No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Microsoft Entra External ID vs Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.0
Organizations saved time and costs with Microsoft Entra External ID, despite varied productivity impacts and integration learning curves.
Sentiment score
6.6
Microsoft Purview DLP reduces data leakage, compliance risks, and costs, while enhancing security operations and productivity without extra resources.
It has led to cost savings as well as time savings because I can use a single solution for all applications.
Associate Director Automation at Dubai Holding
Companies can leverage it for setting up external identities without needing to develop their own solutions.
Lead Enterprise Architect at DigyCorp
In terms of return on investment, prior to using this product, our company managed our own mail server with all internal authentication happening on premises, resulting in a ROI in the thousands every year.
Network Security Administrator at a retailer with 51-200 employees
We save a lot of time for legal by using Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention when searching data for legal and HR and employee issues.
Staff Systems Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
I have also seen fewer accidental data sharing incidents, improved audit readiness, and increased the efficiency of the security team without needing additional headcount.
Technique at Digitaltrack
In these days of data breaches and data leakages that result in huge regulatory fines, we have not had any data breaches that could result in such fines.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.9
Microsoft Entra External ID support experiences are mixed, with praise for knowledgeable staff but concerns about continuity and accessibility.
Sentiment score
5.9
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention receives mixed reviews, praising documentation but noting slow and inefficient customer support in complex cases.
Companies without a Microsoft license for Entra ID or Azure portal cannot add Azure AD B2C, creating logistical issues for some of my clients who are unable to evaluate the platform.
Consultant at Artifield
The support for business applications, infrastructure support, and Entra has been mostly positive with highly skilled technicians.
Sales Manager - Program Manger at Altitudo srl
The documentation is very thorough, reducing the need for support.
Cloud Security Consultant at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
I rate it a ten because they are very quick to respond and very quick to escalate if needed.
Cloud Architecture Lead at bolder inc
Once we got to the Microsoft engineers, the experience was great.
Director of Cyber Security
In terms of support, it's top-notch and always available to help us with any support issues we raise.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.2
Microsoft Entra External ID offers scalability and flexibility but faces latency issues and lacks some authentication methods.
Sentiment score
7.4
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is praised for its scalability and flexibility across industries, organizations, and complex environments.
This is one of EID's weak points compared to Azure AD B2C, which offers customizable authentication options, including attribute and password combinations.
Consultant at Artifield
End-user workloads experience increased latency in a cloud environment compared to on-premises resources.
Director at iicon ltd
Microsoft Entra External ID is quite scalable, and I would rate its scalability between eight and nine out of ten.
Lead Enterprise Architect at DigyCorp
The policy working and detection technology need enhancements.
Solution Architect at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention scales well with the growing needs of our organization.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention scales effectively.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
5.2
Microsoft Entra External ID is a stable SaaS, rated 8-10/10, with minimal downtime, reliable except for occasional external issues.
Sentiment score
7.8
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is stable and reliable, with minor lag, high stability ratings, and positive user feedback.
I'd rate the stability of the Microsoft Entra External ID as a 10.
Director of Technology at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees
The stability of this solution is very good.
Associate Director Automation at Dubai Holding
I have not encountered any stability issues with Microsoft Entra External ID.
Lead Enterprise Architect at DigyCorp
I would assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention as high.
Co-Owner and Principal Consultant at BriComp Computers
The stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is great.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
I assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention as quite good because I don't think it's ever gone down, unlike other parts of Azure.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Entra External ID needs cost reduction, faster sync, better security, improved SSO, UI, integration, support, and pricing clarity.
Microsoft Purview DLP needs easier policy setup, improved third-party integration, real-time insights, and enhanced scalability features.
This is particularly challenging during enterprise agreement renewals, as it's difficult for customers to review costs leading to lengthy negotiations.
Sales Manager - Program Manger at Altitudo srl
Enhanced customizable login options and the ability to use attribute password logins are critical features that are required for Microsoft Entra External ID to gain dominance in the authentication market.
Consultant at Artifield
I would like to see a more detailed alert system that provides a summary of why alerts are generated, who is generating them, and the reasons behind it.
Cloud Security Consultant at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Business Premium users can get the data loss prevention features of E5, which is fantastic.
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Implementing a degree of severity ranking is essential.
Director of Cyber Security
More guides, more examples, and more compliance frameworks such as NIST or even PCI compliance would be great.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Entra External ID pricing varies, cost-effective for some, expensive for others, challenging cloud transition impacts evaluation.
Microsoft Purview DLP is cost-effective with 365 E5, but add-ons and advanced features can be expensive and complex.
Regarding pricing, the cost seems high for single sign-on, especially for external applications like Oracle.
Associate Director Automation at Dubai Holding
Microsoft's pricing is complex and difficult to fathom due to a range of different licensing options.
Director at iicon ltd
The cost can be a factor for Microsoft Entra External ID, but in general, it offers a scalable and efficient solution compared to deploying individual solutions.
Lead Enterprise Architect at DigyCorp
In terms of pricing, I would say it's unlimited value because it's bundled in our A5 and E5 licensing situation.
Director, IT Infrastructure at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
The pricing for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is generally set; E5 is required, but it comes with all other products, so I would say it is fine.
Security Engineer at baseVISION
Advanced DLP and insider risk features became expensive when we scaled at the enterprise level.
Soc Anaylst at Softcell Technologies Limited
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Entra External ID enhances security and efficiency by simplifying identity management and integration without on-premises infrastructure.
Microsoft Purview DLP excels in integrated data protection, policy controls, and automatic labeling, enhancing security and compliance in regulated sectors.
It is crucial for hybrid environments, especially for integrating existing on-site infrastructures with cloud-based Active Directory, such as in Office 365 implementations.
Director at iicon ltd
EID unifies workforce users with external business partners, which is a very strong feature.
Consultant at Artifield
The detailed monitoring and reporting in Microsoft Entra External ID support compliance efforts effectively.
Manager, Identity & Access Management at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention prevents users from sharing sensitive information outside the organization based on the configurations that we've implemented.
Head of Geographies; Data Protection Officer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Purview has helped improve our organization's ability to discover sensitive data significantly as we use eDiscovery Purview, which is incredibly helpful.
Staff Systems Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
It finds social security numbers in the files when we scan for it, so that we can prevent those from leaving the company.
Managing Director, Chief Information Security Officer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Entra External ID
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
16th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.7
Number of Reviews
17
Ranking in other categories
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (10th), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (5th)
Microsoft Purview Data Loss...
Ranking in Microsoft Security Suite
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Microsoft Security Suite category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra External ID is 1.8%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is 2.8%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Microsoft Security Suite Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention2.8%
Microsoft Entra External ID1.8%
Other95.4%
Microsoft Security Suite
 

Featured Reviews

FS
Consultant at Artifield
Offers strong identity unification but needs better customization
Microsoft Entra External ID can be improved with additional features, specifically customizable flexibility and a customizable user interface for the login dialog. Currently, the login dialog has very limited customization options, which only include font styles, colors, text messages, or brand icons. Last month, Entra ID introduced some customizable features in their login dialog, but this does not apply to Microsoft Entra External ID, indicating a significant gap between the two. In theory, Entra External ID can support many external identity providers where custom login dialogs could be integrated, potentially via SSO feature coordination, although I have not yet confirmed this. Hence, enhanced customizable login options and the ability to use attribute password logins are critical features that are required for Microsoft Entra External ID to gain dominance in the authentication market.
Rohit Jaiswar - PeerSpot reviewer
Soc Anaylst at Softcell Technologies Limited
Integrated controls have reduced insider risk and now protect sensitive data across our workforce
One standout feature about Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is the tight integration with Insider Risk Management and Defender XDR, as it gives much better context during investigations instead of treating DLP as an isolated alerting tool. We also use endpoint DLP heavily to control USB, copy, print, clipboard, and browser upload activity, which has been very effective for remote workforce security. The best features Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention offers include real-time policy enforcement, endpoint DLP, and deep integration with Microsoft 365 plus Defender XDR. We also heavily rely on sensitive information type detection, adaptive policy tips, and insider risk integration to investigate suspicious user behavior with proper context. Another standout feature is the ability to control USB copy, browser uploads, print clipboards, and cloud sharing actions directly from endpoint policies. The integration with Microsoft Defender 365 and Defender XDR helps our team in day-to-day operations because DLP alerts are automatically correlated with endpoint identity, email, and user activity telemetry, which helps the SOC investigate incidents much faster from a single workflow. The sensitive information type detection makes a difference compared to other tools we have used because it is more effective than many legacy DLP tools. It understands context, exact data patterns, document labeling, and Microsoft 365 native content, reducing false positives while improving detection accuracy. Another strong feature of Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is auto-labeling and policy inheritance with Microsoft's Information Protection, which helps maintain protection even after files are shared or moved across workloads. We also value the user coaching or policy tip capability because it educates users in real time instead of only blocking actions, which reduces repeated DLP violations significantly.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Microsoft Security Suite solutions are best for your needs.
902,894 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Outsourcing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise15
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra External ID?
Microsoft is flexible in the pricing for the product, so I cannot say that it is expensive, but definitely they are flexible in the price lists and their ways of doing payments.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra External ID?
Not really at the moment, but perhaps when we go deeper into using Microsoft Entra External ID, we may experience some things we may not prefer. However, up to now, we have not encountered anything...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra External ID?
When I say identity, I mean Microsoft Entra External ID. We have been using Microsoft Entra External ID since the beginning of 2022. I am using it as a client. The purposes for using Microsoft Entr...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
The pricing for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention was manageable for us because we already had Microsoft 365 and Purview-related licensing, but advanced DLP and insider risk features became ex...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention can be improved as the endpoint DLP policy tuning can be complex in large environments, especially when balancing security with user productivity. False posit...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention?
Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention is used for monitoring and preventing sensitive data exfiltration across Exchange Online, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, and endpoints. From a SOC's perspective...
 

Also Known As

Azure Active Directory External Identities
Microsoft Endpoint Data Loss Prevention, MS Endpoint DLP, Microsoft Endpoint DLP
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Microsoft Purview Data Loss Prevention and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
902,894 professionals have used our research since 2012.