intel 25. Johnson & Johnson 26. JPMorgan Chase 27. Kellogg's 28. L'Oreal 29. Merck 30. Nestle 31. Nike 32. PG
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Okta, Ping Identity and others in Single Sign-On (SSO). Updated: September 2025.
869,202 professionals have used our research since 2012.