JumpCloud vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

JumpCloud and Microsoft are both solutions in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category. JumpCloud is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while Microsoft is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.5. Additionally, 100% of JumpCloud users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 6, 2025

JumpCloud and Microsoft Active Directory are major competitors in the identity and device management space. JumpCloud seems to have the upper hand due to its flexibility, cloud-based solutions, and ease in integrating applications.

Features: JumpCloud stands out for its ease of management, powerful single sign-on, and device management capabilities. It also supports remote management and offers a cloud-based solution that is ideal for organizations with diverse needs. Its ability to integrate various applications and manage users and devices seamlessly is a notable advantage. Microsoft Active Directory excels in centralized domain management, robust user and group policy management, and fits well within the Microsoft ecosystem. Offering on-premises deployment, it caters to enterprises with complex needs and integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft services.

Room for Improvement: JumpCloud could enhance its mobile device management capabilities and improve integration with platforms like Microsoft 365. The expansion of its feature set to include multi-tenant features and asset management could also be beneficial. Microsoft Active Directory could improve its user-friendliness, especially in reporting capabilities, cloud integration, and overall user interface. Users note the need for easier synchronization between on-premises and cloud environments and enhanced support for multi-factor authentication.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: JumpCloud's cloud-focused platform ensures straightforward deployment in public and hybrid cloud environments. It has strong customer service, with some initial setup challenges noted. Microsoft Active Directory is better suited for on-premises and hybrid deployments, often needing more complex setups. Customer service is generally reliable but proves less responsive during initial setups.

Pricing and ROI: JumpCloud presents a transparent pricing model with feature flexibility, making it a cost-effective choice for startups and enterprises looking for cloud-based management. It offers significant ROI through streamlined management and compliance capabilities. Microsoft Active Directory varies in cost based on server licenses and user CALs, but its integration within Microsoft environments often justifies the higher expenses. Users benefit from its renowned enterprise capabilities, though initial costs may be higher.

To learn more, read our detailed JumpCloud vs. Microsoft Active Directory Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

JumpCloud vs. Microsoft Active Directory

September 2025

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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

iboss

Featured Reviews

Matt Crockford

Head of Cybersecurity at SES Water

It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless

One aspect we value about iboss is its simplicity. Their customer service is brilliant, and they are super responsive and knowledgeable. It's easy to roll out, and their understanding of our business made it seamless. We were impressed by the solution's mental health function, which can detect if someone needs help. It scans what users are browsing and flags warning signs so we can check to see if they are okay. We've had to use it a couple of times. The user interface is highly intuitive. Our IT team picked it up with minimal training. It's arranged so that it's easy to find where things are. Another advantage is the single pane of glass console, which gives you visibility into what's happening. We're not fully there yet because we haven't implemented zero trust, but we're excited about the possibilities from the demos we've seen. We launched a POC of iboss' ChatGPT Risk Protection feature two weeks ago. AI is a great tool, but you need to be careful what you put into it. My biggest fear is employees inputting sensitive corporate information or customer PII data into one of these chatbots. I was impressed by our trial of the feature. It's exactly what we wanted. Now, when a user goes to ChatGPT, there's a banner warning them not to share information, and we can block conversations containing customer data like bank details and email addresses. I don't want to stop people from using it, but we need visibility. We've only tried it on a test group of 15 people. You can configure it to look for specific keywords or integrate it with your DLP policy if you have that configured

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MuhammadAzhar Khan

Senior DevOps Engineer at Alibaba Group

Manage multiple cloud platforms seamlessly with unified credentials

The most impactful feature of JumpCloud is that it allows me to use one credential for all platforms or accounts, reducing the need to remember multiple credentials. This feature is highly beneficial for user management, particularly for clients with multiple cloud accounts. Additionally, JumpCloud simplifies the workflow when I work with different cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, by integrating directory and credential management.

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Giovanni Baruzzi

Owner at Syntlogo GmbH

Mature technology delivers consistent capability and enhances centralized user management

I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Directory with third-party applications is that it can be made better. It's not the tendency of Microsoft to use a standard, but to modify it to their needs. This is catastrophic if you have to integrate other applications that use the same standard. This creates a major problem, so you have to be very careful and implement step by step, knowing that the partner is Microsoft. I would leave Microsoft Active Directory as it is and build possibly interfaces. For example, there is a provisioning protocol standard named SCIM. It seems that Microsoft Active Directory does not yet have a SCIM interface, which is a problem.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The console is cloud-based, which is something I really appreciate."

"The security aspect of the solution, particularly the malware behind it, is excellent. That's something that really helped us out. It's not just a simple proxy that just blocks the insights of potential threats that come on behind it. They do malware detection and that helps us a lot."

"iboss is easy to use despite its complexity. Multiple engineers manage it, but it's significantly more straightforward to administer than traditional VPNs and web proxies."

"It was a very easy product to install. It can be deployed very fast."

"Our primary use case for this product is DLP,"

"First of all, the security policies are essential. I do not have to rely solely on Active Directory for our users."

"Valuable features: Within the filter: Controls (Web categories, applications, and Allow/Block list) and Network (local Subnets). Within the reporter: Logs (Event Log) and Reports."

"From a use-case scenario, what I like the most is the plug-in. I like the fact that we can do the filtering of these devices offsite independent of the network they are connected to, and we do not have to have traffic coming back inside our network."

More iboss pros

"Some of the most valuable features of Jumpcloud have been the use of the policies. They have been very helpful. There are modules in there for policies where you can create your own which indirectly are GPOs similar to what you have for Microsoft environments, however, they are only doing registry changes. They are very powerful and useful. Additionally, having your directory and SSO in one spot is another thing that they provide in application management. Adding, removing, and updating applications are in one place for desktop administration."

"Azure Cloud services are on time and run well and if we use a JumpCloud, the benefits we receive are the ease of management and the solution is completely user-friendly. End users can do identity management easily."

"The most valuable feature of JumpCloud, it provides a convenient and streamlined solution for me to access and manage all of the features I require in one centralized location. This eliminates the need for me to worry about hiring individuals to manage these tasks, as well as eliminating concerns surrounding hardware, updates, and licenses. With JumpCloud, I am able to receive the services I need in a timely and efficient manner, which has significantly reduced my stress and alleviated a great deal of the issues I once faced. This is especially important as I am often bound by laws, regulations, contracts, and customer demands to keep up with various tasks. With JumpCloud, I am able to manage everything I need in one place, giving me visibility and control over aspects that I previously had to manage through multiple systems."

"The interface is clean and user-friendly. Setting up new devices or setting up new users inside the system is easy. Also, it integrates with Office 365, which is pretty much a must for our organization."

"The usual authentication and authorization, which were all controlled into one portal, are very convenient."

"The most impactful feature of JumpCloud is that it allows me to use one credential for all platforms or accounts, reducing the need to remember multiple credentials."

"Ability to integrate all applications."

"After deploying to the cloud, we had remote device management on all of our corporate laptops."

More JumpCloud pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is authentication."

"Audit, authentication and authorization are the best features."

"Having active deployment and well-configured systems helps me manage tasks and easily oversee thousands of users."

"The Solution's most important feature is that it can merge with a cloud-based active directory via Azure AD Connect."

"It is a stable solution."

"These Group Policies provide enhancement, helping to reduce administrative overhead and enhance productivity."

"The solution is stable."

"It is very user-friendly."

More Microsoft Active Directory pros

Cons

"I'd like to see them accelerate development on the security side, particularly around data loss prevention."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"SSL decryption: We had issues with learners using apps instead of using web browsers. This type of encryption is tough for any appliance in a BYOD environment."

"I am currently doing a PoC of the zero trust aspect of it. Compared to other similar solutions, it is hard to get around each feature. It takes a while to get used to it."

"Our biggest problem with their service was it did not recognize the device and filtering did not always work correctly."

"The reporting feature needs improvement. It doesn't give you the expected results. It is quite difficult to get the specific reports needed, and it is not as intuitive as the rest of the platform."

"Our iboss subscription access should be more secure with an OTP or VPN etc. It is easy to gain access if, for example, hackers obtain my username and password."

"Iboss is growing so fast that it is often hard for them to keep up with the challenges."

More iboss cons

"JumpCloud could improve the user interface. While it has certainly come a long way, there is still room for improvement in terms of simplifying and making it more intuitive for the user. In my opinion, the UI/UE could benefit from some modifications to enhance the overall user experience. I have suggested some changes to JumpCloud regarding this matter as I believe that they have the potential to further enhance the platform and make it even more user-friendly. There are certain small features within the system that users may not be familiar with, as they may have previously used different systems with different user interfaces."

"The capability to get alerts would be great when CPU or RAM is high on an endpoint, or when a disk is failing. It would be great to get an alert rather than having to go looking for it."

"JumpCloud can improve in its synchronization of identities. More specifically, groups with Office 365. They've been working on it, but it's not where I would necessarily like it to be."

"The visual tool and interface must be more fine-tuned."

"Lacks the ability to have various VPN applications."

"The product needs to create its own self-service feature which has been requested by all the admins in the community."

"The querying for users in Jumpcloud could be improved, it is sometimes difficult to use. When you're trying to query a user and you spell out their name, you don't receive that person. Sometimes you receive a list of people with the same first name or last name. This could be better."

"I would like to see some support for printers, especially network printers, through the application."

More JumpCloud cons

"The scalability of the solution needs improvement."

"The security features could be improved."

"There is room for improvement in the support."

"Microsoft Active Directory restricts most of the features our company's employees want to use since they are involved in research and development activities."

"The cloud service of Microsoft Active Directory is an area with certain shortcomings that need improvement."

"Active Directory's user experience is a little dated. Group policy management should be more customizable."

"It could be more stable."

"There has been a change in the layout of the user information. Previously, I had to go to properties to view the information, but now it is displayed directly below the search results. It takes some time to get used to."

More Microsoft Active Directory cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is not expensive, and it is also not cheap. iboss is priced right in the sweet spot for the number of features it offers."

"We have not priced the solution recently, but they were competitive with other vendors in the past."

"The overall pricing for iboss is very competitive and transparent."

"We had the cost of purchasing a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs. However, the following year, the cost of just licensing was similar to what was paid the previous year for a new appliance along with the implementation and licensing costs."

"It is expensive compared to one of its competitors."

"It is probably in line with other solutions, but I do not deal with the financial side."

"JumpCloud's monthly license costs around $25 for the complete solution."

"The pricing model changed about 18 months ago. It used to be that you got 10 users free, and then you paid for any user above 10 users. Now, when you go above 10 users, you pay for every user. It has become a bit more expensive, but it's such a good product. When you take into account Microsoft licenses, if you were to run Active Directory, you'd need a server to put it on, or you would need a couple of servers, backup, etc. It's a no-brainer. JumpCloud is so much easier to manage from my perspective, regardless of the cost increase. It's just brilliant."

"The cost was around $5 per user per month."

"We are using an enterprise license for JumpCloud. We have purchased a license for approximately $3,000 a year, but we are charged more than $135,000 annually."

"The cost of the solution is approximately $12 per user. However, the cost depends on what modules you're using. They have an all-in-one package and they do have tiers. For example, the more users you have, the cheaper it ends up being in the end too. I know they've done some changes to the pricing model and I haven't been involved in a lot of the licensing lately. I don't know the exact cost at this time."

"Licensing cost can be anywhere between $2 and $18 a month depending on what you want to do."

"I am pretty sure that the cost to acquire JumpCloud is less. They have à la carte or per-user pricing. The pricing is there on their webpage. I am not sure if they have any enterprise pricing or discounts if you have more users. But the overall pricing is less than Okta."

"The solution is pretty expensive."

More JumpCloud pricing and cost advice

"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."

"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."

"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."

"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."

"The license per user can probably be reduced."

"I'm unsure about the cost of the solution, as I was never involved in that aspect. However, I don't think it would be expensive. It might be average, around four or five out of ten."

"Microsoft Active Directory is not an expensive solution."

"The product's premium support services are expensive."

More Microsoft Active Directory pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Comms Service Provider

17%

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

Retailer

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	13
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	20

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with iboss?

For zero trust implementation, we encountered complexity issues, especially with a large infrastructure company Exxon...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for iboss?

Previously when I used iboss, we did the POC for iboss for ExxonMobil. Four or five people wanted to move from our ol...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for iboss?

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing, iboss is not cheap, and that's my only concern. There are cheaper alte...

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What do you like most about JumpCloud?

The product enables device management.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for JumpCloud?

AWS charges per user, which can be costly if I have more than ten users. Third-party platforms tend to be cheaper tha...

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What needs improvement with JumpCloud?

I would like AWS to integrate more cloud platforms with JumpCloud, such as Alibaba or Oracle. This would be helpful, ...

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What do you like most about Microsoft Active Directory?

The solution is easy to install and has good reliability.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?

I think Microsoft Active Directory could be more intuitive. My impression of the integration of Microsoft Active Dire...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?

My usual use case for Microsoft Active Directory is to share groups of authorization among many different application...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

iboss

September 2025

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Buyer's Guide

JumpCloud

September 2025

Download JumpCloud product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Active Directory

September 2025

Download Microsoft Active Directory product report

Also Known As

iBoss Cloud Platform

Resmo

No data available

Overview

iboss offers a comprehensive security platform designed for diverse use cases such as web filtering, data loss protection, corporate proxy services, and URL filtering.

iboss integrates advanced features to address dynamic security needs, leveraging its strength in SASE, ZTNA, AI initiatives, and cloud integration, while ensuring seamless operations for remote work. It excels in historical forensics, malware protection, and flexible cloud deployments. Users benefit from comprehensive traffic scanning, robust malware detection, and PaaS capabilities that reduce hardware management. An intuitive admin console ensures efficient management with content filtering and low false positives. SSL decryption enhances security, while DLP protects data in AI conversations. Deployment is rapid and scalable, allowing effortless integration with emerging technologies.

What features does iboss offer?

Granular Web Filtering: Provides precise control over web content access.
Traffic Scanning: Monitors data through multiple ports for security breaches.
Malware Detection: Ensures superior protection against malware threats.
PaaS Capabilities: Eliminates need for hardware management.
SSL Decryption: Enhances data protection by decrypting secure connections.
DLP Capabilities: Safeguards data during AI interactions.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Scalability: Adapts quickly to growing demands and emerging tech integration.
Rapid Deployment: Reduces time to implement security measures.
User-Friendly Admin Console: Facilitates efficient operations management.
Low False Positives: Increases accuracy of threat detection systems.

iboss finds significant application in sectors such as education, where web filtering for K-12 is crucial, and in corporate environments requiring robust proxy services and URL filtering for network security. Its adaptability is essential in scenarios demanding flexible, decentralized security frameworks, particularly for remote work setups.

iboss

JumpCloud offers efficient device management, single sign-on, and integration capabilities. It integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, streamlining user management across diverse environments.

JumpCloud delivers device, user, and application management across platforms like Windows, Mac, Linux, and cloud services such as AWS and Azure. Acting as a cloud-based directory, it facilitates single sign-on and identity access management, making it an attractive replacement for Active Directory and LDAP directories. Its policy management and centralized directory simplify user and device administration, offering a user-friendly interface with flexible access control and remote management. Organizations can experience streamlined onboarding and offboarding processes, robust authentication, and scalability. Despite being powerful, room for improvement is noted in alert capabilities, comprehensive MDM for Windows, multi-tenant features, and API reliability.

What are the key features of JumpCloud?

Device Management: Manage Windows, Mac, and Linux devices efficiently.
Single Sign-on: Seamlessly integrate with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace.
Centralized Directory: Simplifies administration by consolidating user credentials.
Policy Management: Enforce policies and provide VPN access.
Remote Management: Provides flexible access control.

Why should users consider JumpCloud?

Streamlined Onboarding/Offboarding: Efficient user management saves time.
Robust Authentication: Enhances security through strong credential management.
Scalability: Adapts well to growing business needs.
Integration Capabilities: Supports seamless connections with cloud applications.

Companies across industries utilize JumpCloud for comprehensive management of devices and user identities. It is especially beneficial in technology-driven sectors where centralized directory services replace traditional Active Directory and LDAP models. Organizations employing platforms like AWS and Azure find it essential for maintaining efficient and secure access management.

JumpCloud

Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

This data store, also known as the directory, contains information about Active Directory objects. These objects typically include shared resources such as servers, volumes, printers, and the network user and computer accounts.

Security is integrated with Active Directory through logon authentication and access control to objects in the directory. With a single network logon, administrators can manage directory data and organization throughout their network, and authorized network users can access resources anywhere on the network. Policy-based administration eases the management of even the most complex network.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

More than 4,000 global enterprises trust the iboss Cloud Platform to support their modern workforces, including a large number of Fortune 50 companies.

Cars.com, GoFundMe, Grab, ClassPass, Uplight, Beyond Finance, Foursquare

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

JumpCloud vs. Microsoft Active Directory

September 2025

Free Report: JumpCloud vs. Microsoft Active Directory

Find out what your peers are saying about JumpCloud vs. Microsoft Active Directory and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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