Comparison

Microsoft 365 Admin vs Microsoft Authenticator

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Microsoft 365 Admin

Manage your Microsoft 365 or Office 365 business subscription from your mobile device. Add users, reset passwords, manage devices, and monitor service health. Stay informed with critical notifications and support requests on the go.

Highlights
  • Manage users and groups
  • Reset passwords
  • Manage devices
  • Assign licenses
  • Create support requests
  • Monitor service health
  • Receive critical notifications
Read full description

Manage users, groups, devices, reset passwords & receive critical notifications. The Microsoft 365 Admin App enables you to be productive from anywhere. The app allows you to receive critical notifications, add users, reset passwords, manage devices, create support requests, and more—all while you’re on the go. Who should use this app? People with an admin role to a Microsoft 365 or Office 365 enterprise or business subscription. What can I do with this app? - Add, edit, block, or delete users, reset passwords, assign roles, or manage aliases & devices. - Add groups, edit groups, and add or remove users from groups. - View all available and assigned licenses, assign licenses to users, add or remove licenses, view and download invoices. - Check the status of existing support requests, take actions on them, or create new ones. - Monitor the health of all services and view active incidents in Service Health. - Stay on top of all the upcoming changes and announcements via the Message Center feed. - Get push notifications about important information related to service health, message center, and billing. The app supports dark theme and is available in 39 languages. And if you're someone who is responsible for managing more than one tenant, you can sign-in to multiple tenants and quickly switch between them. We're listening and constantly improving the app based on your feedback. Tell us what you like, what we can do better, and what features you'd like to see in the app. Send your feedback to feedback365@microsoft.com.

About

Microsoft Authenticator

Securely sign into online accounts with multi-factor authentication, passwordless login, or password autofill. Manage multiple accounts, including non-Microsoft services, and access Microsoft products and services seamlessly.

Highlights
  • Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  • Passwordless sign-in
  • Password autofill
  • Support for non-Microsoft accounts
  • Account management for work/school
  • Cert-based authentication
Read full description

Use Microsoft Authenticator for easy, secure sign-ins for all your online accounts using multi-factor authentication, passwordless, or password autofill. You also have additional account management options for your Microsoft personal, work or school accounts. Getting started with multi-factor authentication Multi factor authentication (MFA)provides a second layer of security. When enabled, during login after entering your password, you’ll be asked for an additional way to prove it’s really you. Either approve the notification sent to the Microsoft Authenticator, or enter the one-time password (OTP) generated by the app. The OTP codes have a 30 second timer counting down. This timer is so you never have to use the same time-based one-time password (TOTP) twice and you don’t have to remember the number. The OTP doesn’t require you to be connected to a network, and it won’t drain your battery. You can add multiple accounts to your app, including non-Microsoft accounts like Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn, GitHub, and more. Getting started with passwordless Use your phone, not your password, to log into your Microsoft account. Just enter your username, then approve the notification sent to your phone. Your fingerprint, face ID, or PIN will provide a second layer of security in this two-step verification process. After you’ve signed in with two factor authentication (2FA), you’ll have access to all your Microsoft products and services, such as Outlook, OneDrive, Office, and more. Getting started with autofill Microsoft Authenticator app can also autofill passwords for you. Sign-in on the Passwords tab inside the Authenticator app with your personal Microsoft account to start syncing passwords, including the passwords saved in Microsoft Edge. Make Microsoft Authenticator the default autofill provider and start autofilling passwords on apps and sites you visit on your mobile. Your passwords are protected with multi-factor authentication in the app. You will need to prove yourself with your fingerprint, face ID, or PIN to access and autofill passwords on your mobile. You can also import passwords from Google Chrome and other password managers. Microsoft personal, work or school accounts Sometimes your work or school might ask you to install the Microsoft Authenticator when accessing certain organization resources. You will need to register your device to your organization through the app and add your work or school account. Microsoft Authenticator supports cert-based authentication by issuing a certificate on your device. This will let your organization know that the sign-in request is coming from a trusted device and help you seamlessly and securely access additional Microsoft apps and services without needing to log into each. Microsoft Authenticator may request the following optional permissions, which require your consent. You can continue to use Microsoft Authenticator without granting these permissions. However, some features may be limited or unavailable. For more information, please see below: - Face ID: To enable app lock and help protect your accounts - Camera: To scan QR codes when adding accounts to Microsoft Authenticator.

Screenshots

Microsoft 365 Admin4 screens
Microsoft Authenticator4 screens

Verdict

The call

Microsoft 365 Admin and Microsoft Authenticator both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 78% of Microsoft 365 Admin's written reviews are positive against 12% of Microsoft Authenticator's. Microsoft Authenticator's advantage is ratings volume (694K vs 5.8K) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 6 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Microsoft 365 Admin against 4.7 for Microsoft Authenticator. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Microsoft Authenticator has 694K ratings behind it against 5.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 78% of Microsoft 365 Admin's written reviews are positive against 12% of Microsoft Authenticator's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Microsoft 365 Admin ships an update every 6 weeks, Microsoft Authenticator every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Microsoft 365 Admin versus Microsoft Authenticator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMicrosoft 365 AdminMicrosoft Authenticator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (5.8K ratings)4.7 (694K ratings) — better
Positive reviews78.3% of reviews — better11.6% of reviews
Number of ratings5.8K694K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#6 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size217 MB223 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrosoft CorporationMicrosoft Corporation

Customer experience

Microsoft 365 Admin

All ratings5,837 ratings
Positive92.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews465 reviews
Positive78.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative19.1%

Microsoft Authenticator

All ratings693,830 ratings
Positive93.0%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews4,123 reviews
Positive11.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative84.2%

User reviews

Microsoft 365 Admin

From 5.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Easy to use
  • 🔑 Convenient password resets
  • 🚀 Efficient admin tasks on the go
  • 📱 Helpful for mobile management
  • 🔒 Secure authentication

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and freezes
  • 🔍 Limited functionality compared to web portal
  • 🔍 Difficult to switch between accounts
  • 🔍 Lack of advanced admin features
  • 🔍 Inconsistent user experience

Microsoft Authenticator

From 694K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless authentication
  • 🔒 Secure login process
  • 👍 Convenient passwordless sign-in
  • 🚀 Smooth app performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Broken Apple Watch functionality
  • 🐛 Backup and restore issues
  • 🐛 Confusing login flow
  • 🐛 Accounts disappearing after phone change

Bugs and requests

Microsoft 365 Admin

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Blank screen on launch
  • User list disappearing
  • Unreliable login process
  • Notifications not working as expected

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to purchase licenses
  • More granular admin controls
  • Improved search and filtering
  • Better integration with other Microsoft apps
  • Dark mode support

Microsoft Authenticator

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Authenticator app getting locked and requiring Touch ID
  • Notification failures and authentication issues
  • Accounts not syncing properly between devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add search and sorting for accounts
  • Improve Apple Watch integration
  • Provide better backup and restore options
  • Streamline login process

In-app purchases

None

Microsoft 365 Admin

No in-app purchases

None

Microsoft Authenticator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Microsoft 365 Admin free?
Microsoft 365 Admin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Microsoft Authenticator free?
Microsoft Authenticator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Microsoft 365 Admin or Microsoft Authenticator?
Microsoft Authenticator is rated higher. Microsoft 365 Admin averages 4.6 out of 5 from 5.8K ratings, while Microsoft Authenticator averages 4.7 from 694K ratings.
Do Microsoft 365 Admin or Microsoft Authenticator have ads?
Neither Microsoft 365 Admin nor Microsoft Authenticator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Microsoft 365 Admin or Microsoft Authenticator?
Microsoft 365 Admin ships an update every 6 weeks, and Microsoft Authenticator every 2 weeks. Most recently, Microsoft 365 Admin was updated on September 22, 2026 and Microsoft Authenticator on September 24, 2026.

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