Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

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
11th
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
7.1
Number of Reviews
219
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)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of DigiCert PKI Platform is 1.3%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 16.2%, down from 22.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Authentication Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Indra Maulana - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Aaron Liang - PeerSpot reviewer
Has significantly improved secure access to applications and resources in our environment
Microsoft Entra ID has helped by simplifying our management of permissions for APIs. We are not directly exposing credentials, as we use tokens instead. It has made management easier and more secure, especially in a multi-user environment. The implementation of Microsoft Entra ID significantly improved secure access to applications and resources in our environment, primarily through the widespread use of single-sign-on. Managing API permissions became much easier, as application registration often involves calling an API to utilize services without directly exposing credentials, relying instead on token-based authentication. This streamlined approach benefits end-users by simplifying access while remaining transparent to them. Ultimately, my role focuses on ensuring a smooth and user-friendly experience, even if the underlying technology remains unseen by the end-users. Our company strongly emphasizes passwordless authentication, primarily through device-bound passkeys in Microsoft Authenticator. While administrators with high-privileged accounts utilize YubiKeys and passwords for tasks like accessing Microsoft Graph, we are actively transitioning all other users towards passwordless methods such as Windows Hello biometrics. This approach streamlines authentication and enhances security. Though initial deployment in 2022 presented challenges due to hardware limitations and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the technology has significantly improved and provides a simple and effective user experience.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature is the communication based on PKI certificates."
"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 features I find most valuable are conditional access, privilege management, and dynamic groups."
"If a company has hundreds of users that already exist in the cloud, and it now wants to enable those same users to be present in third-party applications that their business uses, like Atlassian or GoToMeeting, the provisioning technology can assist in achieving that."
"The scalability is good now, and I find it to be more stable and faster since scaling up to ESX."
"I would rate Microsoft Entra ID 10 out of 10."
"It has things like conditional access. For example, if someone is accessing sensitive information, then we could force them to do multi-factor authentication. Therefore, we can stop access if it is coming from a location that we did not expect."
"Entra ID's ability to sync with the local Active Directory provides redundancy, allowing authentication via cloud features even if the local Active Directory faces issues. The SSO features with app registrations are also crucial, as we use Azure globally, allowing role and permission assignments directly from Entra."
"Entra ID can be deployed using a hybrid model for organizations with a significant on-premises presence, or in a fully cloud-based setup for those that do not."
"The most valuable components of the solution are provisioning and deprovisioning since both features work...Microsoft Entra Verified ID is a very stable solution."
 

Cons

"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."
"From an automation perspective, PKI is a bit of a debatable topic and can be improved as time demands."
"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."
"I would like to be able to authenticate Wi-Fi users using the Azure ID"
"Its integration with open-source applications can be improved. I know that they are working on open-source authentication methods for integration with open-source applications, but they can make it more open."
"A nice feature that is not currently present, would be if they had some visualization tools."
"A recent incident we dealt with took four months to resolve with a seven-day deadline, which was quite frustrating."
"When you start to deal with legacy applications, provisioning is not as intuitive."
"Microsoft Entra ID could benefit from more fine-tuned rights. It is necessary to prevent granting an application or user broad access rights."
"The transition from on-prem Active Directory to the Azure Cloud was difficult because there aren't group policy objectives."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution won't cost much, as this would be free with the licensing from Microsoft."
"I would rate it seven for the price."
"We pay about $35 per user."
"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."
"This product is sold as part of the enterprise package and our licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."
"Entra's pricing is somewhat higher compared to AWS."
"I don't pay for it. Going by how I feel, I see the prices for any MFA solution going down because the more different alternatives there are, the cheaper things should be. Microsoft Authenticator app would be the preferred application, but there are too many ways to implement MFA. I don't know how much it cost, but the price should go down."
"It's really affordable."
"Microsoft Entra ID service can be quite costly due to its hidden expenses linked to usage."
"The price of Azure Active Directory and Amazon AWS, are almost the same, but most people prefer Amazon AWS because they find it's a little cheaper to some extent and an easier platform to use."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Authentication Systems solutions are best for your needs.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Educational Organization
14%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Educational Organization
33%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about DigiCert PKI Platform?
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 ser...
What needs improvement with DigiCert PKI Platform?
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...
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?
Microsoft Entra ID is reportedly quite expensive for each user regarding security features. The renewal cost is particularly high according to the teams managing purchases.
 

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: March 2025.
845,040 professionals have used our research since 2012.