Amazon Cognito vs. AWS IAM Identity Center

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Amazon Cognito
Score 7.4 out of 10
N/A
Amazon Cognito is a mobile identity product that allows users to add user sign-up and sign-in to mobile and web apps, and authenticate users through social identity providers.
$0.01
Per MAU
AWS IAM Identity Center
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
The successor to AWS Single Sign On, AWS IAM Identity Center is used to centrally manage workforce access to multiple AWS accounts and applications. It helps users to securely create or connect workforce identities and manage their access centrally across AWS accounts and applications. AWS states that IAM Identity Center is the recommended approach for workforce authentication and authorization on AWS for organizations of any size and type.N/A
Pricing
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Editions & Modules
Starting Price
$0.01
Per MAU
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Best Alternatives
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Small Businesses
Dashlane Password Manager
Dashlane Password Manager
Score 9.0 out of 10
Dashlane Password Manager
Dashlane Password Manager
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
OneLogin by One Identity
OneLogin by One Identity
Score 9.6 out of 10
OneLogin by One Identity
OneLogin by One Identity
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
OneLogin by One Identity
OneLogin by One Identity
Score 9.6 out of 10
OneLogin by One Identity
OneLogin by One Identity
Score 9.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(15 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Amazon CognitoAWS IAM Identity Center
Likelihood to Recommend
Amazon AWS
Well Suited
  1. B2C mobile and web apps with a high number of users.
  2. Cheaper and cost-effective.
  3. If the other pieces of the infra are already using AWS services like Lambda, S3, Pinpoint, etc.
Not Suited For:
  1. Advanced use-cases (Biometrics based authentication) Email, and other MFA channels.
  2. For any use-cases needing SCIM.
  3. Customized flows of SSO, and MFA will need a layer on Lambda and other AWS services.
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Amazon AWS
IAM plays a pivotal role in our organization, addressing the unique needs of our diverse workforce, which includes full-time employees, part-timers, contractors, and client engineers who access our workloads. This multifaceted solution offers us unparalleled control over access, ensuring that each individual has precisely the permissions they need and nothing more. IAM's robust security features guarantee the protection of our valuable resources and sensitive data. As our organization expands, IAM effortlessly scales with us, adapting to changing requirements, and helping us maintain our commitment to top-tier security and efficient access management.
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Pros
Amazon AWS
  • Strong integration with React.js and client-side applications
  • Easy to bridge Cognito identities with the rest of the AWS ecosystem
  • Easy to store user profile data directly in Cognito rather than having to build additional services/endpoints
  • Easy integration with AWS Lambda to extend and add sophistication to the service
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Amazon AWS
  • User management and Access control.
  • Account Security hardening using Multi-factor authentication.
  • Identity Federation using single sign on.
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Cons
Amazon AWS
  • Amazon Cognito has a bit of a learning curve. You need to learn its concepts and terminology. The documentation does not describe some topics comprehensively.
  • Some Console screens would benefit from improved search and filtering options.
  • When another AWS product (e.g., SageMaker) configures Cognito on your behalf, it is not clear what you're getting. For example, the expiration of a temporary password was configured but never communicated.
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Amazon AWS
  • Make it easier for users to assume roles securely, especially in cross-account settings. This might involve simplifying the process of switching roles in the management console or creating a command for AWS CLI that supports smoother role assumption.
  • Policy testing tools will be invaluable for administrators when they are creating policies. If this tool is able to assess the impact of enforcing a policy it will help greatly in preventing policy misconfigurations that lead to unintended consequences.
  • Better user interface, AWS should simplify the IAM interface to encourage new users.
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Usability
Amazon AWS
Amazon Cognito is easy to use and implement if you don't need to implement custom policies. But if your security team requires something outside the box, then implementation becomes complicated and you risk wasting time. There is no option for customizable regex for passwords, which is a major deficiency. The standard password policy, allow to choose the length of the password, if it should contains at least one number, one special character, one uppercase letter and one lowercase letter.
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Amazon AWS
It gets easier with time, initially, it can be overwhelming for a fresher. Once you're used to working with roles and policies and know when and where it is required eventually it becomes easy
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Support Rating
Amazon AWS
Community support is excellent, many times even better and quicker then the offical AWS support. I really cannot recommend community support enough! Apart from that the service is relativily easy to use and does not have a huge learning curve. Examples are easy to follow and will help you start using the service.
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Amazon AWS
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Amazon AWS
They are ideal tools to create a secure and unique login experience for our applications. Thanks to its API authorization, Amazon Cognito ensures connections to applications that are secure.It is easy to use and provides easy access to files and applications that you need to complete your goal.
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Amazon AWS
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) excels over Google Cloud IAM with its granular control, extensive service integration, and robust security features. AWS IAM provides fine-tuned access policies, versatile role delegation, and a wide array of services. Its adaptability and extensive toolset make it the preferred choice for businesses of all sizes.
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Return on Investment
Amazon AWS
  • ROI is great for Amazon Cognito Overall.
  • It is included in the AWS Free Tier so you can use it for a good amount without paying, so the software can be tested beforehand.
  • The paid pricing is also affordable, so a positive impact on ROI.
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Amazon AWS
  • AWS IAM Identity Center has significantly bolstered our security posture by ensuring that only authorized personnel access our resources. This enhanced security has protected us from potential data breaches or unauthorized use of resources, mitigating risks and potential costs associated with security incidents.
  • While IAM brings long-term cost savings, there might be initial implementation and training costs. It's important to factor these costs into the ROI equation.
  • If your organization isn't used to such fine-grained access control, there might be resistance to adopting IAM. Overcoming this resistance might require additional training costs.
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