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ManageEngine ADManager Plus vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 9, 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

ManageEngine ADManager Plus
Ranking in Active Directory Management
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Active Directory Management
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
42
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (7th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Active Directory Management category, the mindshare of ManageEngine ADManager Plus is 12.8%, up from 12.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 4.4%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Active Directory Management
 

Featured Reviews

Tejinder Thakur - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful for vulnerability management but requires to improve the support offered
Speaking about the group management capabilities is something like discussing Active Directory. For the infrastructure, I am using another solution. I manage my entire infrastructure through JAMS Cloud. I would recommend the product to others 50 percent of the time, while I may not do so the other 50 percent. I would recommend that others go with Sophos. In terms of the value derived from the use of the product, I can say that it is possible if the working of the product is good. I don't get to use any AI features in ManageEngine. I rate the tool a seven out of ten.
Rajitha Abhisheka - PeerSpot reviewer
A solution that easily merges with cloud-based ADs and provides superior data security
The interface for logs should be user-friendly and allow for enhanced filtering to drill down to incidents. It is time consuming to get a clear picture and review deviations in conditional policies because you have to check each and every log to find information on malicious attacks, a compromised end-user's account, or phishing emails. The logs for sign-ins and auditing should be available for more than a 30-90 day window. Most logs are displayed in UTC but it would be helpful to include time conversions for tenant regions. Currently, we must do time conversions manually before we contact users to share information and troubleshoot issues.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It makes our job easier, especially for managing data for a bulk of users."
"The most valuable feature was conducting the automation of our cloud and all services of the Active Directory."
"Makes it easy to administer your active directory."
"It is a stable solution."
"The product helps to validate every activity."
"Almost every feature of the solution is valuable to me. This includes the importing and exporting to the active directory from the CSC firewall."
"The most valuable features of the solution are vulnerability management and system patching functionalities."
"The scalability is also good. ADManager Plus is being used by seven to eight system administrators right now, and it has been working fine."
"The solution's initial setup is straightforward."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an easy-to-use tool."
"The most valuable features of Microsoft Active Directory are the management of user and group policies."
"Active Directory plays a focal point in security management, encompassing aspects like credential management, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and the network infrastructure of customers."
"Technical support is helpful."
"The user interface of the product is very easy to use."
"It is a stable solution."
"The solution is stable."
 

Cons

"It would be nice if the solution offered some sort of brochure with some high-level information that would help sell it to management. If they had details around how much time it saves an engineer, for example, to show the ROI, it would be helpful."
"I think the cost of this product is a little higher than I would expect."
"The number of main controllers affects the database for creating the hardware specs."
"Other products have more flexibility and integration in managing identities."
"The product's price is an area of concern where improvements can be introduced by making it available at a cheaper rate."
"The solution is very complex, especially when there's an active directory of more than 1,000 users, which makes it hard to administrate. They need to improve the management of the administrative process."
"The solution should be made tablet friendly because it works well on iPhones and Android phones, but does not work on tablets."
"The bulk email ID creation must be improved. I had to create 50 to 60 IDs manually because when I tried the bulk option, it didn't work. I still had to cross-verify because some fields were empty."
"The security features could be improved."
"The cloud service of Microsoft Active Directory is an area with certain shortcomings that need improvement."
"It could be more scalable. We still need another software solution to monitor the network in addition to Active Directory and OpManager, our domain controller. We use SolarWinds."
"Microsoft Active Directory restricts most of the features our company's employees want to use since they are involved in research and development activities."
"The technical support team does not give prompt responses."
"There has been a change in the layout of the user information. Previously, I had to go to properties to view the information, but now it is displayed directly below the search results. It takes some time to get used to."
"Typically, it depends on the customer's situation. If the customer operates in smaller locations where most PCs are in a common location, we usually aim to consolidate the directory infrastructure for easier maintenance. However, for distributed setups spanning multiple countries, configuring multiple sites becomes necessary and more intricate to handle. Our objective is to minimize the number of sites, simplifying operations for IT administrators and reducing errors. Mistakes in Active Directory can be costly for organizations, as disruptions can occur rapidly. Moreover, when it comes to hybrid single sign-on across various applications, Microsoft hasn't put forth significant effort. Single sign-on has become a challenge for many customers who utilize diverse solutions beyond Microsoft products. While implementing single sign-on is relatively straightforward in the Azure cloud, it's considerably more complex when dealing with the local Active Directory. This presents a big challenge for many of our customers."
"It could be more stable."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive."
"The cost of this product is a little higher than I would expect for a tool like this."
"I downloaded the trial version, only."
"The pricing depends on scope and makes sense for use cases with multiple domains."
"The tool's pricing is good."
"I am satisfied with the solution’s pricing."
"I need to pay for the license, and I believe that it could be made cheaper."
"The product's premium support services are expensive."
"The license per user can probably be reduced."
"We purchase the license for the solution on a yearly basis."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."
"Its price is reasonable."
"The pricing is not very expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."
"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
21%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
I need to pay for the license, and I believe that it could be made cheaper.
What needs improvement with ManageEngine ADManager Plus?
ManageEngine ADManager Plus is capable of everything. The product's price is an area of concern where improvements can be introduced by making it available at a cheaper rate. The support should be ...
What do you like most about Microsoft Active Directory?
The solution is easy to install and has good reliability.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?
The challenges everyone now has in mind is how to really migrate fully to the cloud. Many companies face both technical and cost-related challenges when moving from on-premise Active Directory to M...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
We are still on a hybrid environment where we have Azure Directory on-premises, and sync it up to Microsoft.
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about ManageEngine ADManager Plus vs. Microsoft Active Directory and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
832,138 professionals have used our research since 2012.