Google Cloud Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID comparison

Google and Microsoft are both solutions in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category. Google is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.6, while Microsoft is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.7. Google holds a 16.2% mindshare in IAMS, compared to Microsoft’s 33.6% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Google users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Google Cloud Identity

Read 22 Google Cloud Identity reviews

4,795 Views
4,172 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra ID

Read 218 Microsoft Entra ID reviews

12,174 Views
8,880 Comparison Views

94% willing to recommend

Google Cloud Identity

Microsoft Entra ID

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 12, 2025

Microsoft Entra ID and Google Cloud Identity compete in the identity and access management category. Based on the comparison, Microsoft Entra ID appears to have the upper hand due to its comprehensive security features.

Features: Microsoft Entra ID offers seamless integration with Microsoft products, multifactor authentication, and robust conditional access. Google Cloud Identity emphasizes simplicity and ease of use with strong integration within Google Workspace and basic security features.

Room for Improvement: Microsoft Entra ID needs improvements in user interface complexity, third-party app integration, and better synchronization between on-premise and cloud environments. Google Cloud Identity could enhance its security features, including more monitoring and advanced user management, while also reducing costs and improving integration with non-Google products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Entra ID is praised for its deployment, especially in hybrid environments, but customer support experiences vary by region. Google Cloud Identity has a straightforward deployment process with fewer customer service complaints, although users wish for more support options.

Pricing and ROI: Microsoft Entra ID provides flexible pricing with multiple licensing tiers, viewed as costly but justified due to its features. Google Cloud Identity, packaged with Google Workspace, is seen as cost-effective for small to medium enterprises, though some users feel Microsoft's solution offers better ROI through stronger features.

To learn more, read our detailed Google Cloud Identity vs. Microsoft Entra ID Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Identity vs. Microsoft Entra ID

January 2025

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Helped 831,683 peers since 2012

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

Google Cloud Identity

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

4th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (8th)

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

218

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (1st), Authentication Systems (1st), Identity Management (IM) (1st), Access Management (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of Google Cloud Identity is 16.2%, down from 20.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Entra ID is 33.6%, up from 28.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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

Q&A Highlights

Iain Dall

Owner at Brains

May 12, 2020

What are the biggest differences between Google Cloud Identity and Microsoft Azure Active Directory?

Both identity providers have their own pros and cons. Google doesn't have a road map for device management though they have recently announced support for windows 10 & Ubuntu. I would recommend Microsoft Azure Directory for its access control management features. I would like to know your requirement for further inputs.

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Featured Reviews

EkoNugroho

Cloud Support Manager at PointStar

Enhanced security and simplicity in deployment for a holistic protection

The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is its simplicity in deployment. You only need to purchase and assign licenses to users, and there's no need for extensive setup. Another valuable feature is its integration with Google Workspace, which enhances security through context-aware access and allows for geographic and IP-specific restrictions. This ensures secure access to applications and data.

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Aaron Liang

System engineer at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees

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.

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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

"The tool provides a free service that you can integrate for laptop authentication. You also don’t need a separate Active Directory."

"The solution is primarily used for single control and single sign which helps with the security and authentication of multiple devices."

"It's easy to set up."

"The solution is moderate to difficult to use. I found the approach was practical. Following the steps made it very easy to use."

"The solution is user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature is the performance."

"The Cloud Identity is well advanced in terms of features, applications, and the components that it is offering."

"The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is its simplicity in deployment."

More Google Cloud Identity pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its ability to delegate roles to each individual resource, which is great."

"The single sign-on across multiple platforms is really the true advantage here. That gives you one ID and password for access to all your systems. You don't need to manage a plethora of different user IDs and passwords to all the systems that you're going to access."

"The cloud security part is very valuable. Security is the most important thing in today's world. With Azure Active Directory, there are some features that tell you how you need to improve your security level. It informs you if you set up certain policies, e.g., this is where my users sign in. It tends to let you know if your organization has been breached with this security set up. Therefore, it is easier to know when you have been breached, especially if you set up a Conditional Access policy for your organization."

"We haven't implemented permission identity management, but we plan to use it. Entitlement management and dynamic grouping of Microsoft 365 groups are features I enjoy. From an administrative perspective, we can now manage users from a single pane of glass, which enhances efficiency. MFA will improve the user experience and increase organizational efficiency."

"The most valuable feature is the ability to set up conditional access, where you can enforce users to connect using multifactor authentication."

"In a lot of situations, it is easy and free or almost free to use Microsoft Entra MFA."

"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 security features, multi-factor authentication, and service management features are valuable."

More Microsoft Entra ID pros

Cons

"I would like to see more integration in future releases."

"The management of external users needs to be introduced in the tool as it is an area of concern in the tool presently."

"Technical support is slow."

"The solution's storage capacity could be increased."

"The pricing for this solution is a little bit higher than AWS and others, which is something that should be improved."

"I want the tool to improve its support. It should also incorporate some functionalities. Currently, preparing presentations in Google is a pain point. The tool’s certain features like user provisioning are not intuitive as well. The product’s LDAP support is very poor. Clients do not trust the product due to the spam."

"The interface could be more user-friendly."

"There is room for improvement in the configuration of their security policies. It seems quite basic."

More Google Cloud Identity cons

"My only pain point in this solution is creating group membership for devices."

"Rule management and permissions need improvements."

"From an admin perspective, I would like to see improvement in the Microsoft Graph API."

"There are issues using it with ADFS."

"Better deployment management and visibility functionality would be helpful."

"For the end users, it can be confusing if they have worked for another company that had the Authenticator app. It is tricky if they have already had the Authenticator app and then work somewhere else. If they have to download it again and use it again on their phone, it is something that gets complicated. I know how to get through it. They just need to uninstall and reinstall the application, but for them, sometimes, it is confusing."

"Azure Active Directory could benefit by adding the capability for identity life cycle for the on-premise solution. For example, an HR solution, which is built on-premise or, in general, better on-premise capable solutions."

"The licensing cost is a bit prohibitive."

More Microsoft Entra ID cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I rate the product price a seven on a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price, and ten is a high price."

"Licensing fees are on a yearly basis."

"The licensing cost depends on the partners and the relationship between the company and the partners."

"The product is billed on a monthly basis depending on the number of users."

"The fees are paid monthly and there are no additional costs other than the licensing fees."

"We probably spend about $50,000 a year on licensing."

"The pricing is a bit expensive."

"When I worked on Cloud Identity, they offered a free or enterprise version. You can synchronize and create up to 100 user identities in the free version. After that, you have to purchase a business or enterprise license. In that model, you'll be charged based on the number of users."

More Google Cloud Identity pricing and cost advice

"Azure Active Directory is expensive."

"The solution costs us 60,000 Rupees annually, just over $700, and there are no additional costs."

"We make sure that we only enable the licenses that are needed for the users, rather than enabling licenses in a blanket fashion."

"It is bundled with other services and the pricing is quite reasonable."

"Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and the cost depends on the number of users."

"Everything needs to be considered for the requirements and if it is within the budget, then you can come up with a solution, whether it is SaaS, PaaS, or IaaS."

"I do not have experience with pricing."

"Azure AD has four licensing options- Free, Office 365 apps, Premium P1, and Premium P2. The free option has a limited number of identities and features, and the Office 365 version comes included in several Office 365 subscriptions. With the P1 and P2 licenses, we get all the freeware features plus additional security features, but these come at a higher price. The base price for P1 and P2 is $6 and $9 per user per month, respectively."

More Microsoft Entra ID pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

33%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?

Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also access to both Microsoft’s user community as well as around-the-clock customer s...

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What do you like most about Google Cloud Identity?

The most valuable feature of Google Cloud Identity is its stability.

See all answers

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

Google services are affordable compared to other services. Additional costs depend on the specific products; for example, Google Cloud Platform (GCP) may require extra payment for additional suppor...

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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...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

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

We are an enterprise customer with an enterprise agreement in place with many of our partner companies, so there are no special questions or issues about pricing, setup cost, or licensing.

See all answers

Comparisons

Okta Workforce Identity vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 14% of the time

Microsoft Intune vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 12% of the time

JumpCloud vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 4% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 2% of the time

ManageEngine Endpoint Central vs Google Cloud Identity

Compared 1% of the time

More Google Cloud Identity Competitors

Microsoft Intune vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 11% of the time

Okta Workforce Identity vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 9% of the time

Auth0 vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 6% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 5% of the time

Amazon Cognito vs Microsoft Entra ID

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Entra ID Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Identity

January 2025

Download Google Cloud Identity product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra ID

January 2025

Download Microsoft Entra ID product report

Also Known As

Cloud Identity, Cloud Identity Premium

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

Interactive Demo

Demo not available

Google

Microsoft

Overview

Cloud Identity is an Identity as a Service (IDaaS) and enterprise mobility management (EMM) product. It offers the identity services and endpoint administration that are available in G Suite as a stand-alone product. As an administrator, you can use Cloud Identity to manage your users, apps, and devices from a central location - the Google Admin console.

Google

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

Sample Customers

ExtraHop Networks, HealthChannels

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

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud Identity vs. Microsoft Entra ID

January 2025

Free Report: Google Cloud Identity vs. Microsoft Entra ID

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