ForgeRock vs Microsoft Identity Manager comparison

Ping Identity and Microsoft are both solutions in the Identity Management (IM) category. Ping Identity is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.5, while Microsoft is ranked #7 with an average rating of 7.8. Ping Identity holds a 4.5% mindshare in IAM, compared to Microsoft’s 4.3% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Ping Identity users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 75% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

ForgeRock and Microsoft Identity Manager are competing in the identity and access management market. Based on data comparisons, ForgeRock has the upper hand in pricing and support, while Microsoft Identity Manager is favored for its comprehensive feature set.

Features: ForgeRock offers adaptive authentication, identity orchestration, and IoT security features, appealing to those prioritizing flexibility and scalability. Microsoft Identity Manager excels with seamless Windows environment integration and strong synchronization services, ideal for enterprises invested in Microsoft ecosystems.

Room for Improvement: ForgeRock could improve in simplifying deployment and management of their tools. Additionally, better user interface enhancements and reducing complexity in customization are areas for growth. For Microsoft Identity Manager, expanding integration flexibility beyond Microsoft products, reducing licensing complexity, and enhancing non-Windows platform support are areas needing attention.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: ForgeRock provides a flexible deployment model supporting various platforms, with strong customer service noted for broader support. Microsoft Identity Manager emphasizes integration with existing Windows infrastructure, offering easier deployment for Microsoft users but limited flexibility outside this environment. Customer service for both is strong, each noted for different strengths.

Pricing and ROI: ForgeRock typically presents a lower initial setup cost and offers significant ROI for complex identity management needs due to its customization capabilities. Microsoft Identity Manager may have higher upfront costs but delivers substantial ROI through deep integration with existing Microsoft products, beneficial for those already using Microsoft technology. Differences primarily deal with ForgeRock’s cost-effectiveness versus Microsoft Identity Manager’s deep product integration benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed ForgeRock vs. Microsoft Identity Manager Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

ForgeRock vs. Microsoft Identity Manager

March 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

Omada Identity

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Identity Management (IM) category, the mindshare of Omada Identity is 3.2%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ForgeRock is 4.5%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Identity Manager is 4.3%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity Management (IM)

Featured Reviews

Pernilla Hulth

IAM Project Manager (Independent) at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

The interface is easy to use and gives you a solid overview

The cloud-based deployment was straightforward, but the on-prem deployment was in a highly complex ecosystem. Omada has matured since then. I wouldn't say that it isn't straightforward, but it depends on the customer. A standard deployment is relatively easy, but it can be more painful if you need a lot of customization. We deployed the cloud solution in around four months, nearly meeting the 12-week benchmark. The on-prem deployment took three years. It was a highly complex ecosystem that was dependent on other systems. Depending on the size of your environment, you need a product owner and some specialists for maintenance. My last customer was a university with a complex environment. They had around 12 people involved in maintenance at that organization. Typically, it's between 2-5 people.

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Trisha Bhola

Senior Associate at Cognizant

It's easier to customize and maintain our code

I worked on two different projects based on ForgeRock, and both are automated deployments. One is a UI-based deployment. It's an automated process using some scripts. The deployments are done through Octopus, so it's also automated. We first deploy the essential components of AM and then implement additional configurations like Amster Imports. After that, we import all the SAML Federation data and add some certificates. We have two teams of five and three team members working on the different deployment processes. One is working on the dev side, another is looking at the higher environment, and one is managing the data. In another project, I'm the only developer. We also deploy on the dev environments so that anyone can test new features, configurations, and client requirements. They can test it on the dev environment, but a team of four people manages higher environments. The Access Management component involves the most customization, which takes around 15 to 20 minutes because of the need to import the Amster configuration. If another deployment is simultaneously happening, it may be a little slower and take around 30 minutes. The other components, like the user data stores, take about five to seven minutes. It's another five to 10 minutes for Identity Management. After deployment, the maintenance is mostly checking for security vulnerabilities. If ForgeRock shares security vulnerabilities or advisories, we check to see if there is something inside we need to maintain. Other than that, we just install updates when they add features each month.

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Victor-Akidiva

Security Architect at ModusBox

End-to-end user visibility with impactful policy management

My primary use case is to manage identities and enforce policies and workflows to manage user profiles and provision them securely, as well as streamline that process The features of Microsoft Identity Manager that have been most impactful in improving security and compliance include the granular…

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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

"For me, the best feature of Omada Identity is its web interface because it's really easy for users to understand."

"Omada's most valuable aspect is its usability."

"The benefits of Omada Identity include a holistic way of viewing access, the ability to give people access, and automation."

"Our customers have benefited from Omada Identity automating the certification process. Most of our customers were using manual methods for user access certification. With Omada Identity, you can automate almost all of it, which means that certification now becomes on demand. You don't have to wait for two or three months to execute a certification timeframe. Instead, you can do certifications as often as you want."

"The Governance and self-service that can be set up so you can use them yourself to work in the system are the most valuable features. End users can be enabled to help themselves."

"It scales in terms of numbers and types of identities. It can govern the on-premise applications as well as the cloud applications. So, it can manage hybrid environments with all types of identities and various load amounts."

"As an administrator, we benefit from a lot of functionality that is available out of the box, but it is also configurable to meet our specific needs."

"It has a lot of out-of-the-box features. It is flexible, and there are a lot of possibilities to configure and extend it. It is user-friendly. It has an interface that is end-user or business-user friendly."

More Omada Identity pros

"Easy to customize and adaptable to any environment."

"ForgeRock products are customizable, and the out-of-the-box features are solid, too. I primarily use the OIDC compliance features. It's just a configuration. it's easy to set up and customize trees. We can add our own features if necessary. Banks and corporations have different standards and specific validations."

"The product is easy to set up."

"We have found the identity and access management tools in the solution to be particularly useful for our organization."

"Even though we have very small business interests with them today, they see that we plan on growing drastically over the next two years. Therefore, we have excellent support and we are now at a point where we are not calling tech support. We pick up a phone and call the Account Manager and they'll get everything resolved for us. We don't have to queue along with everybody else and go through a long process."

"In terms of the tool's operational efficiency, ForgeRock Access Management is used in a lot of environments, different regions, and in different stages of production environments."

"Installation and configuration are pretty easy for ForgeRock OpenIDM."

"The most valuable features of ForgeRock are social login and data protection."

More ForgeRock pros

"Its interface and the fact that it's integrated with everything in the Microsoft ecosystem are the most valuable features."

"The integration with other Microsoft ecosystems, such as Graph API, is really cool."

"What makes this solution attractive is the licensing model. Microsoft Identity Manager is included in premium versions of Azure AD and in enterprise agreements such as E3. This makes the solution very attractive to many of our clients who are subscribed to those products."

"The tool's only feature that is generating value for us is the login process for our clients."

"The features of Microsoft Identity Manager that have been most impactful in improving security and compliance include the granular policies, report, and the ability to gain end-to-end visibility for each user."

"MIM's most valuable feature is its connectivity with Exchange."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the fact that I can use it to track who is sending which email, who is accessing which documents or which files, etc. These tools help me improve security within the enterprise environment."

"I appreciate how Microsoft keeps adding new features to Microsoft Identity Manager."

More Microsoft Identity Manager pros

Cons

"The user interface should have a more flexible design, where you can change it to your requirement."

"Omada Identity's user interface needs improvement, especially for new users."

"When making a process, you should be able to use some coding to do some advanced calculations. The calculations you can currently do are too basic. I would also like some additional script features."

"The solution should be made more agile for customers to own or configure."

"We are trying to use Omada's standards and to adapt our processes. But we have had some trouble with the bad documentation. This is something that they could improve on. It has not been possible for us to analyze some of the problems so far, based on the documentation. We always need consultants. The documentation should include some implementation hints and some guidelines for implementing the processes."

"The reporting on the warehouse data and the import process both have room for improvement."

"The UI design needs improvement. One or two years ago, Omada changed its user interface to simplify, but the simplification has not really kicked in."

"The biggest issue, which is the reason why we are transitioning from their product to SailPoint, is the overall user experience."

More Omada Identity cons

"We're worried about the scaling. We're told it will be okay and there won't be issues, however, I'm not 100% convinced."

"I don't think ForgeRock directly supports integrations with Slack, making it an area where improvements are required."

"ForgeRock is an open source solution and is available to everyone but it is not freeware. If you need support, you need a subscription for ForgeRock. Many of its functionalities need to be built up with the help of a consultant."

"The identity management model needs a bit of improvement."

"They should improve the solution by include reporting."

"I find that it's quite expensive for just an open-source system. Support is quite expensive."

"It should have a better user interface. Its flexibility should also be improved. It is not about simplifying; it is more about flexibility. Each company has its own requirements, and ForgeRock can provide more flexibility in terms of the use of existing modules to implement features for the customers."

"In an upcoming release, the solution could improve by limiting the need to do customizations."

More ForgeRock cons

"Instead of using the connectors from the third-party companies, they should make the Microsoft templates available with this product. If Microsoft would increase the number of the box connectors that would be helpful to all the customers who use it daily."

"It requires a lot of improvements. Microsoft is killing this product and migrating some of the features to Azure AD. The last version of this solution was 2016. If it is going to stay and integrate with Azure AD, its integration needs to be worked on in terms of connectors, etc. It doesn't seem that they are improving it alone. Microsoft wants to integrate it with Azure AD, but the integration is still not complete."

"The information that is available for the Active Directory portal is segregated here and there."

"Microsoft Identity Manager could be more intuitive in terms of interface."

"The setup was difficult. The deployment process is not quick."

"The prices can always be improved, and the integration with the software from other vendors could use an improvement, especially if you are using something like Oracle for a database, SAP for ERP, or something like that."

"Integration with third parties and enhanced policy management could be improved."

"It would be good if Microsoft Identity Manager Maybe could be integrated with Azure Active Directory directly and made as a cloud platform."

More Microsoft Identity Manager cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Being Dutch, I can only say that it is extremely expensive, but all software products are expensive. If you have 38,000 users, then even one dollar or one euro per person would amount to a significant amount of money. Because of the high number of users, anything gets expensive very fast here."

"Omada isn't cheap or expensive. The licensing model is flexible. I've only had limited interactions with the Omada sales team, but they were positive. They don't sell the customers more licenses than they need. It's important to accurately forecast future usage. For example, we have many licenses that we don't use because we don't have the identities yet. We pay extra, which isn't good."

"From an on-prem point of view, the cost is quite transparent and reasonable. The direct cost is primarily for licenses and maintenance on licenses."

"My client deals directly with the Omada Identity team in terms of licensing. I never look at pricing, so I'm not aware of how much the solution costs, but it's worth the money. Often, when you begin to use Omada Identity and it takes a while to set up, it'll be irreversible, and you'd depend on and focus more on the functionality of the solution, rather than its price tag."

"The initial total cost of ownership to implement Omada Identity is not small. The TCO for the implementation is as high as any other solution. However, the cost of maintaining the solution is at par or lower than competitors, including adding more features or maintaining the system after the initial deployment or installation to make sure that they are available for users to use or extending the functionalities of those activities. Those maintenance costs are lower than other vendors, but the initial cost of getting the system installed is still high."

"While Omada Identity carries a premium price tag, it proves to be cost-effective."

"The pricing for Omada Identity is fair."

"The pricing is too high for SMBs."

More Omada Identity pricing and cost advice

"Its price is comparable to other products in the market."

"Its licensing is on a yearly basis, but it also depends on the contract that you have with the vendor. They have multiple types of contracts. There are additional costs to the standard licensing fees. If you need some of the features, you have to pay more."

"We have multiple clients we are looking at right now. We are at a very small number, however, the idea and the goal is to grow. We are looking at about $100,000 and $50,000 a minimum a month cost. That'd be minimum maybe in a couple of years."

"The license is purchased annually per user. However, you can negotiate if you are signing for a longer period of time. When comparing this solution to others on the market it is priced fair, it is not at the top of the price range or at the bottom end."

"It's a bit pricey and could be more competitive."

"ForgeRock's pricing is more competitive than other products."

"The pricing of the solution is fair but I do not have the full details."

"ForgeRock is an expensive solution."

"It is an expensive tool."

"The tool's price is low for my company."

"The solution is expensive."

"My rating for the pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is average, neither too expensive nor too cheap."

"The solution is included in the Microsoft E3 license and premium subscriptions of Azure AD."

"The prices can always be improved. I'd rate it a 4 out of 10 in terms of pricing."

"MIM is free with a Microsoft Azure license."

"Microsoft Identity Manager comes with the premium or community license. If the customer doesn't have a premium license, the reseller who sells the licenses of Microsoft to the enterprise can extend the license for the client."

More Microsoft Identity Manager pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

16%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

24%

Computer Software Company

12%

Insurance Company

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Omada Identity Cloud?

As an administrator, we benefit from a lot of functionality that is available out of the box, but it is also configur...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Omada Identity Cloud?

They are positioned at a good price point. They are lower than some of their competitors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Omada Identity Cloud?

The biggest issue, which is the reason why we are transitioning from their product to SailPoint, is the overall user ...

See all answers

What do you like most about ForgeRock?

The most valuable features of ForgeRock are social login and data protection.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ForgeRock?

Our company was considering switching back to Keycloak from ForgeRock, so as to not pay any license fees. ForgeRock a...

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What needs improvement with ForgeRock?

In the past, I saw that Splunk was integrated with a testing portal, and then it was integrated with Slack. I don't t...

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What do you like most about Microsoft Identity Manager?

The product’s simplicity and integration are valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Identity Manager?

The pricing of Microsoft Identity Manager is expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Identity Manager?

Integration with third parties and enhanced policy management could be improved. The current policy management featur...

See all answers

Comparisons

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Omada Identity

Compared 31% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Omada Identity

Compared 21% of the time

Saviynt vs Omada Identity

Compared 18% of the time

One Identity Manager vs Omada Identity

Compared 7% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Omada Identity

Compared 3% of the time

More Omada Identity Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs ForgeRock

Compared 18% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs ForgeRock

Compared 14% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs ForgeRock

Compared 9% of the time

Symantec Siteminder vs ForgeRock

Compared 8% of the time

Auth0 vs ForgeRock

Compared 8% of the time

More ForgeRock Competitors

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 37% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 21% of the time

Saviynt vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 10% of the time

One Identity Manager vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 9% of the time

NetIQ Identity Manager vs Microsoft Identity Manager

Compared 3% of the time

More Microsoft Identity Manager Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Omada Identity

March 2025

Download Omada Identity product report

Buyer's Guide

ForgeRock

March 2025

Download ForgeRock product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Identity Manager

March 2025

Download Microsoft Identity Manager product report

Also Known As

Omada Identity Suite, Omada Identity Cloud

ForgeRock Identity Platform, ForgeRock OpenIDM

MIM, Forefront Identity Manager, FIM, MS Identity Manager

Overview

Omada Identity is an identity governance and administration (IGA) solution designed to help organizations manage and secure digital identities and access across their IT environments. It focuses on enhancing security, compliance, and efficiency by automating identity management processes.

Omada Identity offers a robust set of features that streamline identity lifecycle management, access governance, and compliance reporting. It integrates with a wide range of IT systems, applications, and data sources, providing a centralized platform for managing user identities and access rights. The solution enables organizations to enforce security policies, ensure regulatory compliance, and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

What are the critical features of Omada Identity?

Identity Lifecycle Management: Automates the process of creating, updating, and deactivating user identities throughout their lifecycle.
Access Governance: Ensures that users have appropriate access rights, enabling continuous monitoring and recertification of access.
Compliance Reporting: Provides comprehensive reporting capabilities to demonstrate compliance with regulatory requirements.
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Simplifies the assignment and management of access rights based on user roles within the organization.
Self-Service Access Requests: Empowers users to request access to resources through a user-friendly portal, reducing administrative burden.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with various systems, applications, and data sources for unified identity and access management.

What benefits or ROI items should users look for in the reviews when evaluating Omada Identity?

Improved Security: By ensuring that only authorized users have access to sensitive information, Omada Identity enhances overall security posture.
Regulatory Compliance: Helps organizations meet compliance requirements by providing detailed audit trails and reporting features.
Operational Efficiency: Automates routine identity management tasks, reducing manual effort and freeing up IT resources for strategic initiatives.
User Productivity: Streamlines access management processes, enabling users to quickly obtain the resources they need to perform their jobs.
Reduced Risk: Minimizes the risk of data breaches and insider threats by enforcing strict access controls and continuous monitoring.

Omada Identity is widely adopted across various industries, including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. In healthcare, it helps protect patient data and comply with regulations like HIPAA. In finance, it ensures compliance with SOX and other financial regulations. In manufacturing, it secures access to sensitive production data and intellectual property.

Pricing and licensing for Omada Identity are typically based on the number of users and the specific features required. Customer support is available through various channels, including online resources, support tickets, and professional services for implementation and customization.

In summary, Omada Identity is a comprehensive IGA solution that enhances security, compliance, and efficiency in managing digital identities and access.

Omada

ForgeRock is a comprehensive open-source identity and access management solution designed to meet the unique needs of your users and workforce. With ForgeRock you can orchestrate, manage, and secure the complete lifecycle of identities in any cloud or hybrid environment. ForgeRock allows you to set up bot detection, identity proofing, and risk-based authentication.

With ForgeRock, you can define access policies and automate the management of the identity lifecycle all from a central, easy to use, and graphical dashboard. ForgeRock Access Management allows you to build safe authentication using options like passwordless and usernameless logins, single sign-on, biometrics, contextual analytics, and behavioral authentication. When threats appear, you can swiftly change how your users access your most sensitive applications and provide users with secure access to the applications, systems, and resources they need on demand.

ForgeRock Benefits and Key Features

Elevate your security and efficiency: Consolidating your legacy systems under one single platform provides reliable, unified control over all your user identities and access-related policies. ForgeRock Access Management also supports scaling existing policies for application onto new setups.
Passwordless authentication: Implementing passwordless authentication is simple with ForgeRock Access Management. You can easily replace user-selected passwords with other options, such as easy multi-factor authentication, biometrics, and SSO.
Identity governance: ForgeRock Identity Governance is a modern, AI-driven identity governance solution. By leveraging ForgeRock generated analysis reports, you can identify and apply appropriate user access, automate high-confidence access approvals, recommend certification for low-risk accounts, and review high-risk and inappropriate user access privileges. In addition, you can grant and enforce access to systems, applications, and infrastructure according to established policies.

Reviews from Real Users

ForgeRock stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its robust identity and access tools and its being easy to manage and scale with one central dashboard.

PeerSpot users note the effectiveness of these features. A technology solutions leader at an outsourcing company writes, “We need it for multiple clients, multiple implementations. Not all of them are necessarily a multi-tenant solution. We need a very versatile solution that can do a lot of work, but from a single instance that we can centralize authentications and we don't duplicate the efforts and that's where ForgeRock seems to do better.”

Mohamed B., a cyber security consultant at a tech company, writes, "Their access management solution, OpenAM, is most valuable because it meets the needs of a lot of users. ForgeRock secured our system so that it is accessed only by authorized people, and it implemented the SSO."

Ping Identity

Microsoft Identity Manager (MIM) builds on the identity and access management capabilities of Forefront Identity Manager. MIM helps you manage the users, credentials, policies, and access within your organization. Additionally, MIM adds a hybrid experience, privileged access management capabilities, and support for new platforms.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

Bayer, ECCO Shoes, Vattenfall, NuStar Energy, Unicredit, Schiphol Group, BMW Group, Deutsche Leasing

Geico, Thomson Reuters, Salesforce, McKesson, Trinet, SKY, BNP Paribas, Deloitte, Capgemini, North Western University

Dow Chemical Company (Dow), Whole Foods Market

Buyer's Guide

ForgeRock vs. Microsoft Identity Manager

March 2025

Free Report: ForgeRock vs. Microsoft Identity Manager

Find out what your peers are saying about ForgeRock vs. Microsoft Identity Manager and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.

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