Ping Identity vs Microsoft Entra External ID.
Last verified 2026-05-07
When Ping Identity wins
- Ping Identity has fine-grained authorization (Zanzibar-style); Microsoft Entra External ID does not
- Ping Identity has auth: magic links; Microsoft Entra External ID does not
- Ping Identity has auth: passwordless only flows; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Ping Identity has authz: fine grained permissions; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Ping Identity has B2B Organizations / multi-tenant model; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
- Ping Identity has security: pii minimization; Microsoft Entra External ID does partially
When Microsoft Entra External ID wins
- Microsoft Entra External ID has DX: graphql api; Ping Identity does not
Both win
- Both support WebAuthn passkeys natively
- Both support social login at scale
- Both have SOC 2 Type II
Pricing comparison
| MAU band | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 MAU | Quote | $0/mo |
| 100,000 MAU | $6,000/mo | $165/mo |
| 500,000 MAU | $18,000/mo | $1,500/mo |
| 1,000,000 MAU | $30,000/mo | $3,300/mo |
Side-by-side capability matrix
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| Password authentication | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Social login | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Magic links | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| 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 | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Adaptive MFA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Step-up auth | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| RBAC | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ABAC | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ReBAC | ~ Partial | ✕ No |
| FGA engine | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| API authorization | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Fine-grained permissions | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Multi-tenancy | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GraphQL API | ✕ No | ✓ Yes |
| SDKs | 10 listed | 11 listed |
| CLI | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Terraform provider | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Local emulator | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Extension model | DaVinci flow orchestration + custom node SDK | Azure Functions + Custom policies (External Identities) |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Post-quantum roadmap | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| MCP support | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| OAuth 2.1 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Dynamic client registration | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Agent vs human token separation | ~ Partial | ~ Partial |
| Web Bot Auth | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| SOC 2 Type II | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ISO 27001 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| ISO 27018 | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| HIPAA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| PCI DSS | Level 1 | Level 1 |
| GDPR | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| CCPA | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| FedRAMP | High | High |
| EU data residency | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Capability | Ping Identity | Microsoft Entra External ID |
|---|---|---|
| Consent management | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Preference center | ✓ Yes | ~ Partial |
| Purpose-specific consent | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| Integrates with CMPs | 2 listed | n/a |
FAQ
- How does Ping Identity compare to Microsoft Entra External ID on pricing?
- Ping Identity prices on tiered-mau; Microsoft Entra External ID 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 Ping Identity to Microsoft Entra External ID?
- 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 Ping Identity, evaluate Microsoft Entra External ID on the specific axes flagged in the "When Microsoft Entra External ID wins" list. If you're operating well within Ping Identity, the switching cost rarely pays back.
- Do Ping Identity and Microsoft Entra External ID both support passkeys?
- Both Ping Identity and Microsoft Entra External ID 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.