Microsoft Entra External ID vs Descope.
Last verified 2026-06-06
When Microsoft Entra External ID wins
- Microsoft Entra External ID has compliance: iso 27018; Descope does not
- Microsoft Entra External ID has DX: graphql api; Descope does not
When Descope wins
- Descope has MCP support for AI agents; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Descope has auth: magic links; Microsoft Entra External ID does not
- Descope has auth: passwordless only flows; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Descope has authz: fine grained permissions; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Descope has B2B Organizations / multi-tenant model; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
Both win
- Both support WebAuthn passkeys natively
- Both support social login at scale
- Both have SOC 2 Type II
Pricing comparison
| MAU band | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 MAU | $0/mo | $99/mo |
| 100,000 MAU | $165/mo | $850/mo |
| 500,000 MAU | $1,500/mo | $3,000/mo |
| 1,000,000 MAU | $3,300/mo | $5,800/mo |
Side-by-side capability matrix
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Password authentication | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Social login | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Magic links | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
| SMS OTP | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Email OTP | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| TOTP (authenticator app) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Push MFA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| WebAuthn / passkeys | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Biometric | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Hardware security keys | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| SAML SSO | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| OIDC SSO | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| OAuth 2.0 SSO | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Enterprise federation | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Passwordless-only flows | ~ Partial | ✓ Yes |
| Adaptive MFA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Step-up auth | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| RBAC | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ABAC | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ReBAC | ✕ No | ~ Partial |
| FGA engine | ✕ No | ~ Partial |
| API authorization | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Fine-grained permissions | ~ Partial | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service registration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Progressive profiling | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Self-service account | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Bulk user import | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Admin user search | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Custom user metadata | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Organizations / tenants | ~ Partial | ✓ Yes |
| Multi-tenancy | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GraphQL API | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| SDKs | 11 listed | 14 listed |
| CLI | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Terraform provider | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Local emulator | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Extension model | Azure Functions + Custom policies (External Identities) | Flows (no-code visual editor) + Connectors |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Bot detection | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Breached password detection | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Brute-force protection | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Anomaly detection | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Log streams | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Audit logs | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GDPR data export | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| PII minimization | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Post-quantum roadmap | ~ Partial | ✕ No |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| MCP support | ~ Partial | ✓ Yes |
| OAuth 2.1 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Dynamic client registration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Agent vs human token separation | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Web Bot Auth | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ISO 27018 | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| HIPAA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| PCI DSS | Level 1 | ✕ No |
| GDPR | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| CCPA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| FedRAMP | High | ✕ No |
| EU data residency | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Microsoft Entra External ID | Descope |
|---|---|---|
| Consent management | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Preference center | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Purpose-specific consent | ✕ No | ~ Partial |
| Integrates with CMPs | n/a | n/a |
FAQ
- How does Microsoft Entra External ID compare to Descope on pricing?
- Microsoft Entra External ID prices on tiered-mau; Descope prices on tiered-mau. See the pricing comparison table on this page for our editorial estimates at 10k / 100k / 500k / 1M MAU using the standard methodology assumptions.
- Should I switch from Microsoft Entra External ID to Descope?
- Switching is a 60–90 day exercise in either direction once SDK rewrites and hooks/Actions migration are accounted for. If your team is hitting cost or feature ceilings on Microsoft Entra External ID, evaluate Descope on the specific axes flagged in the "When Descope wins" list. If you're operating well within Microsoft Entra External ID, the switching cost rarely pays back.
- Do Microsoft Entra External ID and Descope both support passkeys?
- Both Microsoft Entra External ID and Descope support WebAuthn passkeys natively per public documentation. Adoption rates depend on orchestration quality (device-aware prompting, conditional UI), not raw protocol support, see the passwordless guide for the orchestration question.
This comparison is auto-generated from the underlying capability matrix and pricing data on each vendor's profile. Editorial verdict lists below are seeded heuristically from the matrix diff; a maintainer review refines them before the page goes public.