Microsoft Entra External ID vs Netwrix Auditor comparison

Microsoft and Netwrix are both solutions in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category. Microsoft is ranked #8 with an average rating of 7.7, while Netwrix is ranked #16 with an average rating of 9.5. Microsoft holds a 2.4% mindshare in IAMS, compared to Netwrix’s 0.6% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Netwrix users who would recommend it.

Microsoft Entra External ID

Read 16 Microsoft Entra External ID reviews

1,414 Views
636 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Netwrix Auditor

Read 8 Netwrix Auditor reviews

1,885 Views
151 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Entra External ID

Netwrix Auditor

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 2, 2024

Netwrix Auditor and Microsoft Entra External ID compete in data management and security. Microsoft Entra External ID is favored for its advanced features, while Netwrix Auditor is appealing for its cost-effective approach and support.

Features: Netwrix Auditor offers comprehensive audit reporting, user activity monitoring, and detailed access change insights. Microsoft Entra External ID focuses on identity management, seamless Microsoft ecosystem integration, and secure external identity solutions.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Microsoft Entra External ID seamlessly integrates within Microsoft environments with extensive support, making deployment straightforward for existing Microsoft users. Netwrix Auditor requires more initial setup but provides strong customer service throughout the implementation phase, suitable for those seeking tailored assistance.

Pricing and ROI: Netwrix Auditor provides competitive pricing with clear ROI through its audit functions, presenting a cost-effective option. Microsoft Entra External ID may incur higher initial costs but delivers significant ROI through enhanced security and management, offering value for those focusing on advanced identity features.

To learn more, read our detailed Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Netwrix Auditor Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Netwrix Auditor

September 2025

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Helped 868,759 peers since 2012

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 Entra External ID

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

8th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) (4th), Microsoft Security Suite (21st)

Netwrix Auditor

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

16th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

GRC (10th), Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) (27th), Active Directory Management (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) category, the mindshare of Microsoft Entra External ID is 2.4%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Netwrix Auditor is 0.6%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Identity and Access Management as a Service (IDaaS) (IAMaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Entra External ID	2.4%
Netwrix Auditor	0.6%
Other	97.0%

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

Featured Reviews

Suresh Kumar Subramaniyan

Manager, Identity & Access Management at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Has supported secure access but still lacks full coverage for external identity challenges

The user experience is acceptable, but Microsoft Entra External ID is not a full-fledged IGA solution. We use different products for complete Identity Governance Administration. Microsoft Entra External ID is suitable for small-scale enterprises implementing identity lifecycle management since most have Active Directory. However, there are several challenges. The out-of-the-box connector has limited features for applications, requiring us to build scheme connectors. While small-scale enterprises can benefit from Microsoft Entra External ID's Identity Governance solution, large-scale enterprises might need different tools from leading market vendors such as SailPoint or Saviynt. Customers face particular challenges with contractor and B2B accounts. Microsoft Entra External ID isn't a complete cloud-based account solution, as it must handle internal employees and collaborate with internal Active Directory. There are delays in the identity lifecycle process, especially for contract partners during onboarding and off-boarding. This might be due to back-end syncing with Active Directory. B2B account removal and provisioning take considerable time. Access governance, particularly access certification for guest users, is time-consuming. Multi-factor authentication enforcement also presents challenges for external users.

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RishiPandit

Lead - Technical Services at Impetus

Optimizing time and effort through comprehensive auditing features

Netwrix Auditor doesn't have many competitors at the level in which it is placed. All other companies provide auditing solutions but not up to the feature list; it is very broad and robust. The best features include flexibility to interact directly with MS-SQL. Real-time alerts help identify potential security threats. The ability to streamline audits with insights into configuration states is helpful, as the access reviews and audit reports are really insightful. This is a good tool. The search functionality is available, but comparative to other vendors, this is a bit slower. Reports are effective; the compliance reports and all the reports are very insightful. That is good.

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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 fact that it is quite integrated into the entire Microsoft environment makes it quite easy to use."

"The positive impact of Microsoft Entra External ID on my organization is that it enhances ease of use for the administrative side."

"The best features of Microsoft Entra External ID include its unification of B2C functionality and B2E features."

"The impact of having multiple authentication types available significantly helps with security practices using Microsoft Entra External ID."

"The single sign-on access is the most useful feature we use."

"Primarily Microsoft Entra External ID SSO is valuable as it works with everything when it comes to integration."

"The most beneficial feature for us is the ease of setup. With about five clicks, we can generate unique IDs and keys and set up in less than 30 minutes. We can also generate these for multiple years simultaneously, which is convenient."

"It's similar to using a Microsoft account to create accounts on other websites. We are also using Microsoft Entra to monitor which applications our guests are using. This allows us to filter, block, or adjust permissions for these applications as needed for our collaborators."

More Microsoft Entra External ID pros

"What I find the most valuable about Netwrix Auditor is the way it shows risk. The reports are very clear."

"The most valuable feature is the real-time monitoring."

"I am impressed with the tool's reporting feature and notifications."

"It maintains audit logs for the duration of time that you wish, as long as you have the storage capacity to do so."

"Netwrix Auditor doesn't have many competitors at the level in which it is placed; all other companies provide auditing solutions but not up to the feature list—it is very broad and robust."

"I have found user behavior analysis and the ability to run risk assessments important features. Additionally, the interface and online documentation are very good."

"The most valuable features of Netwrix Auditor are its affordability compared to similar products and its comprehensive monitoring of admin activities."

"Netwrix provides features that no other solution on the market does."

Cons

"The quality of Microsoft customer support varies. With an enterprise contract, good resources are usually provided, especially in regions like Saudi Arabia or UAE. However, we have faced challenges with support quality, especially in some subcontinent areas where the resources might not be as experienced."

"The training generally is complicated to understand, leading us to often go through a managed service provider."

"There is room for improvement in AI technology for Microsoft Entra External ID, particularly in providing detailed alerts."

"Microsoft's pricing is complex and difficult to fathom due to a range of different licensing options."

"Single sign-on for external applications such as Oracle could be improved to be a little bit cheaper."

"The authentication methods available are very limited, and this presents a weak point."

"The only problem that you might face with Microsoft now is their complex licensing model."

"I would like to see faster synchronization."

More Microsoft Entra External ID cons

"There is room for improvements when it comes to the licensing."

"The solution lacks self-service on password reset. It also needs to improve its scalability."

"There is room for improvement with the introduction of AI functionality."

"In the UI, we have to adjust and resize our console many times, and sometimes it appears, sometimes you have to close and open it, and sometimes it does not give a scroll bar to navigate."

"If you buy direct, there is a minimum of 150 licenses that must be procured. The price point and barrier of entry is a little bit higher than it would be if you purchased the solution from an authorized reseller partner, rather than buying it and managing yourself."

"I expect usability features to become more refined over time. I'm interested to see how it evolves and continues to improve."

"An improvement would be if there was an another way to manage the logs besides email because it's not so practical."

"The Linux compatibility of this solution could be improved."

More Netwrix Auditor cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We don't pay separately for Microsoft Entra External ID as it's part of our Microsoft Exchange subscription."

"There is a license for this solution and we are on an annual license. The price is reasonable."

"The tool's price is fair."

"This solution is reasonably priced. I would rate it a nine out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Entra External ID?

The only problem that you might face with Microsoft now is their complex licensing model.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Entra External ID?

For the last four or five years, I have been in an IT manager function, focusing on making things happen and having technical persons execute tasks. In the last three months, I have transitioned to...

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What is your primary use case for Microsoft Entra External ID?

I am looking for a new solution and investigating existing products. We are already working with Microsoft Intune and SOTI. I have been working in the past with a Kaseya product, specifically Datto...

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What do you like most about Netwrix Auditor?

The most valuable features of Netwrix Auditor are its affordability compared to similar products and its comprehensive monitoring of admin activities.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Netwrix Auditor?

I don't know about the pricing of this, but it is good at this price point because our organization has purchased it, which means it was in budget. We usually do not buy expensive solutions, so the...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Netwrix Auditor?

The areas of improvement include the front end, as the UI should be more intuitive and there should be fewer bugs. In the UI, we have to adjust and resize our console many times, and sometimes it a...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra External ID

September 2025

Download Microsoft Entra External ID product report

Buyer's Guide

Netwrix Auditor

September 2025

Download Netwrix Auditor product report

Also Known As

Azure Active Directory External Identities

No data available

Overview

Microsoft Entra External ID, part of Microsoft Entra, provides highly secure digital experiences for partners, customers, citizens, patients, or any users outside your organization with customization controls. Combine external identities and user directories in one portal to seamlessly manage access across the organization.

Microsoft Entra External ID refers to all the ways you can securely interact with users outside of your organization. If you want to collaborate with partners, distributors, suppliers, or vendors, you can share your resources and define how your internal users can access external organizations. If you're a developer creating consumer-facing apps, you can manage your customers' identity experiences.

With External ID, external users can "bring their own identities." Whether they have a corporate or government-issued digital identity, or an unmanaged social identity like Google or Facebook, they can use their own credentials to sign in. The external user’s identity provider manages their identity, and you manage access to your apps with Entra ID or Entra External ID to keep your resources protected.

The following capabilities make up External ID:

B2B collaboration - Collaborate with external users by letting them use their preferred identity to sign in to your Microsoft applications or other enterprise applications (SaaS apps, custom-developed apps, etc.). B2B collaboration users are represented in your directory, typically as guest users.
B2B direct connect - Establish a mutual, two-way trust with another Azure AD organization for seamless collaboration. B2B direct connect currently supports Teams shared channels, enabling external users to access your resources from within their home instances of Teams. B2B direct connect users aren't represented in your directory, but they're visible from within the Teams shared channel and can be monitored in Teams admin center reports.
Azure AD B2C - Publish modern SaaS apps or custom-developed apps (excluding Microsoft apps) to consumers and customers, while using Azure AD B2C for identity and access management.

Microsoft

Netwrix Auditor is a security-focused solution that monitors IT environments by tracking changes, ensuring compliance, and enhancing visibility into user activities. It offers detailed auditing, real-time alerts, and robust reporting tools. Its intuitive interface and comprehensive features boost efficiency, productivity, and organizational growth.

Netwrix

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

AT&T, SanDisk, Siemens, Verizon, Electrolux, Allianz, Societe Generale

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Netwrix Auditor

September 2025

Free Report: Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Netwrix Auditor

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Entra External ID vs. Netwrix Auditor and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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