Microsoft Authenticator vs Google Authenticator Which one should you prefer and which is best to use – In today’s blog we will compare the two best popular authenticators & their features and overall which is the best authenticator you can choose.
In 2024 as we all know how important the Authenticator app is, especially if you are very much into online work, surely you must need this authenticator to enable two-factor or Multi-factor authentication for extra security.
Table of Contents
Microsoft Authenticator vs Google Authenticator Comparison:
| Microsoft Authenticator | Google Authenticator | |
| Friendly User Interface | ✅ | ✅ |
| Import/Transfer existing accounts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Backup all your one-time code accounts to Cloud | ✅ | ❌ |
| Scan a QR code | ✅ | ✅ |
| Enter a setup key | ✅ | ✅ |
| Show/Hide codes | ✅ | ❌ |
| Screen Capture Enable/Block | ✅ | ❌ |
| App Lock | ✅ | ❌ |
| Password Manager | ✅ | ❌ |
| Save Passwords, Payments Info, Addresses, Verified IDs | ✅ | ❌ |
| Rearrange one-time code accounts | ✅ | ✅ |
| Simple Setup | ✅ | ✅ |
| High Active Users | ❌ | ✅ |
| Regular Updates | ✅ | ✅ |
As above shown in the table comparison you can see Microsoft Authenticator clearly wins all the mentioned options & features over Google Authenticator.
If you are one who is looking for some of the additional features along with the authenticator function as mentioned in the table then definitely you need to use the Microsoft Authenticator. As you can see compared to Google Authenticator Microsoft Authenticator has more options & features. So it doesn’t mean Google Authenticator is not good if you are the one who is looking for only pure & quick authentication functions then Google Authenticator will be the best choice for you.
Usually, after using Microsoft Authenticator many people just dislikes Google Authenticator. There are many reasons why users don’t like Google Authenticator and stick with Microsoft Authenticator once they experience it. However, some important reasons why Microsoft Authenticator is better than Google Authenticator are discussed or mentioned below.
3 Reasons why Microsoft Authenticator is better than Google Authenticator:
1. High features & options
One of the first reasons Microsoft Authenticator is best is because it has more features & options that Google Authenticator doesn’t.
We have already displayed the comparison table between these two authenticators above where you can clearly see there are many features that get tick marks for Microsoft Authenticator but Google Authenticator doesn’t get the tick mark which means it lacks those features & options.
Once you start using Microsoft Authenticator definitely you will start loving it because of its many valuable features that are all included in one app. Sometimes these features might not be helpful for some users who don’t use authenticator regularly or whose accounts are not that important or the light users who don’t care about extra features & options.
However, if you are one who regularly uses the Authenticator to get codes to sign in regularly on your websites then definitely I would like to recommend you to use the Microsoft Authenticator because some of the important features are present only in Microsoft Authenticator and mostly those features are really will be helpful for regular users.
2. Instant backup option
This is one of the main reasons why Microsoft Authenticator is the most recommended and in fact, only for this reason even I personally like Microsoft Authenticator.
As a regular Authenticator user if you are storing more accounts to get the codes regularly to sign into websites then definitely this option is must needed & will help you in restoring your lost accounts.
Microsoft Authenticator gives you the option to back up your complete accounts linked inside the authenticator app. To do a backup all you need is a personal Microsoft account or an email ID that is linked to your Microsoft account.
If you are an Android user you can just sign in to your Microsoft Account to continue the backup. Just follow the below steps to proceed with the backup:
Open Microsoft Authenticator on Android>Go to Settings>Select the Backup>Enable the Cloud Backup. To sync the data successfully select the recovery account and sign in to your personal Microsoft account to store the backup.
If you are an IOS user you must have an iCloud account to store the backup data. Just follow the below steps to learn how to backup:
Open Microsoft Authenticator on IOS>Go to Settings>Select the Backup>Enable the iCloud Backup. The backup data will be stored in your iCloud account.
If you are using an Android device you don’t need any drive to store your backup data (a personal Microsoft account is enough), however, if you are using Microsoft Authenticator on your iOS device then you must need an iCloud account to store the backup data.
Backing up your account credentials in the cloud will make you recover the data easily whenever needed in the case of changing the device or stolen. However, this excellent feature or backup option is not available on Google Authenticator. If you are really concerned about your data then choosing Microsoft Authenticator is the better option.
3. High Security
The final reason why Microsoft Authenticator is better than Google Authenticator is because of its high security.
Yes, if you are choosing Microsoft Authenticator you don’t need to worry about your account getting misused or your device being stolen because the Microsoft Authenticator comes with high-security options & features where your account credentials will be safe & encrypted.
In Microsoft Authenticator you have 3 important security features as mentioned below:
- Enable/Disable Screen Capture – By default in Microsoft Authenticator, this option will be enabled. If you are worried that someone can easily capture or take screenshots of your codes then you can disable this option in settings so that no one can take screenshots.
- App Lock – This is one of the amazing security features given by Microsoft Authenticator where if you are worried that someone can easily take your device and view the codes, then you can just enable the app lock option in settings and set fingerprint or pin so that it will be impossible for someone to open the app without your permission.
- Show/Hide Codes – This security feature will be very helpful when you are opening your Authenticator in public or when someone is next to you. Suppose you need to view any code to sign in to any particular website in front of someone but you don’t want someone to view your other codes then you can enable hide codes so that all codes will be hidden so that quickly you can view the code of one account without disclosing others.
If you really need the above-mentioned high-security features then you must choose the Microsoft Authenticator whereas in Google Authenticator these features are not present.
FAQ of Microsoft Authenticator vs Google Authenticator:
Can I use both Google Authenticator & Microsoft Authenticator?
Yes, you can use both authenticators but however, but it is recommended to use any single authenticator to store all your account credentials in one place.
Which authenticator is best Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator?
Microsoft Authenticator is better than Google Authenticator because Microsoft Authenticator has more useful advanced features & options compared to Google Authenticator.
Can I import or transfer Google Authenticator account credentials to Microsoft Authenticator?
No, you cannot import or transfer the account credentials from one authenticator to a different authenticator. However, you can transfer or recover the data from one device to another device using the same authenticator.
Also Read: Why is Google Keep better than Apple and Samsung Notes?
