Comparison

EntraGuard vs Competitors

An honest, feature-by-feature comparison of Entra ID and Microsoft 365 security audit solutions. See how EntraGuard compares to built-in tools, open-source frameworks, and enterprise identity platforms.

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Neo4j Attack Path Analysis

The only Entra ID audit tool with a built-in Neo4j graph database for attack path detection and interactive graph exploration. Visualise paths to Global Admin, privilege escalation chains, and MFA gaps.

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4 compliance frameworks

CIS M365 v3.1, NIST 800-53 Rev5, ISO 27001:2022, and SOC 2 Type II. Export per-framework PDF reports with coverage scores and per-control pass/fail detail. No other Entra tool covers all four.

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Swiss sovereignty

100% self-hosted via Docker. Zero telemetry, no cloud dependency. Swiss company (Geneva) under nFADP. Your Entra ID data never leaves your infrastructure.

Feature comparison matrix

Feature EntraGuard Secure Score Maester Ping Identity CrowdStrike Semperis ADAudit+
Data collection
Microsoft Graph API collectors
Users, Groups, Roles, Apps, SPs
Conditional Access Policies
PIM roles & policies
Authentication Methods & MFA
LDAP on-premise AD collection
Incremental (delta) collection
Realtime change notifications
Analysis & findings
40+ security finding rules
Neo4j attack path analysis
Interactive graph explorer
MITRE ATT&CK mapping
Security score with A-F grading
Score diff & trend tracking
Hybrid AD rules (cloud + on-prem)
License-aware recommendations
Compliance & reporting
CIS M365 v3.1 benchmark
NIST 800-53 Rev5
ISO 27001:2022
SOC 2 Type II
PDF / HTML / Markdown reports
Per-finding PDF export
Contextual remediation steps
Operations
Scheduled scans (cron)
Notifications (Slack, Teams, webhook)
API keys for SIEM integration
Multi-tenant (up to 10 tenants)
Risk acceptance workflow
Deployment & sovereignty
Self-hosted (on-premise)
Docker deployment
Zero telemetry
Data stays on-premise
Pricing
Free / open-source tier
Transparent public pricing
Yes Partial No

Pricing comparison

Solution Pricing model Typical annual cost Free tier
EntraGuard Fixed monthly/annual €179 - €449/year 14-day trial
Microsoft Secure Score Included with M365 $0 (requires M365 subscription) Free with M365
Maester Free (open-source) $0 Fully free (MIT)
Ping Identity Per-user, quote-based $36 - $96/user/year None
CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Per-endpoint + platform $15-30/endpoint/year (on top of Falcon) None
Semperis DSP Quote-based (per-forest) $25,000 - $150,000+ None
ManageEngine ADAudit Plus Per-DC / workstation $595+ (scales by DCs) Free (25 workstations)

Pricing based on publicly available information as of April 2026. Enterprise pricing varies by deployment size and negotiation.

Detailed competitor analysis

Microsoft Secure Score

Built-in M365 security posture score

Cloud-only (Microsoft 365 Defender portal).

Microsoft Secure Score is a free, built-in feature of the Microsoft 365 Defender portal. It provides a numerical score based on your tenant configuration, with improvement actions grouped by category (Identity, Device, Apps, Data). It is the natural starting point for any M365 security review.

Strengths

  • Included free with any M365 subscription
  • No deployment needed — available in the Defender portal
  • Covers identity, device, app, and data protection categories
  • Provides improvement actions with direct links to settings
  • Updated automatically as Microsoft adds new checks

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • No attack path analysis or graph-based exploration
  • No compliance mapping (CIS, NIST, ISO, SOC 2)
  • No exportable PDF/HTML reports — browser-only dashboard
  • Cannot be self-hosted — data processed in Microsoft cloud
  • No LDAP on-premise AD analysis (cloud-only scope)
  • No per-finding PDF export with remediation details
  • No MITRE ATT&CK mapping per finding
  • No scheduled audit scans or trend tracking over time
  • No notification system (Slack, Teams webhook, etc.)
  • No multi-tenant overview from a single pane
Pricing: Free — included with Microsoft 365 E3/E5, Business Premium, and Defender subscriptions.

Maester

Open-source PowerShell Entra ID testing framework

Runs locally via PowerShell. No Docker deployment.

Maester is a community-driven, open-source PowerShell framework for testing Microsoft Entra ID and M365 security configuration. It uses Pester (PowerShell testing framework) and the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK to run a library of security checks, with a focus on CIS M365 benchmarks.

Strengths

  • Fully open-source (MIT license) with active community
  • Strong CIS M365 benchmark coverage via Pester tests
  • Runs locally — no data sent to third parties
  • Extensible — write your own tests in PowerShell
  • Good fit for DevSecOps pipelines (CI/CD integration)

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • Requires PowerShell and Graph SDK knowledge to operate
  • No attack path analysis or graph-based exploration
  • No Neo4j graph database — flat test results only
  • No web UI or dashboard — command-line output or HTML report
  • No LDAP on-premise Active Directory collection or hybrid rules
  • No realtime monitoring (Graph change notifications)
  • No NIST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2 compliance mapping
  • No multi-tenant management from a single instance
  • No scheduled scans (requires external cron/scheduler)
  • No notification integrations (Slack, Teams, webhooks)
  • No SIEM export API
Pricing: Free (open-source, MIT license). Community-supported.

Ping Identity (PingOne)

Cloud identity security and governance platform

Cloud-only (SaaS). No self-hosted option.

Ping Identity offers a broad cloud-based identity platform encompassing SSO, MFA, API security, directory services, and identity governance. PingOne Protect focuses on threat detection and fraud prevention, while PingOne Governance handles access certifications and policy enforcement.

Strengths

  • Comprehensive identity platform (SSO, MFA, directory, governance)
  • Strong API security and gateway capabilities
  • Identity threat detection with AI/ML behavioral analysis
  • Access certification and governance workflows
  • Large enterprise customer base with proven scale

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • Not focused on Entra ID audit — general identity platform
  • No Microsoft Graph-specific security rules or collectors
  • No attack path analysis via Neo4j or graph exploration
  • No CIS M365, NIST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2 compliance reports
  • No on-premise deployment — SaaS only
  • No LDAP hybrid AD security analysis with cross-boundary rules
  • Opaque pricing — requires sales engagement
  • Complex platform with long implementation cycles
  • No per-finding PDF export or contextual remediation
Pricing: Quote-based. Enterprise contracts typically $3-8 per user/month depending on modules.

CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Threat Detection

Identity-focused threat detection & response (SaaS)

SaaS only. Lightweight agent deployed on domain controllers.

CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Threat Detection (formerly Preempt) detects identity-based threats in real time, including lateral movement, credential theft, and privilege escalation. It focuses on active threat detection rather than configuration auditing, making it complementary to an audit tool rather than a direct replacement.

Strengths

  • Real-time identity threat detection (credential theft, lateral movement)
  • Integration with CrowdStrike Falcon XDR platform
  • Attack path visualization for Active Directory
  • MITRE ATT&CK mapping for detected threats
  • Large threat intelligence database backing detections
  • Covers both Active Directory and Entra ID

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • Focused on threat detection, not configuration auditing
  • No CIS M365, NIST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2 compliance reports
  • No security scoring with A-F grading or trend tracking
  • SaaS-only — telemetry and data sent to CrowdStrike cloud
  • No self-hosted or on-premise deployment option
  • Expensive — typically bundled with Falcon platform ($30-60/endpoint/year)
  • No contextual remediation tutorials per finding
  • No interactive Entra ID graph explorer
  • No license-aware recommendations for unused M365 capabilities
  • No per-finding PDF export
Pricing: Bundled with CrowdStrike Falcon platform. Identity module typically $15-30/endpoint/year on top of base Falcon license.

Semperis Directory Services Protector

Active Directory & Entra ID security and recovery

Self-hosted (Windows Server) or Semperis cloud.

Semperis Directory Services Protector (DSP) provides continuous monitoring, threat detection, and automated remediation for Active Directory and Entra ID. It is particularly strong in AD disaster recovery, real-time change tracking, and detecting indicators of exposure (IoEs) and indicators of compromise (IoCs).

Strengths

  • Deep Active Directory expertise (AD-specific IoE/IoC detection)
  • Real-time AD change monitoring and auto-rollback
  • AD disaster recovery capabilities (Forest Recovery)
  • Hybrid AD + Entra ID coverage in a single platform
  • Strong remediation with automated rollback of dangerous changes
  • Available as self-hosted deployment

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • No Neo4j-based attack path analysis or interactive graph explorer
  • No CIS M365, NIST, ISO 27001, or SOC 2 compliance reports
  • No security scoring with A-F grading
  • No license-aware recommendations for unused M365 capabilities
  • No Docker-native deployment — requires Windows Server infrastructure
  • Opaque enterprise pricing — requires sales engagement
  • No per-finding PDF export with contextual remediation
  • No score diff tracking between audit runs
  • Heavy focus on AD — Entra ID coverage less deep than dedicated tools
  • No zero telemetry guarantee
Pricing: Quote-based. Enterprise contracts typically $25,000-150,000+/year depending on forest size.

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus

Active Directory change auditing and compliance tool

Self-hosted (Windows Server). No Docker or Linux deployment.

ManageEngine ADAudit Plus is an established Active Directory auditing tool that tracks real-time changes to AD objects (users, groups, GPOs, permissions), provides compliance reports, and alerts on suspicious activity. It covers on-premise AD, Azure AD (Entra ID), and file server auditing.

Strengths

  • Mature AD change auditing with detailed event tracking
  • Predefined compliance reports (SOX, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, GDPR)
  • User behavior analytics (UBA) for anomaly detection
  • File server and Windows logon auditing
  • Affordable compared to enterprise PAM/security platforms
  • Self-hosted deployment option

Gaps vs EntraGuard

  • Focused on AD change events, not Entra ID security posture analysis
  • No Microsoft Graph API-based collection (13 object types)
  • No attack path analysis or Neo4j graph exploration
  • No CIS M365 v3.1, NIST 800-53, or ISO 27001 compliance mapping
  • No security scoring with A-F grading or trend tracking
  • No Conditional Access, PIM, or Service Principal analysis
  • No license-aware recommendations for Microsoft SKUs
  • No Docker deployment — requires Windows Server
  • No contextual remediation tutorials per finding
  • Entra ID coverage limited compared to dedicated Entra tools
  • No per-finding PDF export
Pricing: Starting at ~$595/year (Free edition for 25 workstations). Standard and Professional tiers scale by domain controllers.

When to choose what

Choose EntraGuard if you need

  • Attack path analysis with Neo4j graph exploration (unique)
  • Compliance reports across 4 frameworks (CIS, NIST, ISO, SOC 2)
  • Hybrid AD + Entra ID analysis with cross-boundary rules
  • Full data sovereignty (self-hosted Docker, zero telemetry)
  • License-aware recommendations for unused M365 capabilities
  • Transparent pricing without per-user fees or sales calls
  • Swiss jurisdiction and nFADP compliance
  • Realtime monitoring with Graph change notifications

Consider alternatives if you need

  • Free baseline score — Microsoft Secure Score is included with M365
  • CI/CD pipeline testing — Maester integrates well with DevSecOps workflows
  • Broad identity platform — Ping Identity for SSO, MFA, and API security
  • Real-time threat detection — CrowdStrike for active identity threats at scale
  • AD disaster recovery — Semperis for AD forest recovery and auto-rollback
  • AD change event auditing — ManageEngine ADAudit Plus for granular AD event logs
  • SaaS-managed solution — CrowdStrike or Ping if you prefer not to self-host

Ready to audit your Entra ID tenant?

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