Choose Duo if your first job is strong multi-factor authentication: Cisco's Duo Free covers up to 10 users, and paid editions add single sign-on and passwordless login. Choose Okta if you want a full identity platform with single sign-on, a universal directory, automated joiner and leaver workflows and 8,000+ pre-built integrations. Both offer 30-day free trials, so test with your real apps.
I read Okta's plans, trial and Workforce Identity pages, and Cisco Duo's editions page. They overlap more than they used to: Duo now sells single sign-on, and Okta sells MFA. The difference is where each one starts.
Okta and Duo compared
| Okta | Cisco Duo | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Identity platform for employees, contractors and partners | Multi-factor authentication that grows into identity security |
| Entry plan includes | Starter: SSO, MFA, Universal Directory, 5 Workflows | Duo Free: MFA and the Duo Mobile app for up to 10 users |
| Next step up | Essentials adds Adaptive MFA, Lifecycle Management and 50 Workflows | Essentials adds SSO, a directory, passwordless and phishing-resistant MFA |
| Passwordless | Okta FastPass | Duo Mobile and FIDO2 security keys |
| Integrations | 8,000+ pre-built in the Okta Integration Network | Unlimited applications from the Essentials edition |
| Trial | 30-day free trial | 30-day free trial |
| Free option (as of October 2026) | No free plan named; 30-day trial | Yes, Duo Free for up to 10 users |
Duo's editions, from free upwards
Duo's editions page is built for a business that wants to switch on strong login protection quickly. Duo Free gives up to 10 users MFA and the free authenticator app. Essentials adds Duo Directory, single sign-on, Trusted Endpoints, complete passwordless login and phishing-resistant MFA, which checks that the device you're logging in from and the one approving the login are physically close together.
Higher editions add risk-based authentication, session theft protection and Active Directory defence in Advantage, and VPN-less access to private resources with full device trust checks in Premier. You can change edition at any time, and Duo says it activates in minutes.
There's also an AI Assistant for admins that helps investigate access problems and find configuration guidance. For a business without a dedicated IT team, that's the kind of help that stops a locked-out colleague turning into a lost afternoon. Duo's editions page also lists Duo Passport in Advantage, which it says makes the first login the only login.
There's more on this in the best Okta alternatives.
Okta's identity-first plans
Okta starts from identity. Its Starter plan already bundles single sign-on, MFA, Universal Directory and 5 Workflows, its no-code automation for jobs like onboarding and offboarding. Essentials adds Adaptive MFA, Privileged Access, Lifecycle Management, Access Governance and 50 Workflows. The Okta Integration Network lists more than 8,000 pre-built integrations, and Okta also runs Auth0 for customer logins and new tools for securing AI agents. For a tool built around privileged accounts alone, there are dedicated privileged access management options to weigh.
That breadth is the point. If you're adding three new starters a month and removing leavers by hand from a dozen apps, Okta's Lifecycle Management and Workflows are where the hours come back. It's a bigger platform to learn than Duo, though, and you'll want someone who owns it. Should the shortlist grow beyond these two, the wider set of IAM tools is the next stop.
Login security is one layer and the firewall is another, covered in my comparison of pfSense and OPNsense.
Five checks before you roll one out
- Count your users. Ten or fewer who only need MFA? Duo Free covers you.
- List the apps people sign in to. Many SaaS apps point towards single sign-on, which both now sell.
- Think about new starters and leavers. Okta's Workflows and Lifecycle Management automate them.
- Decide whether phishing-resistant or passwordless login matters to you now; both offer it in paid plans.
- Run both 30-day trials with three real apps and your least technical colleague.
If you're choosing an authenticator for the team, see this guide to authenticator apps and this explainer on passwordless authentication.
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My advice on Okta or Duo
For a small business whose main worry is stolen passwords, I'd start with Duo: Duo Free protects up to 10 people today, and you can grow into single sign-on later. If you're past that size, juggle lots of SaaS apps, or spend hours setting up and removing accounts, Okta's identity-first approach will save more time than it takes to learn. Whichever you choose, turn on MFA for email and banking first, because that's where attackers start.
Do you make a security, identity or login tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Duo free?
Cisco offers Duo Free for small businesses with 10 or fewer users, with MFA and the free authenticator app.
Does Okta have a free plan?
The Okta pages I read name a 30-day free trial of the Okta Platform rather than a free plan.
Does Duo offer single sign-on?
Yes. Duo lists single sign-on in its Essentials edition and above.
How many integrations does Okta have?
Okta says its Integration Network has 8,000+ pre-built integrations.
What is phishing-resistant MFA in Duo?
Duo says it verifies that the access device and the authentication device are in close proximity when you log in.
