AWS Directory Service vs Ping Identity Platform comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Ping Identity are both solutions in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #18 with an average rating of 8.3, while Ping Identity is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.3. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 1.1% mindshare in IAMS, compared to Ping Identity’s 3.8% mindshare. Additionally, 93% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Ping Identity users who would recommend it.

AWS Directory Service

Read 16 AWS Directory Service reviews

1,163 Views
1,105 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Ping Identity Platform

Read 30 Ping Identity Platform reviews

8,272 Views
2,730 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

AWS Directory Service

Ping Identity Platform

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Ping Identity Platform and AWS Directory Service are competing in the identity and access management sector. Ping Identity Platform is favored for its robust feature set, while AWS Directory Service stands out for its comprehensive cloud-based capabilities within the AWS ecosystem.

Features: Ping Identity Platform supports multi-factor authentication from different sources and provides detailed controls for customizing identity security. It also excels in seamless integration across diverse environments and supports customization via Java. AWS Directory Service offers seamless integration within the AWS environment, cost-cutting features, and provides cloud-based identity and management capabilities to AWS resources without needing physical infrastructure management.

Room for Improvement: Ping Identity Platform could enhance its mobile compatibility, improve the intuitiveness of its administrative interface, and reduce the initial setup complexity for users less familiar with IAM solutions. AWS Directory Service could expand its integration capabilities beyond the AWS ecosystem, streamline its management interface for non-technical users, and enhance its support for hybrid IT environments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Ping Identity Platform offers flexible deployment options suited for both hybrid and enterprise environments, supported by efficient customer service. In contrast, AWS Directory Service is optimized for cloud environments, benefiting from AWS's comprehensive support system, which facilitates streamlined deployments for AWS-focused infrastructures.

Pricing and ROI: Ping Identity Platform typically involves higher initial costs, justified by its extensive features, promising substantial long-term ROI for organizations maximizing its capabilities. AWS Directory Service offers a more budget-friendly option with lower upfront costs, delivering good ROI especially for enterprises extensively utilizing AWS resources.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Directory Service vs. Ping Identity Platform Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Directory Service vs. Ping Identity Platform

April 2026

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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

AWS Directory Service

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

18th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Ping Identity Platform

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

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (6th), Authentication Systems (7th), Data Governance (11th), Access Management (6th), Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (3rd), Directory Servers (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of AWS Directory Service is 1.1%, down from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Ping Identity Platform is 3.8%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Ping Identity Platform	3.8%
AWS Directory Service	1.1%
Other	95.1%

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

Featured Reviews

Akram Zaki

IT Specialist at FlairsTech

Hybrid directory service has streamlined global server access and supported reliable daily operations

Some features in AWS Directory Service are not automated and are not scriptable, so they require manual work. In today's world where everything is pretty much automated and scriptable using AI, this is a downside. The price is another concern. AWS is really expensive. They provide an awesome service in general, but it's still expensive, very expensive. AD Connector is an application which connects my own Active Directory to AWS Directory Service or AWS infrastructure. There is a bit of latency which is bound by the AD Connector availability. If the AD Connector is having issues, there is a bit of latency, but in general, it's way better than Microsoft Azure. Still, it could be better. The migration was a bit challenging and required intensive planning and migration time. That is always a hassle. No matter which cloud environment you're moving into, the migration is sensitive because you're generally moving from on-premise to a cloud environment, so there is downtime and there are unexpected issues and errors. It needs very careful planning before doing the migration itself. AWS Directory Service is lacking a few things which could be better. Single sign-on federation is missing. SCIM provisioning is not available. In my company, we use other services for SSO federation, SCIM provisioning, and authentication because of these gaps. I would like AWS Directory Service to enroll a multi-factor authentication method. I would like to have an SSO federation where users, if we're hosting applications in AWS, would not need to log in to each application. Single sign-on would log in the user to their account and from there they can open all their applications without requiring a login each time. One of the other cons in AWS is that directories cannot span multiple regions because it's a region-bound architecture. This requires several directories for multi-region deployment. This is the case on my end because my company has several branches all over the world, so it requires several deployments.

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AmitRathod

Senior Analyst at Toll Holdings Limited

Single sign-on has simplified access while adaptive authentication protects complex user journeys

Regarding areas for improvement in Ping Identity Platform, there is not much. In terms of licensing and implementation costs, it has premium pricing, and it has a very complex implementation. It provides greater feasibility, but it takes a very long time in terms of complete building. There is a very limited number of legacy support, which can pose potential difficulties in integrating with certain older or legacy systems. Additionally, issue troubleshooting can be difficult at times. Sometimes issues can be difficult to diagnose and require extensive technical expertise. There is also a very steep learning curve for administrative purposes and potential difficulties with offline authentication scenarios.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"This is a managed directory service (by AWS) that offers a hands-free solution for our team as we are not required to hire or train people to manage Active Directory features and high availability backups, there is no security patching required on an operating system level or Active Directory malware attack, and we are able to easily integrate other AWS services."

"The AD Connector is very good and easy to implement."

"We like the fact that it's got such great redundancy."

"The most valuable feature of AWS Directory Service is cost-cutting features."

"The solution integrates well with other tools, particularly through single sign-on, allowing users to connect to various applications using just one password, including email."

"AWS is very helpful and very useful for the infrastructure because that's how you can manage your Microsoft Office 365 user accounts with AWS-managed Microsoft Active Directory Services."

"AWS Directory Service is very useful; it is a role-based mechanism, similar to identity management, and it is one of the most useful AWS features."

"It's a pretty good solution in terms of performance with good availability and minimal downtime."

More AWS Directory Service pros

"I find the auto-discovery feature the most valuable. It helps us automate a lot of things using a single password across applications."

"I would recommend PingFederate as an IAM solution for its no-code environment, single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, bidirectional services, and advanced features."

"This is a user-friendly solution."

"From a security perspective, I highly value the product's biometric authentication methods such as FIDO, FaceID, YubiKey, and the mobile app."

"Ping Identity Platform can provide a solution for both workforce identity and access management and also for consumer identity and access management, which is CIAM."

"What I like best about PingID is that it's very user-friendly. PingID is well-built as a developer tool and regularly upgrades and updates via patches. I also like that PingID has clear documents that will help you integrate it with other solutions."

"I find the auto-discovery feature the most valuable. It helps us automate a lot of things using a single password across applications."

"The product's most valuable features include its cloud-based capabilities for handling cloud applications and providing authentication and authorization through OIDC and SAML. It also supports integrations needed for both local and internal applications, including legacy applications requiring web server access."

More Ping Identity Platform pros

Cons

"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."

"The solution lacks certain features."

"The AWS Directory Service should be easier to integrate."

"I would like to grant partial access to a table contained in a database without having to provide full access to the whole database."

"Some of the security protocols are difficult to understand."

"To get CloudWatch to monitor your memory and storage, you have to do some configuration within your server, which sometimes results in errors."

"We had a problem with the schema uploading and setting up the directory when we are migrating our users from on-premises to cloud infrastructure."

More AWS Directory Service cons

"PingID's device management portal should be more easily accessible via a link. They provide no link to the portal like they do for the service. The passwordless functionality could be more comprehensive. You can't filter based on hardware devices. Having that filtering option would be great. Device authentication would be a great feature."

"If the solution is going to compete with Microsoft, they need to offer more unique functionality to keep their current user base."

"For external customers, they do have challenges, although there are solutions for that available, as well."

"PingID should put a little more effort into making a pretty self-explanatory deck about their tech features and the services they offer."

"In Ping Identity, we have had some issues. We've worked with logging and troubleshooting, including some firewall and security issues."

"I think that the connection with like Microsoft Word, especially for Office 365, is a weak point that could be improved."

"We can choose a drop-down to search for which certificate we have to create, which is difficult."

"Currently, the main integration is SAML-based, but other integration methodologies need to be supported."

More Ping Identity Platform cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing depends because with AWS there are two types of directory objects: 30,000 and 500,000. It varies. AWS provides the pricing calculators so we can get an estimate from there as per the company requirement of how many users and objects that we need to create. So we can go to that portal, put in the data, and get the quotation. There are no extra licensing fees. It's all included."

"We pay an annual subscription fee."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"AWS' pricing is fair, and costs can be cut if you look carefully at when you're using it."

"Ping Identity Platform is not an expensive solution."

"The pricing is neither too expensive nor too cheap."

"Ping Identity Platform is not very expensive."

"Compared to some SaaS-based solutions, the platform is relatively cost-effective."

"PingID pricing is a ten out of ten because it's a little bit cheaper than other tools, such as Okta and ForgeRock, and supports multiple tools."

"Ping offers flexible pricing that's not standardized."

"The product is costly."

"The platform's value justifies the pricing, especially considering its security features and scalability."

More Ping Identity Platform pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Performing Arts

10%

Government

10%

Financial Services Firm

21%

Retailer

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	6
Midsize Enterprise	3
Large Enterprise	5

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	21

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS Directory Service?

The pricing is very good because it is low and there is no management cost. You do not need to hire any system administrator to manage your Active Directory.

See all answers

What needs improvement with AWS Directory Service?

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering AWS Directory Service?

I would like AWS Directory Service to enroll a multi-factor authentication method. I would like to have an SSO federation where users, if we're hosting applications in AWS, would not need to log in...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PingFederate?

The product is affordable and starts at 20,000 dollars/year, depending upon the license and maintenance requirement. It makes our work easier and saves a lot of time.

See all answers

What do you like most about PingAccess?

PingFederate is very flexible. We can do many customizations, and it also provides an SDK to tailor it to our specific requirements. There are also numerous plugins available. I've worked with tool...

See all answers

What needs improvement with PingAccess?

From the improvement perspective, they could bring IGA capability, which right now they only have in their SaaS offering. Other than that, Ping Identity Platform has multiple products for access ma...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Entra ID vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 28% of the time

Okta Platform vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 24% of the time

Omada Identity vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 12% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs AWS Directory Service

Compared 10% of the time

More AWS Directory Service Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Ping Identity Platform

Compared 9% of the time

Okta Platform vs Ping Identity Platform

Compared 5% of the time

Microsoft Active Directory vs Ping Identity Platform

Compared 5% of the time

SailPoint Identity Security Cloud vs Ping Identity Platform

Compared 5% of the time

ForgeRock vs Ping Identity Platform

Compared 4% of the time

More Ping Identity Platform Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

AWS Directory Service

May 2026

Download AWS Directory Service product report

Buyer's Guide

Ping Identity Platform

April 2026

Download Ping Identity Platform product report

Also Known As

AWS Managed Microsoft AD

Ping Identity (ID), PingFederate, PingAccess, PingOne, PingDataGovernance, PingDirectory, OpenDJ

Overview

AWS Directory Service offers a cloud-based infrastructure for managing secure access, allowing seamless integration with other services and reducing hardware costs. It enhances reliability and access management for enterprises.

AWS Directory Service is integrated with Amazon services such as EC2 and RDS, providing high availability, quick replication, and seamless disaster recovery. Its cloud-based nature eliminates the need for hardware management, delivering cost efficiency and robust secure access management. Users benefit from its role-based mechanisms, redundancy, scalability, and low downtime, addressing diverse access and management needs. Despite its strengths, difficulties with integration, automation, and user interface have been noted. The lack of single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, along with challenges in migration and configuration, highlight areas for improvement. Users also desire expanded regional coverage and better integration with CloudWatch.

What are the key features of AWS Directory Service?

Cloud Infrastructure: Provides a cloud-based directory eliminating the need for physical hardware.
Secure Access Management: Ensures managed access and hybrid operations across networks.
Integration with EC2 and RDS: Supports seamless integration with Amazon EC2 and RDS.
High Availability: Offers robust and reliable directory service with minimal downtime.
Role-Based Mechanisms: Allows precise control over permissions and access levels.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Cost Efficiency: Saves expenses related to hardware and its maintenance.
Scalability: Adapts to increasing company needs effortlessly.
Performance: Delivers consistent directory performance without disruptions.
Redundancy: Provides exceptional backup solutions to prevent data loss.

AWS Directory Service is predominantly leveraged in industries requiring secure data management and integration with Microsoft Active Directory. It's widely used for domain authentication and policy implementation in sectors such as banking, where centralized data processing and enhanced security layers are crucial. Its role in managing ACL permissions and IAM for special access is critical, especially in environments handling sensitive information.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Ping Identity Platform offers cloud capabilities for applications, supporting Single Sign-On, Multi-Factor Authentication, and passwordless authentication. It features flexible integrations and federated identity management, enhancing security through detailed compliance features and seamless IDP integration.

This platform meets enterprise needs with role-based access control, device management, API security, and risk-based adaptations. Its BYOD support, ease of integration, biometric authentication methods, and customizable options with PingFederate aid in enhancing security and convenience. Challenges such as the complex management console, network reliability, and limited customization are present. Users find areas for improvement in incident response features, bio-certification, and network handling for IP classification. Community support and documentation need strengthening to address existing device tracking and token management issues.

What are the key features of Ping Identity Platform?

Cloud Capabilities: Built for cloud applications with flexible integrations.
Federated Identity Management: Allows easy integration of multiple IDPs.
SSO and MFA Support: Ensure secure and seamless access.
Passwordless Authentication: Enhances user convenience.
API and Device Management: Protects and secures devices and APIs.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from Ping Identity Platform?

Enhanced Security: Through detailed compliance features and multi-protocol support.
User Convenience: Enabled by passwordless access and integration flexibility.
Improved Access Control: With role-based permissions and identity management integration.
Seamless Integration: Across a range of identity providers and authentication protocols.

In industries such as finance, healthcare, and IT, enterprises deploy Ping Identity Platform for its ability to implement seamless SSO and MFA. It integrates with protocols like SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect to secure communications and user identities. This enhances security and user convenience for customer-facing and internal applications.

Ping Identity

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers

Equinix, Land O'Lakes, CDPHP, Box, International SOS, Opower, VSP, Chevron, Truist, Academy of Art University, Northern Air Cargo, Repsol

Buyer's Guide

AWS Directory Service vs. Ping Identity Platform

April 2026

Free Report: AWS Directory Service vs. Ping Identity Platform

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