Microsoft Entra ID vs Thales Authenticators comparison

Microsoft and Thales Cloud Security are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7, while Thales Cloud Security is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.0. Microsoft holds a 15.9% mindshare in AS, compared to Thales Cloud Security’s 2.3% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Thales Cloud Security users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Entra ID

Read 234 Microsoft Entra ID reviews

9,863 Views
7,461 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Thales Authenticators

Read 6 Thales Authenticators reviews

1,059 Views
895 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra ID

Thales Authenticators

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 2024

Thales Authenticators and Microsoft Entra ID compete in the authentication space. Microsoft Entra ID seems to have the upper hand due to its extensive features, seamless integration, and broader support despite higher costs.

What features are offered by Thales Authenticators in comparison to Microsoft Entra ID?

Thales Authenticators offer robust security measures, ease of use, and a feature-rich environment. Microsoft Entra ID presents advanced integration capabilities, extensive compatibility with various platforms, and a broader feature set appealing to users.

What areas of improvement can be found in Thales Authenticators in comparison to Microsoft Entra ID?

Thales Authenticators need enhanced customer support, more flexible deployment options, and better support for diverse environments. Microsoft Entra ID requires a less complex system, more intuitive setup procedures, and easier navigation for users.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of Thales Authenticators in comparison to Microsoft Entra ID?

Thales Authenticators are noted for an easy deployment process but have mixed reviews on customer service. Microsoft Entra ID offers a more complex deployment experience but superior customer service support, presenting different challenges with better support from Microsoft.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with Thales Authenticators in comparison to Microsoft Entra ID?

Thales Authenticators have moderate pricing with a good return on investment. Microsoft Entra ID is more expensive but provides higher perceived value due to its features and support, justifying the extra cost for many users.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Entra ID vs. Thales Authenticators Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID vs. Thales Authenticators

April 2025

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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 Entra ID

Ranking in Authentication Systems

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

234

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Identity Management (IM) (1st), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (2nd)

Thales Authenticators

Ranking in Authentication Systems

17th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 15.9%, down from 21.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Thales Authenticators is 2.3%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Bahram Piri

Chief Executive Officer & Founder at IDmelon Technologies

Security focus and seamless implementation increase platform productivity

Microsoft Entra ID can be improved in many ways, and there's a big wish list.If we're focusing on security, something that I definitely expect is improvement in the UI and UX for frontline workers. This is important, especially for non-tech savvy individuals. It is something Microsoft Entra ID could do to improve for a wider audience. It's important to focus on the frontline workers since they are non-tech savvy individuals. They are not like those back-office engineering C-level employees who are constantly dealing with computers, and we need to build a specific user experience and user interface for them to handle this stuff. That's something I expect Microsoft to focus on more for Microsoft Entra ID.

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Gustavo Merighi

Automation and Telecommunications Analyst at Grupo Energisa

Has an easy-to-use management interface and a straightforward initial setup process

Our primary use cases include multifactor authentication for VPN connections and access to security tools like jump servers and firewalls. We also use it to enhance security measures in an enterprise environment The most valuable feature is the YAML 2.0 integration. It has an easy-to-use…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Microsoft Entra ID Protection and Microsoft Sentinel are both excellent monitoring features for Microsoft Entra ID."

"The tool's most valuable features are security and integration with other tenants."

"Microsoft Entra ID has helped the company with user identities, user device management, and endpoint management."

"The main valuable feature is the integration into a single console, which includes authentication service and endpoint security."

"I like Intune's MDM and MI."

"With Azure Active Directory we were able to manage with different options the access for different users."

"Microsoft Entra ID scales effectively with the growing needs of our organization, as we have never faced any challenges with its scalability."

"The technical support is pretty good."

More Microsoft Entra ID pros

"We use this solution to log into virtual machines like VMware and VMware Horizon."

"One valuable feature is Thales' ability to provide off-site tokens."

"Scalable and stable."

"The most valuable feature of SafeNet Authentication Manager is authentication."

"I like how the solution allows me to support different types of hardware tokens and integrate with OTP."

"The technical support services are good."

Cons

"The support is a bit slow."

"We would like to have more granularity in the Azure conditional access in order to be able to manage more groups for devices and for applications."

"Azure AD does not support legacy authentication protocols, such as NTLM or Kerberos."

"The only issue with Azure AD is that it doesn't have control over the wifi network. You have to do something more to have a secure wifi network. To have it working, you need an active directory server on-premises to take care of the networks."

"Whatever business requirements we needed in the past three years, users were created, with the name of the user and they were not connected with the Active Directory. We were trying to in house in three years and with directory, but we were not able to achieve it."

"Some systems do not integrate very well with Azure AD. We thought of going for Okta, but later on we were able to achieve it, but not the way we wanted. It was not as easy as we thought it would be. The integration was not very seamless."

"When you fix the rules and permissions, working directly on the manifest, you really need to have in-depth knowledge. If there were a graphical user interface to update the manifest, that would be good."

"Documentation I think is always the worst part with what Azure's doing right now across the board."

More Microsoft Entra ID cons

"We faced issues due to slow ticket responses, which improved over time."

"The stability could improve."

"The product could be improved by adding more features for sending tokens via SMS or phone calls."

"The problem with SafeNet is that it's not integrated with Microsoft 365."

"The solution should allow for support of multi-tenant architecture."

"Lacks integration with other platforms."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's pretty good. We're using the native features. It's bundled with our Office 365 licenses. We aren't paying anything extra for Azure Active Directory. It's pretty good for us because it's complementary to Office 365. We're only paying for Office 365."

"Entra ID is not too bad, but Microsoft licensing generally is insane. Most customers normally buy a bundle license with Microsoft 365, E3, or E5. Out of our 2,000 customers, for 99.9% of our customers, the Entra ID license that they are getting through the part of that would be sufficient. There are some more advanced ones that give you a bit more functionality, but we probably have not had a customer for that. We do not even internally use that ourselves. When you buy the Entra ID license on its own, it is probably three or four pounds. You just get it included in the license."

"I would advise implementing the solution to VIPs and admins; it's affordable, effective, and efficient. I would say training staff on properly using the tool is also essential."

"Make sure that you get the most out of your Office 365 licenses for Azure AD. If you have additional concerns for users who don't have an Office 365 license, consider Azure AD Premium P1 and P2. Be aware that you have to evaluate your license usage beforehand."

"Microsoft Entra ID's pricing is reasonable."

"Most features of Entra ID are part of Microsoft's ecosystem and included in Microsoft 365 bundles, which means there are no additional costs associated with pricing and licensing."

"Entra has P1 and P2 licenses that are bundled with lots of applications."

"I do not have experience with pricing."

More Microsoft Entra ID pricing and cost advice

"There is an annual licensing fee."

"Thales is more expensive than its competitors."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

29%

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

12%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

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What do you like most about Azure Active Directory?

It is very simple. The Active Directory functions are very easy for us. Its integration with anything is very easy. We can easily do third-party multifactor authentication.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Active Directory?

Regarding pricing, for the services we receive, it seems within the market range and about average.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Thales Authenticators?

Currently, the solution fulfills our requirements. We are very satisfied with its features, and do not have any specific ideas for improvement right now. Perhaps, in the future, three-factor authen...

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What is your primary use case for Thales Authenticators?

Our employees, whether working on-site or remotely, use Thales Authenticators for two-factor authentication to log in to their laptops or PCs. This is our primary use case.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Thales Authenticators?

From our past years of experience, the solution is very smooth, and we have had a good experience with it. We would definitely recommend Thales to others for its reliability and features. I'd rate ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Google Cloud Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 11% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 10% of the time

Okta Workforce Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 8% of the time

Auth0 vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 6% of the time

Amazon Cognito vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 5% of the time

More Microsoft Entra ID Competitors

Yubico YubiKey vs Thales Authenticators

Compared 30% of the time

Cisco Duo vs Thales Authenticators

Compared 11% of the time

Utimaco SecurityServer vs Thales Authenticators

Compared 11% of the time

RSA SecurID vs Thales Authenticators

Compared 10% of the time

Atalla Hardware Security Module vs Thales Authenticators

Compared 7% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID

April 2025

Download Microsoft Entra ID product report

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

May 2025

Download Thales Authenticators product report

Also Known As

Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator

Gemalto Ezio, Ezio, Gemalto Authenticators, SafeNet Authentication Manager

Interactive Demo

Microsoft

Demo not available

Thales Cloud Security

Overview

Microsoft Entra ID is used for extending on-premises Active Directory to the cloud, managing application access, enabling multi-factor authentication, and single sign-on. It facilitates policy enforcement and secure access, ensuring centralized identity management across cloud and on-premises resources.

Organizations utilize Microsoft Entra ID for robust user and group management, identity synchronization, and conditional access. Its seamless integration with third-party apps, scalability, and support for remote work make it a preferred choice. The admin center streamlines identity and access tasks, enhancing efficiency and security with features like privileged identity management and audit logs.

What are the key features of Microsoft Entra ID?

Single Sign-On: Simplifies user access to multiple applications with one login.
Multifactor Authentication: Enhances security by requiring additional verification.
Conditional Access: Establishes policies that determine how users' access cloud apps.
Integration: Easily integrates with various third-party applications.
User Identity Protection: Safeguards user identities from threats.
Privileged Identity Management: Manages elevated access to sensitive resources.
Audit Logs: Provides thorough activity logs for oversight and compliance.

What benefits should users look for in Microsoft Entra ID reviews?

Enhanced Security: Offers strong multifactor authentication and identity protection.
Administrative Efficiency: Simplifies identity and access management tasks.
Scalability: Supports growing user bases and remote work environments.
Integration Capabilities: Compatible with numerous third-party applications.
User-Friendly Interface: Makes managing user identities straightforward.

Microsoft Entra ID implementation varies across industries. Tech firms leverage it for secure, scalable access management, while healthcare organizations utilize its identity protection features to safeguard patient data. Educational institutions adopt Entra ID for streamlined user management and policy enforcement, ensuring secure access for students and staff across on-premises and cloud resources.

Microsoft

Offering the broadest range of authentication methods and form factors, Thales allows customers to address numerous use cases, assurance levels, and threat vectors with unified, centrally managed policies—managed from one authentication back end delivered in the cloud or on premise.

Thales Cloud Security

Sample Customers

Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.

Standard Chartered Bank (SCB)

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID vs. Thales Authenticators

April 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Entra ID vs. Thales Authenticators

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