Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta Workforce Identity

Microsoft Entra ID is the most direct competitor to Okta and the strongest choice for Microsoft-centric organizations. Where Okta excels at vendor-neutral SSO with the broadest application integration network, Entra ID provides deeper value for organizations already paying for Microsoft 365 by including identity capabilities in existing licensing. Entra ID's conditional access engine is among the most sophisticated available, while Okta offers a more consistent experience across non-Microsoft applications.

Choose Microsoft Entra ID if your organization is built on Microsoft 365 and Azure — the identity capabilities included in your existing licensing make it the most cost-effective option with the deepest ecosystem integration. Choose Okta if you need a vendor-neutral identity layer that provides the best SSO experience across a diverse application landscape spanning multiple cloud providers.

Okta Workforce Identity starts at SSO from $2/user/month; Adaptive MFA from $6/user/month (per-user tiers (billed annually)). Microsoft Entra ID starts at Free tier with M365; P1 $6/user/mo; P2 $9/user/mo (per-user (bundled with microsoft licenses)). As always, the sticker price only tells part of the story. Factor in add-ons, implementation costs, and what's actually included at each tier.

It depends on how deeply Microsoft Entra ID is embedded in your stack. Most teams run both in parallel for a few weeks before cutting over. Check whether Okta Workforce Identity supports importing your existing configs or policies. That's usually the biggest time sink.