AWS IAM vs Azure AD vs Google IAM — Identity Management Compared
Compare AWS IAM, Azure Active Directory (Entra ID), and Google Cloud IAM for identity and access management.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | AWS IAM | Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) | Google Cloud IAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free basic, $6-$9/user for premium | Free |
| Granularity | Action-level policies | Role-based + conditional | Predefined + custom roles |
| SSO | IAM Identity Center | Built-in (thousands of apps) | Via Google Workspace |
| Identity provider | No (federate external) | Yes (Entra ID is an IdP) | Google Workspace |
Service Details
AWS IAM
Fine-grained access control with policy-based permissions. Supports identity federation, service roles, and permission boundaries.
- Extremely fine-grained permissions
- Service-linked roles
- Permission boundaries for delegation
- IAM Identity Center for SSO
- Policy language is complex
- No built-in user directory
- IAM users ≠ organizational identity
Azure Active Directory (Entra ID)
Enterprise identity platform. Goes beyond IAM — it's a full identity provider with directory services, SSO, and conditional access.
- Full identity provider (not just IAM)
- Enterprise SSO for thousands of SaaS apps
- Conditional access policies
- B2C identity for customer-facing apps
- Paid tiers needed for advanced features
- Complex licensing model
- Azure-centric terminology
Google Cloud IAM
Role-based access control for GCP resources. Integrates with Google Workspace for organizational identity.
- Clean role hierarchy (org → folder → project)
- Predefined roles for common patterns
- Workload Identity Federation
- Simple compared to AWS IAM
- Less granular than AWS IAM
- Custom roles have limitations
- Identity management requires Google Workspace
When to Use Which
Choose AWS IAM for the most fine-grained resource-level permissions. Choose Azure AD (Entra ID) for enterprise identity with SSO and conditional access. Choose Google IAM for the cleanest role hierarchy and simplest model.
Poor IAM hygiene leads to over-provisioned resources. CloudExpat helps ensure least-privilege access patterns that also prevent accidental cost overruns from unauthorized resource creation.
Optimize Your Cloud Costs Across All Providers
CloudExpat works with AWS, Azure, and GCP. Connect in 30 seconds and see where you're overspending.