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DigiCert PKI Platform vs Microsoft Entra ID comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 11, 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

DigiCert PKI Platform
Ranking in Authentication Systems
24th
Average Rating
9.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Entra ID
Ranking in Authentication Systems
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
266
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Identity Management (IM) (2nd), Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of DigiCert PKI Platform is 1.6%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 8.2%, down from 16.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Microsoft Entra ID8.2%
DigiCert PKI Platform1.6%
Other90.2%
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Indra Maulana - PeerSpot reviewer
Business Solution and Development Manager at PT ADPS
Tailored to the lifecycle management needs of banks
The customer finds value in adopting a platform from Jira, particularly for the ease it brings to their processes, both for on-premises operations and batch processing. Their objective is to create a new customized server specifically designed for generating certificates. This server is intended for the generation of certificates, emphasizing that it is not meant for free domain replacement. The platform of choice for this purpose is Digital One, a product that offers full customization and aligns well with the customer's preference for tailored solutions. The process of certificate issuance from Microsoft's AB involves renewal or replacement every five years. However, an issue arises in that this particular certificate requires renewal annually instead of the standard five-year cycle. The challenge is attributed to personnel changes, where an administrator responsible for the process resigns within the five-year period. To address this, we seek an automated solution that operates seamlessly with a single sign-on approach, eliminating the need for user IDs or passwords. The automation involves approval and subsequent deployment without complexities. Being a partner of DigiSet, we rely on the implementer for support in service deployment, installation, and resolution of any issues that may arise.
JP
Senior Information Security Engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Implementing seamless integration boosts secure access and supports Zero Trust
What I appreciate the most about Microsoft Entra ID is that it integrates seamlessly with all the Defender products and is easy to use. Microsoft Entra ID's integration capabilities influence our Zero Trust model by allowing us to enforce our Zero Trust model. Conditional access policies allow us to leverage Microsoft Entra ID to verify that devices signing in to our cloud services are coming from registered devices, and that people are passing all the other requirements we have in order to complete sign-on or conditional access policies. Since implementing Microsoft Entra ID, I've observed changes in the frequency and nature of identity-related security incidents. The organization already had it implemented when I arrived, and I've been working to enhance it. Better configuration of Microsoft Entra ID has allowed us to better protect our organization from threats. Having it alone isn't a solution, but ensuring proper configuration goes a long way in preventing future compromises. My company's approach to defending against token theft and nation-state attacks has evolved since implementing Microsoft Entra ID. We haven't experienced any known compromises from nation-state attacks, and implementing newer features gives me more confidence in our protection. Regarding device-bound passkeys in Microsoft Authenticator and our approach to phishing-resistant authentication, we are currently implementing Microsoft Entra ID certificate-based authentication. Adding a strong form of MFA is important as we found it to be the most cost-effective way. While other solutions might be equally or more secure, they are significantly more expensive. Having worked as an IT consultant mainly with the Microsoft stack across various industries, I have experience with different identity management solutions. Microsoft Entra ID remains the best option. The major advantages when comparing it to Okta include integration with Defender products, Defender for Identities' integration with conditional access policies, and insider threat management integration for blocking sign-ins based on risk factors. The enhancement of Microsoft Entra ID's implementation is relatively straightforward. My main concern is the occasional lack of documentation and the frequency of changes, which can make feature location challenging.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I emphasize the importance of automation in Wi-Fi management, particularly in tasks such as certificate renewal. The requirement extends to the ability to generate new certificates from a local server within the data center. There is a need to establish a new server for local certificate issuance and highlights the desire for automation in the deployment process. The emphasis lies in leveraging automated solutions to streamline these operations effectively."
"The most valuable feature is the communication based on PKI certificates."
"We use BitLocker for policy enforcement. And now, because of the Microsoft 365 Business Premium package, we get Intune as a part of it. That's very useful for us for setting policies and managing the systems. The biggest strength of Azure AD is Intune."
"The user functionality enables us to provide different levels of access, across many applications, for each user. We can customize the access level and set a security level in connection with that access. For instance, we can require MFA. That is a feature that helps enhance our security posture a lot."
"I really love the Conditional Access feature of Microsoft Entra ID because it provides the security controls that we have sorely needed."
"In a lot of situations, it is easy and free or almost free to use Microsoft Entra MFA."
"Privileged Identity Management and Privileged Identity Management make controlling access considerably easier and ensure that authorized access is achieved."
"Azure Active Directory has been very useful for our company, it is not difficult to use."
"I primarily use this solution for hybrid deployment, security, securing resources and for integration purposes. In terms of security, we have been using the B2B/B2C hybrid integration with the certificate authentication."
"The performance is good."
 

Cons

"From an automation perspective, PKI is a bit of a debatable topic and can be improved as time demands."
"The customer finds value in adopting a platform from Jira, particularly for the ease it brings to their processes, both for on-premises operations and batch processing. Their objective is to create a new customized server specifically designed for generating certificates. This server is intended for the generation of certificates, emphasizing that it is not meant for free domain replacement. The platform of choice for this purpose is Digital One, a product that offers full customization and aligns well with the customer's preference for tailored solutions.The process of certificate issuance from Microsoft's AB involves renewal or replacement every five years. However, an issue arises in that this particular certificate requires renewal annually instead of the standard five-year cycle. The challenge is attributed to personnel changes, where an administrator responsible for the process resigns within the five-year period. To address this, we seeks an automated solution that operates seamlessly with a single sign-on approach, eliminating the need for user IDs or passwords. The automation involves approval and subsequent deployment without complexities. Us, being a partner of DigiSet, relies on their implementer for support in service deployment, installation, and resolution of any issues that may arise."
"I think the documentation and configuration are both areas that need improvement."
"Sometimes I sense complications when moving from one tenant to another, which is simply because different enterprises have different security guidelines."
"In a hybrid deployment, when we update a license by changing the UPN or email address of a user, it does not get updated automatically during normal sync. This means that we have to update it manually from Azure, which is something that needs to be corrected."
"A couple of years ago, I experienced some difficulty in implementing the solutions, the services of Azure AD. In one instance, I was not able to configure Azure AD for a registration. This was two or three years ago. However, currently, the documentation is very clear and there are no loopholes or anything that could hinder even a simple IT administrator to implement these services."
"The cost of licensing always has room for improvement."
"My problem with Azure AD is that it's designed for medium to large systems, and we're not that large."
"We have experienced some downtime because of the use of the data centers."
"Microsoft's pricing and licensing are difficult to understand. We engage with Microsoft partners regularly, but Microsoft's frequent rebranding complicates the process for us in the industry."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate it seven for the price."
"This solution won't cost much, as this would be free with the licensing from Microsoft."
"Microsoft Azure AD has P1 or P2 licensing options, and it depends on the customer's needs. To use Conditional Access, you need to have the P1 license, and to use the PIN features, you need the P2 license."
"It's relatively inexpensive in comparison with third-party solutions. It's highly available and supported by Microsoft Azure in our enterprise agreements. With the addition of their B2C tenants, it's hard to beat from a cost perspective now."
"The pricing depends on the use case and can be negotiated based on volume."
"As a nonprofit, we have A5 licenses for nonprofits in education, so we at least have some reduced costs."
"The price of the solution was reasonable."
"The licensing is really not clear unless you are a premium client."
"We are a non-profit organization, so we get good prices from Microsoft for their products. It is working well, but it could be cheaper. For the type of organization we are, it would be good if they could give a little bit more and be more generous like Google, which has completely free services. Microsoft has free versions or web services called Office 365 E1, which is free for use, but we want to have it with more qualified clients."
"If you have a different IDP today, I would take a close look at what your licensing looks like, then reevaluate the licensing that you have with Microsoft 365, and see if you're covered for some of this other stuff. Folks sometimes don't realize that, "Oh, I'm licensed for that service in Azure." This becomes one of those situations where you have the "aha" moment, "Oh, I didn't know we can do that. Alright, let's go down this road." Then, they start to have conversations with Microsoft to see what they can gain. I would recommend that they work closely with their TAM, just to make sure that they are getting the right level of service. They may just not be aware of what is available to them."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business85
Midsize Enterprise38
Large Enterprise155
 

Questions from the Community

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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?
My experience with the pricing, setup costs, and licensing of Microsoft Entra ID is that it is decent.
 

Also Known As

DigiCert PKI, Symantec Managed PKI Service
Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator
 

Interactive Demo

Demo not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

paypal, verizon, cloudflare
Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.
Find out what your peers are saying about DigiCert PKI Platform vs. Microsoft Entra ID and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
880,745 professionals have used our research since 2012.