PingCastle
Cloud directory services
Identity management software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$3,449 per year
Free Trial unavailable
Free version
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What is PingCastle
PingCastle is an Active Directory security assessment tool that analyzes on-premises Microsoft Active Directory environments and produces risk scores and remediation guidance. It is used by IT security teams, auditors, and administrators to identify misconfigurations, weak authentication practices, and exposure paths that can enable privilege escalation. The product focuses on assessment and reporting rather than providing a cloud directory, SSO, or lifecycle management service. It typically runs as a standalone scanner that generates HTML reports and can be used for periodic audits or continuous monitoring workflows.
Deep AD security assessment
PingCastle is purpose-built to evaluate Microsoft Active Directory security posture, including configuration weaknesses and common attack paths. It provides structured findings and prioritized remediation items that map to AD-specific controls and practices. This makes it well-suited for organizations that need an AD-focused assessment rather than a broad identity platform.
Fast deployment and reporting
The tool can be executed without standing up a full identity service or directory platform. It generates readable reports (commonly HTML) that can be shared with stakeholders for remediation planning and audit evidence. This supports quick baseline assessments and repeatable periodic reviews.
Useful for audits and hardening
PingCastle supports security reviews, M&A due diligence, and hardening projects by highlighting gaps that are specific to AD operations. It helps teams validate progress over time by re-running assessments and comparing results. This complements identity suites that focus on SSO, provisioning, or cloud directory features but do not deeply assess AD security posture.
Not an IAM service
PingCastle does not provide SSO, MFA, user provisioning, access governance, or a hosted directory service. Organizations looking for end-to-end identity management capabilities will still need separate IAM and directory products. Its value is primarily in assessment and reporting rather than enforcement.
Primarily AD-centric scope
The product is designed around Microsoft Active Directory and is less applicable for organizations that are cloud-only or rely mainly on non-AD identity stores. Coverage for SaaS application access, cloud directory configuration, and modern identity protocols is not the core focus. This can limit its usefulness in environments where AD is not central.
Remediation is manual
PingCastle identifies issues and recommends fixes, but it does not automatically remediate configuration problems. Teams must implement changes through AD administration tools, scripts, or other security products. This can increase operational effort for large environments with many findings.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (Free) | Free | Free for personal/internal use. Includes Audit Program, Health Check Report, Map, Management Report, support for bug fixing, History, Advanced Report. (Free download with restrictions for commercial use.) |
| Standard (formerly Auditor) | $3,449 per year | 1 domain included. Includes Audit Program, Health Check Report, Unlocked Report, support for bug fixing, History, Advanced Report. Required for auditing other organizations (commercial use). |
| Professional (PingCastle Pro) | Starting at $10,347 per domain per year | Up to 5 domains included (pricing shown as $10,347/domain/year). Includes Audit Program + Web App, Health Check Report, Map, Unlocked Report, support for bug fixing, History for a few domains; may require AzureAD or Windows for authentication. |
| Enterprise | Custom / year | For 6+ domains. Includes Audit Program + Web App, Health Check Report, Extended Map, Unlocked Report, support for bug fixing. Contact sales for quote. |
