Microsoft Entra vs Ping Identity for workforce IAM
SHORT ANSWER
Editorial assessment · Desk research from public vendor material · Reviewed 2026-09-29
Scores by criterion
The Entra app gallery "contains thousands of applications"; no exact count is published.
Marketplace lists 350+ connectors; federation across OAuth, OIDC, SAML and WS-Federation.
Source: Ping Identity
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Windows Hello for Business, platform credential for macOS, synced passkeys, FIDO2 keys and certificate-based authentication.
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Customer-held signing keys are not described on the pages reviewed.
Customer-held signing keys are not described on the pages reviewed.
Source: Ping Identity pricing
Higher score: Tie
SCIM 2.0, LDAP, SQL, REST, SOAP and PowerShell connectors, including on-premises targets.
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Entra Agent ID is generally available to all Entra customers.
Announced agent discovery and governance and Programmable Identity in May 2026, with availability varying by product and region.
Source: Ping Identity press, 27 May 2026
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Essential $3 and Plus $6 per user per month, with a 5,000-user annual minimum.
Source: Ping Identity pricing
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Weighted total
Microsoft Entra 8.3 / 10 · Ping Identity 7.2 / 10
Higher score: Microsoft Entra
Where each one scores higher
Microsoft Entra scores higher on
- app integration breadth (8 vs 7)
- phishing-resistant sign-in (9 vs 7)
- provisioning to apps (9 vs 8)
- AI agent identities (8 vs 7)
- pricing transparency (9 vs 8)
Ping Identity scores higher on
No criterion on this page.
Pricing, side by side
Microsoft Entra
- Entra ID Free: $0 per user per month
- Entra ID P1: $7 per user per month
- Entra ID P2: $10 per user per month
included with Microsoft cloud subscriptions; per user per month, annual commitment.
P1 is included in Microsoft 365 E3 and Business Premium; P2 is included in Microsoft 365 E5.
Source: Microsoft Entra pricing
As published on 2026-09-29.
Ping Identity
- PingOne for Workforce Essential: $3 per user per month
- PingOne for Workforce Plus: $6 per user per month
per user per month, annual contract.
Published prices are based on an annual contract with a 5,000-user minimum.
Source: Ping Identity pricing
As published on 2026-09-29.
Which should you choose?
Choose Microsoft Entra if phishing-resistant sign-in and pricing transparency matter most. It scores 9 and 9 on them. Windows Hello for Business, platform credential for macOS, synced passkeys, FIDO2 keys and certificate-based authentication.
Choose Ping Identity if pricing transparency and provisioning to apps matter most. It scores 8 and 8 on them. Essential $3 and Plus $6 per user per month, with a 5,000-user annual minimum.
Questions
Which scores higher overall, Microsoft Entra or Ping Identity?
On our weights for workforce IAM, Microsoft Entra scores 8.3 / 10 and Ping Identity 7.2 / 10. Totals are the weighted average of six criterion scores; the weights are listed on the Workforce IAM page.
Where does Microsoft Entra score higher than Ping Identity?
On app integration breadth, phishing-resistant sign-in, provisioning to apps, AI agent identities and pricing transparency.
Where does Ping Identity score higher than Microsoft Entra?
On none of the six criteria on this page.
Related
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: application gallery: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/enterprise-apps/overview-application-gallery
- Microsoft Learn: authentication methods: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/authentication/concept-authentication-methods
- Microsoft Learn: app provisioning: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/app-provisioning/user-provisioning
- Microsoft Learn: agent identities for AI agents: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/agent-id/identity-professional/microsoft-entra-agent-identities-for-ai-agents
- Microsoft Entra pricing: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/microsoft-entra-pricing
- Ping Identity: https://www.pingidentity.com/en.html
- Ping Identity pricing: https://www.pingidentity.com/en/platform/pricing.html
- Ping Identity press, 27 May 2026: https://press.pingidentity.com/2026-05-27-Ping-Identity-Redefines-the-Identity-Control-Plane-for-the-Agentic-Enterprise