Amazon Cognito vs Microsoft Entra ID comparison

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Amazon Web Services (AWS) Logo
3,099 views|2,520 comparisons
70% willing to recommend
Microsoft Logo
12,030 views|8,623 comparisons
94% willing to recommend
Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Amazon Cognito and Microsoft Entra ID based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Access Management solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Amazon Cognito vs. Microsoft Entra ID Report (Updated: May 2024).
771,212 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The multi-factor authentication setup has room for improvement.""The most valuable feature of the solution is its swift authentication.""This is a scalable solution. If our app or general usage increases, this solution can support it.""The most valuable features of Amazon Cognito are the pre and post-token generation, and the different Cognito triggers. It has lots of functionality and flexibility.""They offer a permission tool to help us manage multi-factor authentication.""One of the key benefits of this software is its ease of integration with a wide range of applications, including mobile apps and web applications. This simplifies the process of integration, and it can be seamlessly incorporated with Azure, Kubernetes, and other software systems.""The most valuable features of Amazon Cognito are OTP validation and email validation.""Cognito speeds up our development and saves us time."

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"A couple of features are valuable, but the one that comes across the most to me is multi-factor authentication.""I like the way it communicates to the cloud.""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.""It is great for mom-and-pop shops or small businesses that are truly coming into the enterprise ecosystem and that have not come from a legacy environment.""Technical support has been great.""The ability to speed up ability is an asset.""It's a very intuitive platform. It's easy to create groups and add people.""The user management groups are valuable. It is a pretty basic product, but user management, in general, is valuable with the ability to differentiate between business lines and add different policies, group-based management, and dynamic user groups."

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Cons
"What I found generally lacking in AWS is privileged access management (PAM).""You need to evaluate the export users. The multifactor authentication, much less this room for improving the configuration setup of that.""In a future release, we would like to have different methods to validate the characteristic of a user. For example, we would like to use biometric data to analyze the behavior of users.""Amazon Cognito’s UI needs improvement while onboarding new users.""The MFA related to the solution's side is nonexistent.""The ease and simplicity of integration could be improved when using this solution. When using Okta, scope is a single endpoint with a parameter as a scope. In the Cognito for each scope, there is a separate endpoint.""The secure authentication of Amazon Cognito has benefited our company. We were previously using legacy signup systems.""Cognito triggers can improve by providing more direct use cases rather than giving a white paper. A white paper is not at all interesting, it has too many details. It would be a benefit to provide a smaller document that is summarized. The smaller version would bring microdata, macro data is not helpful."

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"Azure AD does not support legacy authentication protocols, such as NTLM or Kerberos.""Certain aspects of the user interface can be rather clunky and slow. It can sometimes be circular in terms of clicking a link for a risky user sign-in and seeing what the risky login attempts were. It takes you in a circle back to where you started, so drilling down into details, especially if you are not in it every day and it is one of many tools that you use, can be difficult. It can be difficult to track down the source of an issue.""Better deployment management and visibility functionality would be helpful.""When it comes to identity governance, the governance features in Azure AD are very focused on Microsoft products. I would like to see those governance and life cycle management features offered for non-Microsoft products connected to Azure AD.""I would like it if Intune could manage MacOS or iOS directly. Right now, we have to use a third-party solution.""The technical support has room for improvement.""When it comes to identity and access life cycle management for applications that are run on-premises, as well as access governance, if those kinds of capabilities could be built into Azure Active Directory, that would be good.""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."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The pricing of this solution is good compared to other solutions on the market."
  • "We pay $600 monthly per user for licences and there are no other additional costs."
  • "The pricing is bad so I rate it a two out of ten."
  • "The price of Amazon Cognito is expensive. We are on an annual subscription."
  • "The price of Amazon Cognito is low. The pricing model is based on the users."
  • "The price of the solution depends on the number of users using it."
  • "The product is relatively inexpensive compared to other tools."
  • "On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten."
  • More Amazon Cognito Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The licensing cost is a bit prohibitive."
  • "The licensing is really not clear unless you are a premium client."
  • "Licensing is easy."
  • "It is a really nice tool and we have a license for the more complex model."
  • "It is not too expensive."
  • "It's really affordable."
  • "I do not have experience with pricing."
  • "Licensing fees are paid on a monthly basis and the cost depends on the number of users."
  • More Microsoft Entra ID Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:They offer a permission tool to help us manage multi-factor authentication.
    Top Answer:The product is relatively inexpensive compared to other tools. The scalability, usage, and computing are affordable. I recommend it from a cost point of view.
    Top Answer:Amazon Cognito’s UI needs improvement while onboarding new users. We have to select multiple parameters that require research. This process could be simplified.
    Top Answer: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 and… more »
    Top Answer: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.
    Ranking
    6th
    out of 37 in Access Management
    Views
    3,099
    Comparisons
    2,520
    Reviews
    8
    Average Words per Review
    423
    Rating
    7.5
    1st
    out of 37 in Access Management
    Views
    12,030
    Comparisons
    8,623
    Reviews
    83
    Average Words per Review
    920
    Rating
    8.7
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Azure AD, Azure Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft Authenticator
    Learn More
    Interactive Demo
    Overview

    Amazon Cognito is a simple user identity and data synchronization service that helps you securely manage and synchronize app data for your users across their mobile devices. You can create unique identities for your users through a number of public login providers (Amazon, Facebook, and Google) and also support unauthenticated guests. You can save app data locally on users’ devices allowing your applications to work even when the devices are offline. With Amazon Cognito, you can save any kind of data in the AWS Cloud, such as app preferences or game state, without writing any backend code or managing any infrastructure. This means you can focus on creating great app experiences instead of having to worry about building and managing a backend solution to handle identity management, network state, storage, and sync.

    Microsoft Entra ID, previously known as Azure AD (Active Directory), is Microsoft's cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution. Designed to help organizations of all sizes manage user identities and create an intelligent security perimeter around their cloud and on-premise resources. Microsoft Entra ID or Azure AD is integral to the Microsoft 365 and Azure ecosystems. It provides a robust set of capabilities to manage users and groups and secure access to applications in a centralized, streamlined manner.

    Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a login system, morphing into a sophisticated identity and access management (IAM) solution for the modern, hybrid workplace. Imagine a single vault for all your digital keys – that's the essence of Entra ID's identity management. It acts as a central repository for user identities, encompassing usernames, passwords, and even additional attributes like department or employee role.

    These capabilities enabled simplified administration using a unified platform for adding, modifying, and deleting user accounts. Users no longer need to remember login credentials for a plethora of applications. Entra ID streamlines access by using the same identity across various cloud services and on-premises resources (if integrated). Centralized identity management allows for stricter enforcement of security policies and password complexity requirements across the organization.

    Authentication sits at the heart of the solution, ensuring only authorized users gain access to sensitive resources. It employs a multi-pronged approach:

    • Password Authentication: The traditional method of username and password is still supported, but Entra ID encourages stronger authentication methods.
    • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adding an extra layer of security, MFA requires users to verify their identity beyond just a password – through a code sent to their phone, fingerprint recognition, or a security key.
    • Single Sign-On (SSO): This user-friendly feature eliminates the need to enter credentials repeatedly. Users sign in once to Entra ID and gain seamless access to all authorized applications, boosting productivity.
    • Conditional Access Policies: Providing granular control over how and when users can access resources. Based on conditions like user role, location, device state, and the application being accessed, Conditional Access policies help ensure that only the right people under the right conditions can access sensitive resources.
    • Seamless Integration: Seamless integration with thousands of SaaS applications, Microsoft 365, and on-premises applications via Application Proxy or third-party identity bridges.
    • Advanced Security Reports and Alerts: Sophisticated security monitoring, reporting tools, and automated alerts. These features enable to identify potential security issues, such as atypical behavior or attempted identity attacks, allowing for swift remediation actions.

    For organizations with on-premises infrastructure, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) offers hybrid identity options. This allows for a smooth integration between on-premises Active Directory and Entra ID, providing a consistent identity for users across both environments. It enables organizations to leverage their existing investments in on-premises infrastructure while taking advantage of cloud scalability and flexibility.

    In conclusion, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) is a comprehensive IAM solution that addresses the complex challenges of managing and securing identities in a cloud-centric world. Its blend of ease of use, security, and integration capabilities makes it an essential component of modern IT infrastructure, supporting both operational efficiency and strategic business objectives.

    Additional links:

        Sample Customers
        Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
        Microsoft Entre ID is trusted by companies of all sizes and industries including Walmart, Zscaler, Uniper, Amtrak, monday.com, and more.
        Top Industries
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Computer Software Company18%
        Comms Service Provider11%
        Financial Services Firm10%
        Manufacturing Company7%
        REVIEWERS
        Financial Services Firm14%
        Computer Software Company14%
        Manufacturing Company5%
        Educational Organization5%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Educational Organization26%
        Computer Software Company12%
        Financial Services Firm9%
        Government6%
        Company Size
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business40%
        Midsize Enterprise20%
        Large Enterprise40%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business25%
        Midsize Enterprise13%
        Large Enterprise62%
        REVIEWERS
        Small Business33%
        Midsize Enterprise14%
        Large Enterprise53%
        VISITORS READING REVIEWS
        Small Business18%
        Midsize Enterprise35%
        Large Enterprise47%
        Buyer's Guide
        Amazon Cognito vs. Microsoft Entra ID
        May 2024
        Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon Cognito vs. Microsoft Entra ID and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
        771,212 professionals have used our research since 2012.

        Amazon Cognito is ranked 6th in Access Management with 10 reviews while Microsoft Entra ID is ranked 1st in Access Management with 190 reviews. Amazon Cognito is rated 7.4, while Microsoft Entra ID is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Amazon Cognito writes "Good integration with AWS services but not feasible for B2C because MFAs are nonexistent". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Microsoft Entra ID writes "Saves us time and money and features Conditional Access policies, SSPR, and MFA". Amazon Cognito is most compared with Auth0, Cloudflare Access, Okta Workforce Identity, ForgeRock and CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, whereas Microsoft Entra ID is most compared with Microsoft Intune, Google Cloud Identity, CyberArk Privileged Access Manager, Okta Workforce Identity and Cisco Duo. See our Amazon Cognito vs. Microsoft Entra ID report.

        See our list of best Access Management vendors.

        We monitor all Access Management reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.