{
  "id": "microsoft-entra-id-vs-okta-workforce-identity",
  "ids": [
    "microsoft-entra-id",
    "okta-workforce-identity"
  ],
  "title": "Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta: workforce access, licences and lifecycle",
  "heading": "Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta",
  "kicker": "Identity and access comparison",
  "deck": "Compare Entra ID and Okta Workforce Identity for employee sign-in, application provisioning, account removal and the licences needed for the retained policy.",
  "description": "Compare Entra ID and Okta Workforce Identity for employee sign-in, application provisioning, account removal and the licences needed for the retained policy.",
  "answerHeading": "Which identity approach fits the brief?",
  "answer": "Consider Entra ID when its tenant, existing Microsoft entitlements and application integration fit the workforce brief. Consider Okta when its directory, integration and selected suite fit the organisation’s application estate. Test an employee’s full access lifecycle, not only an SSO screen. Advanced policies, provisioning and governance need the actual licence and application scope on both sides.",
  "checkedAt": "2026-10-15",
  "researchTag": "Identity audience, lifecycle and commercial scope",
  "researchLimit": "Official product and commercial scope reviewed. Exercises are proposed for isolated, authorised test accounts; no production identity changes, protection rankings or measured trial outcomes are claimed.",
  "datasetDescription": "Seven identity buying differences, four proposed evaluation briefs and four acceptance checks for Microsoft Entra ID vs Okta.",
  "type": "workflow-buying",
  "rows": [
    [
      "Audience",
      "Workforce identities and connected applications",
      "Workforce identities and connected applications"
    ],
    [
      "Starting directory",
      "Specify the Microsoft tenant and authoritative identity source",
      "Specify the Okta directory and authoritative identity source"
    ],
    [
      "Application access",
      "Validate SSO and the exact app integration",
      "Validate SSO and the exact app integration"
    ],
    [
      "Lifecycle",
      "Scope provisioning and governance under the required licences",
      "Scope lifecycle and governance under the selected suite"
    ],
    [
      "Advanced policies",
      "Free, P1, P2 and related offers differ",
      "Suites and add-ons differ in adaptive and other controls"
    ],
    [
      "Existing subscriptions",
      "Check qualifying Microsoft inclusions before buying",
      "Check retained Okta suites and contract scope"
    ],
    [
      "Commercial basis",
      "Users, licence prerequisites and any added services",
      "Workforce suite, users, annual commitment and add-ons"
    ]
  ],
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "New colleague",
      "question": "Can the intended employee receive only the approved application access?",
      "left": "Use an isolated account with the proposed directory and app assignment.",
      "right": "Use the equivalent isolated account and app assignment.",
      "note": "Record the identity source, approved role and app account created."
    },
    {
      "name": "Role change",
      "question": "Does a move to another team update the connected app correctly?",
      "left": "Exercise the purchased lifecycle and integration path.",
      "right": "Exercise the selected suite’s lifecycle and integration path.",
      "note": "Inspect the application’s effective role as well as the directory group."
    },
    {
      "name": "Device lost",
      "question": "Can the test user recover through the approved process?",
      "left": "Exercise the retained enrolment and recovery policy.",
      "right": "Exercise the retained enrolment and recovery policy.",
      "note": "Use a documented test scenario and keep an accountable recovery owner."
    },
    {
      "name": "Departure",
      "question": "Does removing access have the required effect in the app?",
      "left": "Exercise the intended account and session-removal process.",
      "right": "Exercise the equivalent account and session-removal process.",
      "note": "Inspect app accounts and sessions; disabling directory sign-in is only one part of the brief."
    }
  ],
  "exampleTable": {
    "caption": "Proposed acceptance checks in a non-production application; record your own evidence.",
    "headers": [
      "Requirement",
      "Proposed exercise",
      "Accept when"
    ],
    "rows": [
      [
        "Approved access",
        "Assign a new test colleague to one application",
        "The effective app role matches approval"
      ],
      [
        "Role change",
        "Move the account to another approved role",
        "Old and new app permissions reconcile"
      ],
      [
        "Recovery",
        "Walk through an approved lost-device scenario",
        "Ownership and retained package requirements are clear"
      ],
      [
        "Access removal",
        "Remove the isolated colleague’s access",
        "Directory, app account and session outcomes meet the written requirement"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "lifecycle",
      "title": "Make the connected application part of the evaluation",
      "navLabel": "Employee lifecycle",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Choose an application that matters to the business and define the identity source, approved roles and access-removal requirement. A successful identity-provider login does not show whether the app created or removed the right account.",
        "Record the connector, protocol, provisioning method and app-side permissions. Keep unknown integration behaviour as a gap to resolve rather than awarding it a feature check."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "licence",
      "title": "Price the retained policy and lifecycle",
      "navLabel": "Licence scope",
      "paragraphs": [
        "Microsoft subscription inclusions can change the additional purchase required, but Free, P1, P2 and governance or suite products have different scope. Match each mandatory control to its retained entitlement.",
        "Okta’s current workforce suites and add-ons also differ in lifecycle, governance, device and API scope. Quote the required users and capabilities together, including implementation and support."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Is Entra ID the same name as Azure AD?",
      "answer": "Microsoft Entra ID is the renamed Azure Active Directory service. Other Entra products and legacy directory products have separate scope."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is Auth0’s Free plan a free Okta Workforce plan?",
      "answer": "No. Auth0 customer identity and Okta Workforce Identity are distinct products and commercial contexts."
    },
    {
      "question": "Does this establish which platform is more secure?",
      "answer": "No. It provides scope and acceptance checks, without a protection ranking or comparative security-test result."
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "url": "https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/identity-access/microsoft-entra-id",
      "facts": "Workforce directory and SSO; Free, P1, P2 and related offers have different feature scope."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/fundamentals/licensing",
      "facts": "Entra ID Free is included with qualifying cloud subscriptions; advanced entitlements and suite prerequisites differ."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.okta.com/products/workforce-identity/",
      "facts": "Cloud workforce identity platform and application integration context."
    },
    {
      "url": "https://www.okta.com/pricing/",
      "facts": "Current workforce suites, lifecycle/governance scope, add-ons and annual billing; Auth0 is distinct."
    }
  ],
  "relatedLinks": [
    {
      "path": "/categories/identity-access-management/",
      "title": "Explore identity and access management"
    },
    {
      "path": "/guides/workforce-vs-customer-identity/",
      "title": "Workforce vs customer identity: scope the audience and lifecycle"
    }
  ],
  "downloads": [
    {
      "path": "/downloads/microsoft-entra-id-vs-okta-workforce-identity-evaluation.csv",
      "title": "Download the identity evaluation checklist (CSV)",
      "description": "Four proposed checks with blank evidence and owner fields. Keep the actual audience, application, package and operating arrangement with the evaluation."
    }
  ]
}