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Microsoft Entra External ID vs Okta Customer Identity comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Entra External ID
Ranking in Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
11th
Average Rating
7.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) (20th), Microsoft Security Suite (32nd)
Okta Customer Identity
Ranking in Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra External ID is 7.7%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Okta Customer Identity is 9.0%, down from 12.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM)
 

Featured Reviews

Oluwakorede Oladipo - PeerSpot reviewer
Promotes centralized user management and easy to setup
The most beneficial feature for us is the ease of setup. With about five clicks, we can generate unique IDs and keys and set up in less than 30 minutes. We can also generate these for multiple years simultaneously, which is convenient. In Azure, you can set up access rules. Just because an app is linked to Active Directory doesn’t mean everyone can access it automatically. You can make it so users have to give consent before getting access. You can also control which apps can connect to Active Directory. For Microsoft Exchange, we use multi-factor authentication to protect our information, which helps keep it secure by requiring more than just a password to log in. Centralizing user management has positively impacted our operational costs and efficiency. We no longer need multiple systems to manage users, especially in our SaaS applications. This has improved turnaround time for user management tasks and streamlined our processes, making things more efficient. We use the SaaS version, so there's no on-premises infrastructure. The integration is mainly done through setup, linking it to our domain and Active Directory.
Upendar G - PeerSpot reviewer
Leverage reliable server management for seamless identity operations
There is room for Okta Customer Identity to improve by increasing the reliability for the server end, creating more directories, and focusing on internal users rather than external or contract-based ones. Additionally, extending idle session times from ten milliseconds to at least forty-five seconds would be beneficial. It is also suggested that patches be applied annually rather than quarterly.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's quite easy to manage and monitor."
"The most beneficial feature for us is the ease of setup. With about five clicks, we can generate unique IDs and keys and set up in less than 30 minutes. We can also generate these for multiple years simultaneously, which is convenient."
"It's similar to using a Microsoft account to create accounts on other websites. We are also using Microsoft Entra to monitor which applications our guests are using. This allows us to filter, block, or adjust permissions for these applications as needed for our collaborators."
"The most valuable feature of this solution for most customers is access management."
"The most valuable feature of Okta Customer Identity is its SSO because it's very easy to use and it's user-friendly. Even the admin portal of the solution is very user-friendly, and you can walk through it with ease. Okta Customer Identity is not a complicated solution, and even the workflow automation feature is very, very easy to understand."
"The solution has great multifactor authentication."
"We can integrate two-factor authentication with the applications."
"It is very seamless."
"Okta has more when it comes to the policy level. It has distinctive features where you can do a mix and combination to have users access applications for various business cases."
"There is no password hash saved on the cloud, which is the part that I like the most."
"The end user's ease of use is the most valuable feature."
 

Cons

"Technical support needs improvement."
"The problem with Microsoft products is that they often cater to enterprise-level needs, which can be too costly for medium-sized businesses."
"I would like to see faster synchronization."
"The initial setup could be easier to do."
"This solution would be improved by adding biometrics features."
"Users sometimes have difficulty getting verification codes."
"The product must be provided for free."
"In the future, we'd like to see the product implement more security features, like, for example, zero-trust."
"The integration process takes a bit longer than we would want it to."
"I would like to see the provisioning simplified."
"There is an access request system that is very limited access to the systems available for end-users. The access request should improve in Okta Customer Identity."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We don't pay separately for Microsoft Entra External ID as it's part of our Microsoft Exchange subscription."
"The price of the solution is fair for what it offers."
"Okta Customer Identity is not an expensive solution."
"The solution is really expensive."
"Okta's pricing is right where it needs to be and right in the middle of the market."
"We pay 23 pence (approximately $0.30 USD) per user, annually, for 150,000 users."
"Pricing might be high, but it comes down when the number of people using the product goes up."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Healthcare Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
13%
Healthcare Company
8%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra External ID?
It's quite expensive, especially as you grow and add more users. Initially, with a small number of people, the costs were manageable.
What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra External ID?
The problem with Microsoft products is that they often cater to enterprise-level needs, which can be too costly for medium-sized businesses. When you move beyond a small team and start growing, the...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra External ID?
We had a project to integrate our Active Directory, which was running on our site, and invite external collaborators, such as freelancers, to connect to our domain via an invitation. Additionally, ...
What do you like most about Okta Customer Identity?
Okta has more when it comes to the policy level. It has distinctive features where you can do a mix and combination to have users access applications for various business cases.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Okta Customer Identity?
The pricing for Okta Customer Identity is very economical. It is much cheaper compared to Oracle Access Manager, and the company focuses on internal training to mitigate additional certification co...
What needs improvement with Okta Customer Identity?
There is room for Okta Customer Identity to improve by increasing the reliability for the server end, creating more directories, and focusing on internal users rather than external or contract-base...
 

Also Known As

Azure Active Directory External Identities
No data available
 

Learn More

Video not available
Video not available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
FedEx, Adobe, National Geographic, Tyson, Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Okta Customer Identity and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.
824,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.