Apono vs Microsoft Entra ID Governance
ILM Reference editors · Editorial assessment · Published 2026-09-28
Microsoft Entra ID Governance scores higher overall on our weights: 64/100 against 35/100 for Apono. Apono wins one of the seven criteria (works alongside existing IdP and IGA) and Microsoft Entra ID Governance wins six (disconnected-app coverage, orphan and local account discovery, JML automation, certification campaign depth, audit evidence and pricing transparency). On disconnected-app coverage, the heaviest-weighted criterion, Microsoft Entra ID Governance leads 50 to 15.
- Lifecycle coverage score
- 35 / 100
- Rank of 9
- 9
- Category
- Just-in-time privileged access
- Designation
- Just-in-time privileged access for people, machines and AI agents
- Lifecycle coverage score
- 64 / 100
- Rank of 9
- 5
- Category
- Identity governance and administration (IGA)
- Designation
- Best value for Microsoft-centric estates
Scores are an editorial assessment of public vendor material. See Editorial method.
How do Apono and Microsoft Entra ID Governance score on each criterion?
| Criterion (weight) | Apono | Microsoft Entra ID Governance | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disconnected-app coverage (22) | 15 | 50 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| Orphan and local account discovery (18) | 20 | 55 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| JML automation (15) | 20 | 80 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| Certification campaign depth (12) | 30 | 72 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| Audit evidence (13) | 60 | 70 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| Works alongside existing IdP and IGA (12) | 70 | 50 | Apono |
| Pricing transparency (8) | 65 | 95 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
| Lifecycle coverage score | 35 | 64 | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
Read the reasons for each score
- Disconnected-app coverage
- Apono: Not documented. Its home page does not describe discovering or onboarding applications outside its integrations; it brokers just-in-time access to AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes and databases through 85+ integrations.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Documents a manual path for apps without provisioning: export users to CSV, match them to Entra users, review, then remove or ticket; ECMA connector host covers some on-prem apps.
- Orphan and local account discovery
- Apono: Not documented. Discovery of orphan, dormant or local accounts is not described; its zero standing privilege model grants time-bound access and revokes it automatically.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Account discovery shows app users that do not match any Entra ID user.
- JML automation
- Apono: Not documented. HR-driven joiner, mover and leaver automation is not described; access is granted and revoked per just-in-time request.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Lifecycle workflows before start, during status changes and at departure.
- Certification campaign depth
- Apono: No certification campaign module described.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Recurring access reviews with AI-powered suggestions; denied users lose the app role assignment.
- Audit evidence
- Apono: Audit logs and AI session summaries; no framework-mapped evidence export described.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Review decisions and assignments are recorded in Entra; no framework-mapped evidence pack described.
- Works alongside existing IdP and IGA
- Apono: Requests run through Slack, CLI or Apono Assist with 85+ integrations; its pages do not describe identity provider or IGA functions, so it sits beside them rather than replacing them.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Requires Entra ID P1 or P2; strongest when Entra is the identity provider.
- Pricing transparency
- Apono: No pricing page on apono.io (/pricing redirects to the home page). AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract: $4,900.00 per month for 100 users, plus $49.00 per month for each extra user.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance: $7.00 per user per month, paid yearly, published.
What does each tool do?
Cloud privileged access that grants just-in-time access to people, machines and AI agents and revokes it automatically. Now part of 1Password.
Category Just-in-time privileged access
Microsoft's governance add-on for lifecycle workflows, access reviews and entitlement management, priced per user.
Category Identity governance and administration (IGA)
How do Apono and Microsoft Entra ID Governance compare on pricing and deployment?
| Fact | Apono | Microsoft Entra ID Governance |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | No pricing page on its own site. AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract: $4,900.00 per month commit for 100 users, plus $49.00 per month for each extra user. | $7.00 user/month, paid yearly (requires Entra ID P1 at $7.00 or P2 at $10.00). Entra Suite $12.00 user/month. |
| Deployment | Described as cloud-native; listed on AWS Marketplace. | Microsoft cloud service. |
How do they handle disconnected applications?
| Tool | Discovery of the app | Account data collection | Leaver action on the app | Method described | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra ID Governance | Not documented | Manual process export users to CSV and match to Entra users | Manual process access review, then removal or a ServiceNow ticket | Documented manual procedure | Source: learn.microsoft.com not-provisioned users article · Reviewed Sep 2026 |
| Apono | Not documented | Not documented | Not documented | Just-in-time access through 85+ integrations; handling of apps outside them not described | Source: apono.io · Reviewed Sep 2026 |
Source: learn.microsoft.com not-provisioned users article · Reviewed Sep 2026
Source: apono.io · Reviewed Sep 2026
Which should you choose?
Choose Apono if you want to keep your current identity provider and IGA in place.
Cloud privileged access that grants just-in-time access to people, machines and AI agents and revokes it automatically. Now part of 1Password.
Choose Microsoft Entra ID Governance if HR-driven joiner, mover and leaver automation is the priority, or if you need coverage for applications with no connector, no SCIM endpoint and no SSO integration.
Microsoft's governance add-on for lifecycle workflows, access reviews and entitlement management, priced per user.
Weights change the answer. Try your own in the calculator.
FAQ
Which is better for identity lifecycle management, Apono or Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
On our rubric Microsoft Entra ID Governance scores 64/100 and Apono 35/100. Microsoft Entra ID Governance is ahead mainly on JML automation and disconnected-app coverage. Buyers who weight works alongside existing IdP and IGA more heavily may prefer Apono; the calculator shows how the order changes.
Which handles disconnected applications better, Apono or Microsoft Entra ID Governance?
Microsoft Entra ID Governance scores 50 to 15 on disconnected-app coverage. Apono: Not documented. Its home page does not describe discovering or onboarding applications outside its integrations; it brokers just-in-time access to AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes and databases through 85+ integrations. Microsoft Entra ID Governance: Documents a manual path for apps without provisioning: export users to CSV, match them to Entra users, review, then remove or ticket; ECMA connector host covers some on-prem apps.
Do Apono and Microsoft Entra ID Governance publish pricing?
Apono: No pricing page on its own site. AWS Marketplace, 1-month contract: $4,900.00 per month commit for 100 users, plus $49.00 per month for each extra user. Microsoft Entra ID Governance: $7.00 user/month, paid yearly (requires Entra ID P1 at $7.00 or P2 at $10.00). Entra Suite $12.00 user/month.
Keep reading
Sources
- apono.io
- apono.io/pricing (redirects to the home page)
- AWS Marketplace: Apono
- learn.microsoft.com identity governance overview
- microsoft.com Entra pricing
- learn.microsoft.com apps not provisioned
- learn.microsoft.com existing app users
Reviewed Sep 2026