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AWS Directory Service vs SailPoint Identity Security Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

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

AWS Directory Service
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
18th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
SailPoint Identity Security...
Ranking in Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
User Provisioning Software (2nd), Identity Management (IM) (1st), SaaS Management Platforms (1st), Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of AWS Directory Service is 1.6%, down from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SailPoint Identity Security Cloud is 13.0%, up from 10.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SailPoint Identity Security Cloud13.0%
AWS Directory Service1.6%
Other85.4%
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS)
 

Featured Reviews

Basa Saiteja - PeerSpot reviewer
A valuable access management system with a user-friendly and straightforward setup
The solution is scalable, and we can scale according to our needs. I rate the scalability a nine out of ten. In our organization, our access to our AWS comes from IAM. We use AWS consoles using our credentials and don't have route access, so each person will log in through our IAM programmatic access, and everyone on our team can work on cloud. Over 10,000 people in our organization utilize the solution.
Mitch MO - PeerSpot reviewer
Adapts workflows with industry-specific flexibility for big companies
We find flexibility to be one of the most valuable features. The solution can be customized to adapt the workflow to our industry, offering considerable flexibility. Additionally, it is considered a good solution for large companies due to its scalability and ability to cater to the needs of many customers. It has also enhanced security and provided significant flexibility for our specifications module.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We like the fact that it's got such great redundancy."
"AWS Directory Service is secure."
"We can provide specific access to people based on what they need from our accounts."
"Provides good performance and availability."
"The most valuable feature is ease of use."
"I like the manageability. Activate Connect makes it easier to assign information and to manage the resources in the network."
"AWS handles everything on the backend requiring minimal legwork from our team. We only require a dedicated database administrator while depending on Amazon for RDS."
"The support is very good. I would rate the technical support as a nine out of ten."
"The initial setup isn't so difficult."
"The solution is pretty stable and simple to use."
"Provisioning in multiple environments."
"I find the built-in connectors, lifecycle management, certification, and recertification features to be the most valuable."
"The solution can be customized to adapt the workflow to our industry, offering considerable flexibility."
"It is a stable tool, which we run in our complex environment."
"Deployment takes a bit of time, however, once it's done properly, everything becomes very organized and easy to use."
"The tool is quite stable and user-friendly."
 

Cons

"Can be improved by including on-premises access for services through Identity Access Management."
"The AWS Directory Service should be easier to integrate."
"Currently, there is no option to integrate our on-premises Cisco AWS Directory Service, requiring some manual configuration."
"We had a problem with the schema uploading and setting up the directory when we are migrating our users from on-premises to cloud infrastructure."
"I would like to grant partial access to a table contained in a database without having to provide full access to the whole database."
"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."
"The solution lacks certain features."
"I would like to see better integration with other business solutions."
"It tends to be more expensive, but at the end of the day, it works."
"There are more functionalities in the Cloud that could be explored."
"There's a lot of customization required to improve the user experience."
"In the past, we had a lot of problems with SailPoint IdentityIQ, particularly in providing access and provisioning. There were some gaps in the operation of the solution because they were manual rather than automated, and the users and administrators were given access directly via Active Directory, and it wasn't appropriate for us at the time to use. In terms of integration, we could provide a more automated solution after a minimum number of years, but not in the SailPoint IdentityIQ platform, but there were problems in the registration, for example, with putting information inside ADP, but in general, we were able to solve those problems, and after implementing SailPoint IdentityIQ we had increased evaluations."
"The price of IdentityIQ could be lower. There are additional costs when you buy the licenses, and they force the customers to pay for them."
"The cost can be prohibitive for middle-tier companies."
"The solution, in general, is quite expensive."
"The workflow and user interface of SailPoint are not as smooth as ServiceNow's."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is reasonable."
"We pay an annual subscription fee."
"AWS' pricing is fair, and costs can be cut if you look carefully at when you're using it."
"The pricing depends because with AWS there are two types of directory objects: 30,000 and 500,000. It varies. AWS provides the pricing calculators so we can get an estimate from there as per the company requirement of how many users and objects that we need to create. So we can go to that portal, put in the data, and get the quotation. There are no extra licensing fees. It's all included."
"It is a costly solution. Its cost, for sure, should be reduced."
"SailPoint IdentityIQ is highly-priced, and I rate it an eight out of ten for pricing."
"SailPoint IdentityIQ is too expensive for small and medium companies. It is an expensive product."
"In terms of pricing, SailPoint IdentityIQ is affordable. It's not cheap, and it's not expensive, so the solution is in the middle, price-wise. It also didn't have additional costs, even if my company had different teams that took care of auditing and provisioning and projects that used SailPoint IdentityIQ."
"The licensing fees are on a yearly basis."
"I rate the solution a seven on a scale where one is cheap and ten is too expensive. In short, the solution falls under the higher side of pricing."
"You are able to get discounts if you plan to use the tool for the long-term i.e. discounts for 5+ years of usage."
"Usually, the cost of deploying about 5,000 licenses or 5,000 users, would be the equivalent to the cost of the license, which would be reaching up to around $90,000."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Performing Arts
11%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business6
Midsize Enterprise3
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise40
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Directory Service?
The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost. You do not need to hire any system administrator to manage your Active Directory.
What needs improvement with AWS Directory Service?
Accessing the data needs improvement. Additionally, integration and compatibility with other AWS ( /products/amazon-aws-reviews ) services, network open LDAP, support for on-premise and cloud envir...
What advice do you have for others considering AWS Directory Service?
I would rate AWS Directory Service nine out of ten. Users need to be aware of how the system works locally to adapt easily to the integration and setup.
How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to manage risks in cloud enterprise environments. It automates and streamlines the m...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SailPoint IdentityIQ?
The product is expensive. People need to opt for a licensing plan for one year or three years.
What advice do you have for others considering SailPoint IdentityIQ?
You can use SailPoint Atlas to take identity security to the next level. In SailPoint IIQ, writing a custom connector using the open source framework is a good option.
 

Also Known As

AWS Managed Microsoft AD
IdentityIQ, IdentityNow, Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management, Intello
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Adobe, AXA Technology Services, Cuna Mutual Group, Equifax, ING Direct, Orrstown Bank, Rockwell Automation, SallieMae, Spirit Aerosystems, TEL
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Directory Service vs. SailPoint Identity Security Cloud and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,688 professionals have used our research since 2012.