--- source_url: "https://defend.network/compare/iam-tools?utm_source=openai" title: IAM / SSO Tools Compared (2026) mirrored_at: 2026-08-09T01:03:00.294Z host: defend.network cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/defend.network/compare/iam-tools__q__utm_source_openai" --- > **Original source:** https://defend.network/compare/iam-tools?utm_source=openai [Home](https://defend.network/) › [Compare](https://defend.network/compare.html) › Identity & Access Management IAM platforms control who can access what across applications, including workforce identity, customer identity, and privileged access management. Side-by-side comparison across 4 tools — descriptive only, no recommendations. 6 min read Data verified: July 2026 4 tools compared Keycloak IAM / SSO Free / OSS **Free (Apache 2.0 open source)** commercial support available via Red Hat build (Red Hat build of Keycloak) [Visit official site →](https://www.keycloak.org/) CyberArk PAM Paid **$30K-$2M+/yr enterprise contracts** per-vault, per-user, or asset-based depending on product [Visit official site →](https://www.cyberark.com/) Comparing → Okta IAM / SSO Keycloak IAM / SSO Cisco Duo MFA CyberArk PAM $ Pricing & plans 5 dimensions Pricing model Okta Workforce Identity suites: Starter ($6/user/mo), Core Essentials ($14), Essentials ($17), Professional/Enterprise… custom-quoted; individual per-SKU SSO/MFA/Governance pricing is no longer publicly listed Free (Apache 2.0) Red Hat build of Keycloak offers commercial support and binaries under Red Hat subscription pricing Duo Free (up to 10 users, MFA basics), Duo Essentials ($3/user/mo), Duo… Advantage ($6), Duo Premier ($9) Custom enterprise pricing typical deployments range $30K-$2M+/yr depending on modules, user/asset counts, and deployment model Pricing tier Paid Free / OSS Freemium Paid Free tier / trial Free tier 30-day free trial; Okta Developer Edition free for prototyping (limits apply) Free tier Software permanently free; no trial needed Free tier Duo Free permanently free up to 10 users; 30-day trial of all paid tiers Trial only 30-day Privilege Cloud trial; live demo and PoC engagements available via sales Volume discounts Tiered breaks at 1,000, 5,000, 10,000+ users multi-year commitments reduce per-user cost Not applicable (free) Red Hat subscriptions scale with hosts Tiered at 100, 500, 1000+ users multi-year and enterprise agreements reduce cost Negotiated at enterprise scale based on user counts, asset counts, and module bundle Hidden costs Adaptive features require higher-tier SKUs some advanced features like Identity Governance and Privileged Access are separate products Operational infrastructure (compute, database, monitoring), specialized… engineering time, security hardening, version upgrade engineering Advanced features (Trusted Endpoints, Duo Network Gateway) in Advantage/Premier tiers only Professional services for implementation, ongoing operational management,… additional modules (Conjur for secrets management, Endpoint Privilege Manager, etc.) ↗ Deployment & integrations 3 dimensions Deployment Cloud-only SaaS identity-as-a-service model Self-hosted — containers (Docker, Kubernetes via operator), VMs, bare metal clustered for HA Cloud SaaS; on-prem Duo Authentication Proxy for legacy app/VPN/RDP integration Privilege Cloud (SaaS) or self-hosted (on-prem CyberArk Vault, Privileged… Session Manager, etc.) Typical deployment time Weeks for typical mid-market deployment months for complex enterprise with custom integrations and lifecycle workflows Hours for PoC weeks for production-ready HA cluster with hardening and observability Hours to days for typical SaaS app coverage longer for legacy on-prem app integration via Duo Auth Proxy Months for full enterprise rollout (vault, session management, application… identity manager); SaaS Privilege Cloud reduces deployment time vs self-hosted Key integrations 7,500+ pre-built integrations in Okta Integration Network (OIN) largest catalog among workforce IAM vendors; deep integrations with major SaaS, on-prem AD, HR systems Standards-based any SAML 2.0, OIDC, OAuth 2.0 application; protocol mappers for custom integrations; user federation with LDAP/Kerberos/AD Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Okta, OneLogin, AWS, Salesforce, SAP, Splunk, ServiceNow RADIUS for legacy apps; broad VPN coverage ServiceNow, Splunk, Microsoft Sentinel, IBM QRadar, AWS, Azure, GCP, Okta,… SailPoint, Saviynt; native integrations across DevOps and cloud platforms 🔐 IAM / SSO-specific evaluation 7 dimensions Authentication methods SAML 2.0, OIDC, OAuth 2.0, WS-Federation, RADIUS (via Okta Access Gateway) SCIM 2.0 for provisioning SAML 2.0, OIDC, OAuth 2.0, Kerberos, X.509 client certificates broad protocol support Push (Duo Mobile), TOTP, U2F/FIDO2 hardware keys, biometric (Touch ID, Windows… Hello), SMS, voice, bypass codes SAML 2.0, OIDC, RADIUS, certificate-based native integration with Okta, Entra ID, Ping MFA methods Okta Verify push, TOTP, FIDO2/WebAuthn (security keys, platform… authenticators), SMS, voice, biometrics, third-party (Duo, RSA) TOTP (Google Authenticator, FreeOTP), WebAuthn/FIDO2 (security keys, passkeys),… email/SMS via custom integration Duo Push (most-used method), FIDO2/WebAuthn passkeys, hardware tokens (YubiKey,… Feitian), TOTP, SMS, phone callback, bypass codes Native MFA plus integration with Duo, Okta, Microsoft Authenticator, RSA, YubiKey, FIDO2 required for privileged sessions Adaptive / risk-based auth Okta Adaptive MFA uses contextual signals (device, location, network, behavior)… for risk-based step-up; requires Adaptive MFA SKU Conditional authentication flows can be customized not as turnkey as commercial adaptive MFA products Duo Risk-Based Authentication (Advantage+) uses device trust, location, network signals Trusted Endpoints policy Risk-based session controls threat analytics module for anomaly detection on privileged sessions Directory integrations Active Directory, LDAP, HR-driven (Workday, BambooHR, UltiPro, SuccessFactors),… Google Workspace; Universal Directory as system of record LDAP, Active Directory, Kerberos via user federation custom user storage SPI for proprietary stores Active Directory, Azure AD/Entra ID, LDAP via Duo Authentication Proxy SCIM for automated user provisioning (Advantage+) Active Directory, LDAP, Azure AD/Entra ID HR-driven workflows via identity governance integrations (SailPoint, Saviynt) Lifecycle management (SCIM) Okta Lifecycle Management automates provisioning/deprovisioning via SCIM 2.0 HR-driven joiner/mover/leaver workflows SCIM 2.0 supported via extensions/community plugins not as polished out-of-the-box as commercial IAM products SCIM-based user provisioning from Azure AD, Okta, Google auto-deactivation on user removal Identity governance via integrations (SailPoint, Saviynt) SCIM-based provisioning for some workflows Privileged access Okta Privileged Access (separately licensed) for server access; not full PAM platform buyers needing deep PAM often pair Okta with CyberArk/BeyondTrust Not a PAM platform provides authentication, not privileged credential management Not a PAM platform integrates with PAM solutions to add MFA at credential-checkout Core CyberArk strength credential vaulting, session isolation/recording, just-in-time access, secrets management (Conjur), endpoint privilege management Session monitoring Session policies and re-authentication enforcement full session recording is not a core Okta feature Session listing and forced logout per user/admin audit logging via Event Listener SPI Authentication logs and reports session-level monitoring is not a core Duo feature (MFA is event-based) Privileged Session Manager records and monitors all privileged sessions session-level audit and replay; threat detection on session telemetry ✓ Compliance & certifications 1 dimension Compliance certifications FedRAMP High, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR, CSA STAR, IRAP Software has no specific certifications organizations deploy in their own compliant environments. Red Hat build inherits Red Hat platform certifications. FedRAMP Moderate, SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR FedRAMP Moderate (Privilege Cloud), SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, Common Criteria,… supports PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX, NIST 800-53 ◧ Positioning 3 dimensions Target deployment Mid-market to enterprise workforce identity, organizations wanting broad SaaS integration Developer-led organizations, self-hosted IAM, customer-facing applications… (CIAM), avoiding per-user SaaS pricing Organizations of all sizes adding MFA, especially Cisco ecosystem customers Enterprises with significant privileged account exposure, regulated industries,… complex hybrid environments Strengths cited Largest identity SaaS app catalog (7,500+ pre-built integrations), strong SCIM… provisioning ecosystem, broadly recognized as a workforce identity leader, mature partner network Free and open source under Apache 2.0, strong protocol support (SAML, OIDC,… OAuth), CIAM-capable, broad customization, no per-user licensing Easy deployment, strong UX, generous free tier (10 users), broad application… coverage, recognized as 2026 Gartner Customers' Choice for User Authentication Considered a leader in privileged access management with deep capabilities for… credential vaulting, session management, and just-in-time access; broad compliance coverage; mature platform Where it fits less well Higher-tier features (Adaptive MFA, Lifecycle Management) require Identity Engine tier has experienced publicly disclosed security incidents that have been addressed; pricing positioned at premium tier Requires operational expertise to run in production at scale no SaaS-managed option from upstream project (Red Hat offers managed options separately) Primarily MFA-focused full identity lifecycle and SSO breadth require pairing with another IAM platform for some deployments Enterprise-tier pricing reflects platform depth deployment requires planning and operational maturity Head-to-head comparisons 2 pairs ◧ Bottom line Last updated 3 August 2026 **How this category breaks down** This page compares 4 IAM / SSO tools. Open-source / free-tier options: Keycloak, Cisco Duo. Commercial platforms: Okta, CyberArk. Use the comparison table above to match each tool’s stated best-fit to your environment. Frequently asked questions 3 questions Which IAM / SSO tools does this comparison cover? This comparison covers 4 IAM / SSO tools: Okta, Keycloak, Cisco Duo, CyberArk. Which IAM / SSO tools are open-source or offer a free tier? Open-source or free-tier options: Keycloak, Cisco Duo. Which IAM / SSO tools are commercial (paid)? Commercial / paid options: Okta, CyberArk. **Methodology** Comparison data synthesized from publicly available vendor documentation, MITRE Engenuity ATT&CK Evaluations, AV-TEST results, Gartner Peer Insights, G2/Capterra/TrustRadius reviews, anonymized transaction data (Vendr, CostBench, CheckThat.ai), and publicly reported pricing as of May 2026. defend.network is independent and has no commercial relationship with the vendors compared.