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Change Auditor for Active Directory vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 1, 2026

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

Change Auditor for Active D...
Ranking in Active Directory Management
7th
Average Rating
9.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
3
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Active Directory Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Active Directory Management category, the mindshare of Change Auditor for Active Directory is 4.9%, down from 7.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 6.7%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Active Directory Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Active Directory6.7%
Change Auditor for Active Directory4.9%
Other88.4%
Active Directory Management
 

Featured Reviews

BK
Senior Specialist Technology Specialist
Comprehensive auditing has strengthened forensic investigations and protected critical directory data
Change Auditor for Active Directory's best feature is protection for your attributes. I can use the protection feature in Change Auditor for Active Directory, which helps ensure that if someone tries to change my Active Directory attributes, they cannot change it. I can monitor this, control this from Change Auditor for Active Directory, and identify if someone is trying to change the attribute of a respective object, which helps save me from disasters or impactful situations. Change Auditor for Active Directory helps me in my day-to-day work significantly; when I work in a large environment with 150,000 users, the presence of cyber attacks is a concern. It provides a two-layer protection—one from the network side and one from the Change Auditor for Active Directory side—thus really saving me from such security threats. Additionally, Change Auditor for Active Directory does not only share reports; it can also provide visible diagrams, such as pie charts or pivot diagrams. This feature is really helpful when I want to see specific events and how many events have been generated for particular activities.
Eko Kurniawan - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Operations & Security at veris
Has simplified credential management and improved secure access control across departments
The features I find most useful in Microsoft Active Directory are especially for the Single Sign-On. This is very useful for users, particularly if they have plenty of applications, such as tablet applications. When they log in to their computer, the application will automatically log in with their credentials. They don't need to remember another user and password to log in to the application because it's already maintained with Microsoft Active Directory using Single Sign-On. To assess the impact of Microsoft Active Directory's centralized domain management on security protocols and access permissions, Microsoft Active Directory itself has constraints with security because when we have a solution such as SSO or Single Sign-On, which makes it easier for users to log in, some parts have security openings. When their computer is compromised with a threat, malware, or other cyber threats, it becomes easier to enter the application without login permission.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features are the ability to protect Active Directory accounts and groups, and the real-time notifications that help manage Active Directory more effectively."
"Change Auditor for Active Directory provides a two-layer protection—one from the network side and one from the Change Auditor for Active Directory side—thus really saving me from such security threats."
"Change Auditor for Active Directory has positively impacted my organization by helping us respond to audits very quickly to show that we had evidence of who was making the changes and match them up to the ticket request and who approved it."
"The user interface of the product is very easy to use."
"I advise consideration of this solution. The overall product rating is ten out of ten."
"We find the user interface valuable as it is very user-friendly."
"Active Directory is more flexible and feature-rich than Apache."
"Microsoft Active Directory is the most centralized tool for my organization, which has impacted us positively, as we can reset passwords for all users at once, add anyone to any group, and check the members tab, making it really easy for us to troubleshoot end-user issues and beneficial for our information technology needs."
"Active Directory plays a focal point in security management, encompassing aspects like credential management, lifecycle, dynamic provisioning, and the network infrastructure of customers."
"One noteworthy aspect we discovered is the ability to exercise tight control over systems, specifically Windows PCs. This pertains to the management of policies, usage patterns, and user access on these devices, particularly within the framework of Active Directory which is extremely well thought. This actually works better with on-premises solutions. However, as the global trend shifts towards cloud and hybrid environments, Active Directory and its use is diminishing. Yet, it hasn't entirely lost its relevance and remains a presence that cannot be entirely disregarded."
"I find the product makes it easier to enhance various tools with Microsoft Active Directory."
 

Cons

"Change Auditor for Active Directory could be improved if the client were more flexible when installed, so if I upgrade the server, I wouldn't have to replace the clients at the same time."
"Change Auditor for Active Directory is already a very improved product, but there is still scope for improvement."
"Areas that could be improved include having more management capabilities with command-line scripts and more flexibility in general."
"UI is not very user-friendly."
"Even better group management would be beneficial."
"The solution's price could be better."
"I would like to see more integration with cloud-based applications. This would make it easier to manage users and devices across multiple platforms."
"I have encountered a few stability issues."
"Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services is very difficult for on-premises solutions, while for the cloud solution, it's very easy."
"I would like to see improvements in the solution’s security filtering feature. It can include machines and filter some users. There is no option to exclude a particular user or system."
"I would like to see the integration with Mac and IOS products improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."
"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."
"It's not overly expensive. It's considered a base function by Microsoft."
"Its price is reasonable."
"Active Directory is an expensive solution, primarily due to Microsoft's licensing model. This licensing approach includes paying for server licenses as well as for each computer that connects to it. However, when working with the Azure cloud, there is no cost for the server. This is profitable and one of the main reasons why Azure Cloud and other cloud-based solutions are being used more."
"The license per user can probably be reduced."
"Active Directory is built-in into Microsoft Windows 10. I'm not an administrator and would not be involved in purchasing decisions for new versions of the software. I have only used the client portion of it, I do not know if there is a cost to using the solution."
"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Insurance Company
9%
Healthcare Company
6%
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Healthcare Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise20
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was pretty straightforward. Actually, we bundled it with some other services offered from Quest to get a volume discount.
What needs improvement with Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
Change Auditor for Active Directory could be improved if the client were more flexible when installed, so if I upgrade the server, I wouldn't have to replace the clients at the same time. I think g...
What is your primary use case for Quest Change Auditor for Active Directory?
My main use case for Change Auditor for Active Directory is auditing changes, finding changes to undo, and break-fix solving issues. For example, I could give you a quick specific example of how I'...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?
The best way to protect this is to use Microsoft Defender. For Microsoft support for Microsoft Active Directory, I would rate it as eight. If I give it 10, it would be too perfect. Eight is fair. M...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?
My main use cases for Microsoft Active Directory are to manage user access and credentials.
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Active Directory?
Regarding Microsoft Active Directory's integration with third-party applications, it depends on the requirements. It's not always linked or combined with Microsoft Active Directory. In my experienc...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

American Airlines, Bank of America, BARCLAYS, ebay, Ford, intel, MARS, MERCK, Microsoft, UBER, VISA
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Change Auditor for Active Directory vs. Microsoft Active Directory and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
919,894 professionals have used our research since 2012.