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Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta
Short answer: Pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want unified cloud identity and access management; pick Okta if you want unified identity platform for employees, customers, and AI agents. Microsoft Entra ID is paid, with a free trial; Okta has a free plan, paid from $3000/month.
Microsoft Entra IDIdentity and access management from Microsoft
OktaWorkforce and customer identity and access managementWhich to pick
Pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want…
- Unified cloud identity and access management
- Integrations with Microsoft 365 (on Microsoft Entra ID's list, not Okta's)
Pick Okta if you want…
- Unified identity platform for employees, customers, and AI agents
- Workforce and customer identity management
- A free plan to start with
- Integrations with Active Directory, LDAP or HR apps (on Okta's list, not Microsoft Entra ID's)
Side by side
- What it is
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft Entra ID is a cloud IAM solution that provides SSO, MFA, conditional access and identity protection.
- Okta:Okta provides identity and access management for workforce, customers, and AI agents, offering SSO, MFA, and automation.
- Best for
- Microsoft Entra ID:Unified cloud identity and access management
- Okta:Unified identity platform for employees, customers, and AI agents
- Who it’s for
- Microsoft Entra ID:Enterprises and businesses needing secure sign-in and access control for users and apps.
- Okta:Enterprises needing secure authentication, user provisioning, and AI agent identity management.
- Pricing
- Microsoft Entra ID:Paid
- Okta:Freemium
- Starting price
- Microsoft Entra ID:—
- Okta:$3000/month (Enterprise (Customer Identity))
- Free plan or trial
- Microsoft Entra ID:Free trial
- Okta:Free trial
- Plans
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft Entra ID P2 $10.00 user/month, paid yearly
- Okta:Starter $6 per user/month · Core Essentials $14 per user/month · Essentials $17 per user/month · Enterprise (Customer Identity) $3,000 per month
- Works with
- Microsoft Entra ID:Microsoft 365
- Okta:Active Directory, LDAP, HR apps, OAuth 2.0, SAML, Okta Integration Network
Microsoft Entra ID features
- Single sign-on & passwordless. Enable fast, secure sign-in to cloud and on-prem apps with SSO and passwordless authentication.
- Multi-factor authentication. Phishing-resistant MFA protects accounts and reduces identity compromise risk.
- Conditional & risk-based access. Adaptive policies enforce least-privilege access based on risk signals.
- Privileged identity management. Just-in-time, least-privilege access for privileged accounts and resources.
- Self-service portal. Users can manage passwords, devices and access requests via a self-service UI.
- AI-enhanced security insights. Security Copilot helps investigate risky users, anomalies and policy gaps with natural language prompts.
Okta features
- Single Sign-On (SSO). One-click access to cloud and on-prem apps with a single credential set.
- Adaptive Multi-Factor Authentication. Intelligent, phishing-resistant authentication for secure logins.
- Lifecycle Management. Automates onboarding, offboarding, and profile updates at scale.
- API Access Management. Centralized, identity-driven policies to protect APIs and microservices.
- Workflows (no-code orchestration). Automates complex identity processes using pre-built connectors.
Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta FAQ
What is the difference between Microsoft Entra ID and Okta?+
Okta: Commercial IAM with extensive workforce and customer identity features, comparable but not tied to Microsoft ecosystem.
Should I use Microsoft Entra ID or Okta?+
Pick Microsoft Entra ID if you want unified cloud identity and access management or integrations with Microsoft 365 (on Microsoft Entra ID's list, not Okta's). Pick Okta if you want unified identity platform for employees, customers, and AI agents, workforce and customer identity management or a free plan to start with.
Is Microsoft Entra ID or Okta free?+
Microsoft Entra ID is paid, with a free trial. Okta has a free plan; paid plans start at $3000/month (Enterprise (Customer Identity)).
Do Microsoft Entra ID and Okta integrate with the same tools?+
Their integration lists don't overlap: Microsoft Entra ID lists Microsoft 365; Okta lists Active Directory, LDAP, HR apps, OAuth 2.0 and 2 more.
On DevHunt
Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.