The CIAM-first Microsoft Entra ID alternative
Frontegg vs. Entra ID
Microsoft Entra External ID uses the standard Entra tenant model, configured for external customer scenarios. Frontegg is made for B2B CIAM use cases — and always has been. You’ll see and feel the difference from the start.
Purpose-built for customer identity
Microsoft Entra External ID brings customer identity to the Entra platform, but it isn’t built around B2B SaaS customer organizations. Frontegg, by contrast, is purpose-built for B2B CIAM, delivering seamless customer identity experiences that scale with your business.
While Frontegg focuses on enhancing customer authentication, onboarding, and engagement, External ID does not expose a first-class SaaS customer-organization object with per-customer hierarchy and delegated organization administration, so that B2B application layer remains yours to model, and reliance on the broader Microsoft ecosystem can add complexity for developers.
- Social logins
- Customizable login box
- Self-service admin
- Multi-tenancy
- Third-party integrations
Advanced features out of the box
Entra External ID supports basic CIAM functions like social logins and user registration. But deriving full value from the platform often requires complex workarounds.
On the other hand, Frontegg allows businesses to deliver advanced user experiences right away through capabilities like organization hierarchies, user groups, and support for multi-apps.
Easy integration that devs run to (not from)
With Entra, developers are forced to navigate multiple configurations for tenants, manage cross-tenant access settings, and ensure compatibility with related technologies like conditional access and entitlement management. Are you exhausted yet?
With Frontegg, configurations for tenants and cross-tenant settings are easy to handle. You’ll get a streamlined integration experience with SDKs and APIs that let developers plug CIAM features directly into their applications. Teams can actually focus on innovation rather than wrestling with underlying identity infrastructure.
Flexibly secures your customers’ apps
In Microsoft Entra External ID external tenants, customer MFA is limited to email one-time passcodes, SMS (a paid add-on) and passkeys, Conditional Access supports only device-platform and location conditions, and ID Protection isn’t available.
Frontegg ensures full protection without sacrificing user experience. Our Security Suite is purpose-built for CIAM, offering advanced security features like adaptive MFA tailored to customer contexts, session management with real-time monitoring, and developer integration for token policies and permissions.
Grows as you grow
With External ID, each external tenant is a separate directory, with no native construct for your individual customer organizations inside it. Frontegg makes it easy to support many organizations’ identity needs within a unified platform.
Authentication
Frontegg offers more tailored authentication solutions with deep customization and API flexibility, which Entra ID doesn’t fully support with its more standardized setup.
Standard login
No-code customization
Hosted IDP
M2M authentication
Entitlements
With advanced RBAC and feature management (Enterprise), Frontegg provides precise control over access and permissions, unlike Entra ID’s more basic entitlement options.
RBAC
Subscription-based
Feature flags
Trial management
FGA
B2B capabilities
Frontegg allows companies to specify different organizational hierarchies — like divisions, departments, or teams — to ensure everyone has the appropriate access.
Organization management
Hierarchies
Role level organization
Login per organization
User groups
Security
Frontegg strengthens security with adaptive MFA (Enterprise), delivering more end-user-centric protection.
Risk and fraud engines
Security dashboards
Organizational level policies
Adaptive MFA
Step up
Logs streaming
Enterprise readiness
Frontegg lets your customers set up SSO and SCIM themselves from the admin portal, on every plan.
SSO
SCIM
Audit logs
Management & analytics
Frontegg offers better visibility and control with its detailed user management and analytics tools.
User management
Admin portal
Self-service
Frontegg’s admin portal, included on every plan, delivers extensive self-service capabilities for user and org management, unlike Entra ID.
User login and signup
Profile management
User invitation
Organization management
Audit logs
SSO & SCIM configuration
Security configuration
Authentication
Frontegg offers more tailored authentication solutions with deep customization and API flexibility, which Entra ID doesn’t fully support with its more standardized setup.
Entitlements
With advanced RBAC and feature management (Enterprise), Frontegg provides precise control over access and permissions, unlike Entra ID’s more basic entitlement options.
B2B capabilities
Frontegg allows companies to specify different organizational hierarchies — like divisions, departments, or teams — to ensure everyone has the appropriate access.
Security
Frontegg strengthens security with adaptive MFA (Enterprise), delivering more end-user-centric protection.
Enterprise readiness
Frontegg lets your customers set up SSO and SCIM themselves from the admin portal, on every plan.
Management & analytics
Frontegg offers better visibility and control with its detailed user management and analytics tools.
Self-service
Frontegg’s admin portal, included on every plan, delivers extensive self-service capabilities for user and org management, unlike Entra ID.
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