Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Entra ID Governance comparison

Microsoft Entra ID vs. Microsoft Entra ID Governance

June 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 Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

234

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (1st), Identity Management (IM) (2nd), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (2nd)

Microsoft Entra ID Governance

Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

14th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 27.7%, down from 28.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is 1.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)

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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William Kox

Azure Architect at a comms service provider with 5,001-10,000 employees

Great policies and timelines for streamlined compliance

There are some areas where improvements are necessary. Even though we have almost the full package, there are some bugs. I cannot directly perform some tasks from the portal. First, I have to go to the policy, change it, and then return to the package to add it. I cannot do it directly from the package. Workarounds are needed, so that can be improved. At the moment, that is the only issue we are facing that needs enhancement.

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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

"Multi-factor authentication (MFA) has improved our customers' security posture. Multi-factor authentication has two layers of authentication, which helps in case you input your credentials into a phishing website and then it has access to your credentials. So if they use your credentials, then you have proof on your phone that was sent to the end user."

"It helps with privacy control of identity data. It makes security very easy."

"Conditional Access is a helpful feature because it allows us to provide better security for our users."

"Entra ID's anti-phishing measures have improved our phishing response."

"It is a very straightforward implementation."

"I would assess the stability and reliability of Microsoft Entra ID as very satisfactory, as I am very happy with that. It covers our expectations and meets our requirements."

"We can have an audit and we can easily audit logs."

"The central authentication server is most valuable. GPOs are useful for user and computer policies."

More Microsoft Entra ID pros

"The platform's most valuable feature is the single sign-on service."

"It is compliant with our RVRT and CSV guidelines."

"The most valuable features are multifactor authentication and account creation for the Exchange environment in Office 365."

"The solution is fully scalable, supporting everything from small companies to large enterprises."

"The product's most valuable features are the robust audit trail capabilities."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Entra ID Governance for identity management is multi-factor authentication."

"The solution gives me the capability to automatically move guest accounts from the tenant without any manual intervention."

"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is access reviews."

More Microsoft Entra ID Governance pros

Cons

"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."

"Microsoft has so many different requirements and priorities that sometimes they don't invest all their energy into the products that you have expectations to investigate."

"The onboarding process for new users can be improved. It can be made simpler for people who have never registered to Azure AD previously and need to create an account and enable the MFA. The initial setup can be made simpler for non-IT people. It should be a bit simpler to use. Unless you get certifications, such as AZ-300 and AZ-301, it is not a simple thing to use at the enterprise scale."

"The licensing and support are expensive and have room for improvement."

"The cost of licensing always has room for improvement."

"There is a lot of room for improvement in terms of its integration with the local Active Directory. There are some gaps in terms of the local Active Directory through which Microsoft is syncing our environment from our data center. There should be the availability of custom attributes on Azure Active Directory. In addition, there should be the availability of security groups and distribution groups that are residing on the local Active Directory. Currently, they are not replicated on Azure Active Directory by default."

"Customers should be informed that public review features are not intended for production use."

"I want to be able to identify the audiences effectively and manage them."

More Microsoft Entra ID cons

"Microsoft Entra ID Governance is relatively new, and some features require more development. For example, when creating user access review campaigns, we can't specify the time to send emails to reviewers—only the date."

"Microsoft has done a commendable job with RPAX. However, Microsoft should prioritize enhancing its ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control) capabilities. Currently, Microsoft's ABAC offering falls behind AWS in comparison."

"There are some areas where improvements are necessary. Even though we have almost the full package, there are some bugs."

"Even though we have almost the full package, there are some bugs."

"The solution lacks the feature to work well with third-party applications."

"The product's workflow approval process needs improvement."

"The platform's configuration process needs improvement."

"One area for improvement in Microsoft Entra ID Governance could be providing more granular control over security policies."

More Microsoft Entra ID Governance cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Entra's pricing is somewhat higher compared to AWS."

"Previously, only building and global administrators could purchase subscriptions or licenses. Mid-last year, Microsoft made it so users can purchase the license online. Microsoft business subscription is for 200 to 300 users. If you have more than 300 users, you can't purchase the business plan. You have to purchase the enterprise plan. The enterprise plan is for 301 users and above. Pay as you go is also available. If you pay as you go in Azure, you will be billed for whatever you use."

"The price of the solution's license is good."

"The solution has three types of tiers: E1 has very basic features. You get limited stuff in E2 and cannot have Office 360 associated with it. E3 is on the costly side and has all the features."

"It is good. We have Office 365 E3, and then that is tied in with Azure Active Directory. I believe that we only have to pay for our technician-level access or IT department access for Azure Active Directory Premium, which I am sure they call Entra Premium P2 licensing, so it is not a very large cost. We just adopted that, and that gives us a lot of insights into user security that we would not otherwise have."

"It is costly."

"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."

"Compared to other Microsoft products, the cost is not too expensive. There's a free tier available, though it doesn't include all features. Overall, it's well-priced."

More Microsoft Entra ID pricing and cost advice

"There are no additional costs besides the standard licensing fees."

"While other products give the pricing for their application, Microsoft Entra ID Governance has a per-user-based license model."

"The solution's pricing is not low but reasonable."

"In the education sector where I work, the annual cost for my Google and Microsoft environments is approximately $35,000. This covers the needs of 3,400 students and 800 faculty and staff members."

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856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

21%

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Healthcare Company

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

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.

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

Our experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Entra ID involves leveraging Microsoft 365 E5 licensing, so it's included. Being included in Microsoft licensing makes it mu...

What do you like most about Microsoft Entra ID Governance?

The most valuable feature of Microsoft Entra ID Governance is access reviews.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra ID Governance?

Microsoft Entra ID Governance ( /categories/grc ) is relatively new, and some features require more development. For example, when creating user access review campaigns, we can't specify the time t...

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra ID Governance?

I am using Microsoft Entra ID Governance ( /products/microsoft-entra-id-governance-reviews ) to integrate with our system. We control the joiner, mover, and leaver processes to enable auto provisio...

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Product Reports

Download Microsoft Entra ID product report

Microsoft Entra ID

May 2025

Microsoft Entra ID Governance

May 2025

Download Microsoft Entra ID Governance product report

Also Known As

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

No data available

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

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 Entra ID Governance empowers organizations with advanced identity management, security enforcement, and seamless access management across environments, offering robust multi-factor authentication and audit capabilities.

Microsoft Entra ID Governance provides comprehensive identity and security management through features like single sign-on and privileged identity management. It enhances user management with user behavior analytics, entitlement management, and access reviews while integrating on-premises solutions with cloud services like Office 365. By ensuring secure access and resource protection within Azure, organizations manage access, automate user access rules, and govern external identities effectively.

What features make Microsoft Entra ID Governance stand out?

Audit Trail Capabilities: Thorough tracking for security compliance.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhanced protection across platforms.
Single Sign-On: Efficient management across different systems.
Privileged Identity Management: Control just-in-time access with analytics.
Entitlement Management: Automate guest account management.

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

Enhanced Security: Strong authentication and auditing for secure environments.
Efficient User Management: Streamlined access processes through SSO.
Unified Identity Solutions: Integration with cloud and on-premises platforms.
Automated Access Rules: Reduced manual oversight with automation.

Financial services utilize Microsoft Entra ID Governance to protect sensitive data while automating user access rules and managing compliance. In education, it facilitates user account management and access provisioning for students and faculty, ensuring secure collaboration through Exchange and Teams.

Sample Customers

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

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