No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Microsoft Active Directory vs SAP Single Sign-On comparison

Why PeerSpot?
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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

Microsoft Active Directory
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
8th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Active Directory Management (2nd)
SAP Single Sign-On
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
32nd
Average Rating
10.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.5
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 2.8%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP Single Sign-On is 0.9%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Single Sign-On (SSO) Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Active Directory2.8%
SAP Single Sign-On0.9%
Other96.3%
Single Sign-On (SSO)
 

Featured Reviews

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.
AhmedHaridy - PeerSpot reviewer
Managing Director at Emkan
A flexible solution that has two-factor authentication feature
The solution has been integrated into our mobile workforce using SAP IAS. This service links all SAP products with a central authentication platform, allowing users to access various systems and functionalities. We can easily integrate this solution with Active Directory or other solutions such as Microsoft or IBM. Additionally, SAP IAS also supports digital authentication, not only for SAP but also for other platforms like Microsoft Azure. Customers can quickly establish user authentication with SAP IAS in just a few minutes, enabling secure access to specific products or systems based on predefined rules. The two-factor authentication feature of SAP Single Sign-On is highly valuable for enhancing security. It allows users to access SAP products using various authentication methods, such as Microsoft user or their authentication service. This ensures secure access to all systems, both SAP and non-SAP, while giving the company control over user access. Additionally, the solution offers location-based access control. We find that it's already quite flexible and doesn't require much customization. It's mainly about configuration, which doesn't demand technical expertise. Customers often delve deeper into the solution's features to understand how to use it more effectively. They ask questions that are already addressed within the platform. This reliance on the solution's features, alongside their internal on-premises systems, has a very positive impact. The tool is compatible with different products.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution’s management capability is very good. The tool is also very scalable. You can add any number of users that you want to operate. Moreover, you can easily organize the solution."
"It is a stable solution."
"I find the product makes it easier to enhance various tools with Microsoft Active Directory."
"One valuable feature is the centralized creation of IDs."
"It's useful in bringing order to the system."
"The features and capabilities of Microsoft Active Directory that I have found the most valuable over the years are that it is a mature technology, it's stable, and it delivers what it promises."
"We find the user interface valuable as it is very user-friendly."
"It's quite easy to integrate into other directories."
"The solution has been integrated into our mobile workforce using SAP IAS. This service links all SAP products with a central authentication platform, allowing users to access various systems and functionalities. We can easily integrate this solution with Active Directory or other solutions such as Microsoft or IBM. Additionally, SAP IAS also supports digital authentication, not only for SAP but also for other platforms like Microsoft Azure. Customers can quickly establish user authentication with SAP IAS in just a few minutes, enabling secure access to specific products or systems based on predefined rules."
 

Cons

"I would like to see more integration with cloud-based applications. This would make it easier to manage users and devices across multiple platforms."
"Could use more structure in the cloud version."
"The solution should maintain the infrastructure according to the period you are in and the security changes."
"The DNS services could improve in Microsoft Active Directory."
"If you are using the Active Directory, the main concern is that the policy is restricted to the specific local area network."
"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."
"The product could be improved in the area of security."
"Perhaps the synchronization could be simpler and more controllable. There are some features that need improvements in terms of ease of use and frequency of updates."
"The only improvement I suggest for SAP Single Sign-On concerns employees without emails. We addressed this by allowing users to set up security questions themselves. However, to further enhance this, integrating with mobile SMS for password resets could be beneficial."
 

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 price of Microsoft Active Directory could improve. We pay annually for the solution."
"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."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."
"The pricing is not very expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"We have to purchase a license for the solution."
"The version of Microsoft Active Directory I was using was expensive because it was used for large companies."
"It's not overly expensive. It's considered a base function by Microsoft."
"The tool is free of cost."
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions are best for your needs.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Outsourcing Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Healthcare Company
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

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

Questions from the Community

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...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
1. Adidas 2. Aetna 3. Airbus 4. Allianz 5. American Express 6. AstraZeneca 7. Audi 8.Bayer 9. BMW 10. Boeing 11. Cisco 12. Coca-Cola 13. Colgate-Palmolive 14. Dell 15. Eni 16. Ericsson 17. ExxonMobil 18. Ford 19. General Electric 20. Google 21. Hewlett Packard 22. Honeywell 23. IBM 24. Intel 25. Johnson & Johnson 26. JPMorgan Chase 27. Kellogg's 28. L'Oreal 29. Merck 30. Nestle 31. Nike 32. PG
Find out what your peers are saying about Okta, Microsoft, Cisco and others in Single Sign-On (SSO). Updated: August 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.