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

Microsoft Active Directory vs Tenable Identity Exposure 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 Active Directory Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
Single Sign-On (SSO) (8th)
Tenable Identity Exposure
Ranking in Active Directory Management
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
8.0
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) (23rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Active Directory Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 6.6%, up from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Tenable Identity Exposure is 3.1%, down from 6.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Active Directory Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Active Directory6.6%
Tenable Identity Exposure3.1%
Other90.3%
Active Directory Management
 

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.
Alexandru Cioruta - PeerSpot reviewer
Global Cybersecurity Presales Domain Lead Architect at Eviden France
An easy-to-implement solution that provides good reporting features and protects users’ AD infrastructure
We use Tenable Identity Exposure for our customers who have legacy AD still in use to see any exposure and protect their AD infrastructure as much as possible The solution is easy to implement, and its reporting is great. From the start, you get to see the exposure of your AD. So, it doesn't need…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The scalability of the solution is high...The initial setup of the solution is easy, and I would rate it an eight or nine out of ten on a scale of one to ten, where one being difficult and ten being easy."
"I can control all the devices in my domain by just changing the group policies in one place."
"It is easy to understand all the components."
"One advantage of Active Directory is that you can sync it with Microsoft Office 365, so you can manage on-premise and cloud operations, which can have different requirements. The flexibility of a hybrid management solution is valuable."
"Stability and performance are good. So far, we have not observed any major downtime or performance issues since we deployed it."
"The most valuable feature of Microsoft Active Directory is the group policies."
"The user-friendliness of Microsoft Active Directory is a valuable feature."
"The most valuable feature is the configured appliance system in Hypervisor."
"The solution is easy to implement, and its reporting is great."
 

Cons

"Short-term fixes are like band-aids."
"Sometimes when we create email groups in Microsoft Active Directory and add someone to that group, it takes around 24 to 48 hours for their email account to be synchronized with their Microsoft Office 365 shared mailbox, distribution list, or group."
"I have encountered a few stability issues."
"Typically, it depends on the customer's situation. If the customer operates in smaller locations where most PCs are in a common location, we usually aim to consolidate the directory infrastructure for easier maintenance. However, for distributed setups spanning multiple countries, configuring multiple sites becomes necessary and more intricate to handle. Our objective is to minimize the number of sites, simplifying operations for IT administrators and reducing errors. Mistakes in Active Directory can be costly for organizations, as disruptions can occur rapidly. Moreover, when it comes to hybrid single sign-on across various applications, Microsoft hasn't put forth significant effort. Single sign-on has become a challenge for many customers who utilize diverse solutions beyond Microsoft products. While implementing single sign-on is relatively straightforward in the Azure cloud, it's considerably more complex when dealing with the local Active Directory. This presents a big challenge for many of our customers."
"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."
"There is room for improvement in the support."
"The product could be improved in the area of security."
"Microsoft Active Directory could improve by having better integration with other solutions."
"Tenable Identity Exposure is more expensive than Defender for Identity."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"We have to purchase a license for the solution."
"The product's premium support services are expensive."
"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."
"The pricing is not very expensive. I rate the pricing a five out of ten."
"My company makes payments every quarter towards the licensing costs of the product."
"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."
Information not available
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Active Directory Management 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%
Financial Services Firm
16%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
 

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
 

Also Known As

No data available
Teanble.ad
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about One Identity, Microsoft, Netwrix and others in Active Directory Management. Updated: August 2026.
913,806 professionals have used our research since 2012.