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Our short answer: choose Okta as a broad starting point for workforce and customer access; smaller teams should compare OneLogin or Duo, while developers, self-hosters and governance buyers have other fits below. Listed entry prices range from free plans and low starting points to sales-led quotes, but they are not directly comparable: several vendors leave limits, add-ons or full costs unclear. Treat the starting price as a screening number, not a budget. Before switching, confirm user and identity caps, required integrations, implementation work and how existing access policies will carry over.
Quick picksThe shortlist
OktaOktaBest overall · $6/mo
OneLoginOneLoginBest budget workforce SSO · $3/mo
DuoDuoBest for MFA · $3/mo
authentikauthentikBest self-hosted SSO · $0.02/mo
Auth0Auth0Best for app identity · $35/mo
JumpCloudJumpCloudBest for device management · $9/mo
KeycloakKeycloakBest free IAM option · Free- HelloIDHelloIDBest for provisioning · $1.40/mo
OpalOpalBest for access governance · $39/mo
AponoAponoBest for temporary cloud access · $49/mo
01Compared at a glance
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OktaOkta | 7.0 | $6/mo | No | 30 days |
| OneLoginOneLogin | 7.0 | $3/mo | No | — |
| DuoDuo | 7.5 | $3/mo | Yes | 30 days |
| authentikauthentik | 8.0 | $0.02/mo | Yes | — |
| Auth0Auth0 | 6.3 | $35/mo | Yes | 22 days |
| JumpCloudJumpCloud | 5.8 | $9/mo | No | 30 days |
| KeycloakKeycloak | 7.2 | Free | Yes | — |
| HelloIDHelloID | 6.5 | $1.40/mo | No | Yes |
| OpalOpal | 6.0 | $39/mo | Yes | — |
| AponoApono | 6.4 | $49/mo | Yes | — |
02The picks, in detail
- Best overallOktaOkta
Okta is our broadest starting point for teams that need workforce and customer access, and its identity coverage includes a wide range of integrations. The listed starting price is $6, but the source warns buyers to check higher-tier costs and migration effort before committing. It is a sensible shortlist choice when breadth matters; get the required plan and migration work priced before treating that entry figure as your budget.
What works
- Starter includes SSO, MFA, Universal Directory and five Workflows
- Essentials lists Adaptive MFA, Lifecycle Management and Access Governance
- Workforce and customer identity products are both available
What doesn't
- Starter and other workforce suites require annual billing
- Professional and Enterprise workforce prices are not published
- Add-on prices are not published
- Best budget workforce SSOOneLoginOneLogin
OneLogin suits smaller teams looking for workforce single sign-on and user provisioning across apps, including hybrid environments. The listed starting price is $3 per user per month, but Basic is capped and several costs are unpublished. That makes it worth comparing for a focused workforce setup, not assuming the entry plan will cover every need. Confirm the cap and the price of any required features before switching.
What works
- Basic starts at $3 per user monthly
- Essentials removes the five-app lifecycle limit
- Supports SAML 2.0, OIDC, and WS-Federation
What doesn't
- Basic limits lifecycle management to five applications
- Basic includes only five security policies
- Seat limits are not published
- Best for MFADuoDuo
Duo is a strong fit when phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication is the priority, with SSO and directory features also listed. It starts at $3 and has a free plan for small teams needing free MFA. The source flags unclear annual costs and limited relevant user feedback, so check the billing term and the features included at your expected scale before you choose it over a broader IAM suite.
What works
- Free plan covers up to 10 users
- Essentials starts at $3 per user monthly
- Phishing-resistant MFA included in Essentials
What doesn't
- Annual billing prices are not published
- Under 100 users, licenses come in increments of 10
- Over 100 users, licenses come in increments of 25
- Best self-hosted SSOauthentikauthentik
Authentik offers self-hosted SSO, multiple authentication protocols and custom authentication flows, with a free plan and a listed starting price of $0.02. It is a good fit for teams that want to manage their own IAM rather than buy the simplest hosted setup. The trade-off is operational: the source says setup and ongoing maintenance are for your team to handle.
What works
- Free, open-source plan for homelabs and simple use cases
- Supports OIDC, SAML, LDAP, SCIM, RADIUS, and Kerberos
- Customizable workflows and policies
What doesn't
- Self-hosting means your team handles deployment and upkeep
- Reddit users describe a learning curve
- SSO usefulness depends partly on app support
- Best for app identityAuth0Auth0
Auth0 fits teams building identity into apps, including enterprise SSO, SCIM, and user and machine identity needs. The source lists a free plan and a starting price of $35, but warns buyers to check monthly active user caps and total cost. That makes it a candidate for feature-rich app identity, not a price you should accept without sizing usage and confirming which access controls require a paid tier.
What works
- Free plan lists up to 25,000 monthly active users
- Supports passwordless, social login, and embedded login
- Includes enterprise connections, SSO, and SCIM
What doesn't
- Essentials lists a 500 monthly active user cap
- Professional costs $240/month and lists the same MAU cap
- Enterprise pricing is custom and not published
- Best for device managementJumpCloudJumpCloud
JumpCloud combines identity and device management, making it a fit for teams with mixed device fleets that want to consolidate tools while keeping SSO. The listed starting price is $9. Its broad scope can be useful, but the source specifically warns buyers to check the full bill before committing. Compare the required identity and device features together rather than judging the offer by its starting price alone.
What works
- Combines identity, device, and access management
- Offers plans for device management and SSO
- Device Management starts at $9/user/month annually
What doesn't
- Platform and Platform Prime prices are not published
- Separate modules can add to per-user costs
- Reddit users report rising costs
- Best free IAM optionKeycloakKeycloak
Keycloak is a free, self-hosted option for teams seeking broad identity features and control over where identity runs. It is most suitable when your team is comfortable managing IAM itself; the source says to skip it if you need the simplest setup. Pricing is not listed, apart from the free-plan indication. Account for the effort of operating and maintaining a self-hosted system when comparing it with paid services.
What works
- Free to download and use
- Apache License 2.0
- Single sign-on across applications
What doesn't
- Self-hosted; your team manages deployment
- No paid plans or prices listed
- Published user and seat limits are absent
- Best for provisioning
HelloIDHelloID
HelloID covers joiner-mover-leaver workflows, provisioning, access and governance, with modular IAM capabilities for hybrid environments. The listed starting price is $1.4, but the source advises getting a quote before judging the real cost. It belongs on the shortlist when automating employee access changes is central. Ask which modules and required workflows are included in the quote rather than treating the entry price as an all-in rate.
What works
- Combines provisioning, SSO, MFA and governance
- Supports SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect and WS-Federation
- Includes configurable multi-step approval workflows
What doesn't
- No free plan; trial is available on request
- Annual-billing prices are not published
- Three-month minimum contract for listed modules
- Best for access governanceOpalOpal
Opal targets teams governing access across identity types, formalizing approvals and reviews, and granting time-limited privileged access. It has a free plan and a listed starting price of $39, but the source notes meaningful seat minimums and incomplete public pricing. That combination makes a sales quote essential: confirm minimum seats and the total cost for the governance features your team actually needs.
What works
- Covers employee, application, infrastructure, and AI agent access
- Supports just-in-time access with automatic revocation
- Offers explainable recommendations for access reviews
What doesn't
- Professional costs $39 per seat monthly
- Business requires 10 seats and annual billing
- Enterprise requires at least 100 seats
- Best for temporary cloud accessAponoApono
Apono is built for teams reducing standing cloud privileges with temporary access approvals, including access for AI agents. The listed starting price is $49 and there is a free plan, but the free tier is tightly capped and public user feedback is limited. It is a focused option for just-in-time access, not a substitute for every IAM need. Confirm the free-plan limits and paid cost at your expected usage.
What works
- Temporary, task-scoped permissions are revoked automatically
- Access decisions can use requester and risk context
- Controls cover people, machines, and AI agents
What doesn't
- Starter caps teams at 5 users and 50 resources
- Starter allows auto-approval only
- Starter is limited to one cloud service, database, and Kubernetes cluster
03How we chose
We compare tools on published pricing, plan limits, documentation and Reddit sentiment where those sources are available. We look for details that affect a buying decision: which identity and access needs a product addresses, what capabilities are included at each plan level, and what costs or limits are not published. We treat vendor documentation and pricing pages as the basis for product details, and attribute user reports as reports rather than verified outcomes. We do not claim hands-on testing, benchmarks or screenshots.
04Choose for the identity problem you need to solve
Start by naming the job you need the software to do. Managing employee access to business applications is a different buying brief from checking a user’s identity, governing permissions or protecting privileged accounts. A broad category label does not tell you which of those needs a tool covers.
Write down the users, systems and decisions in scope. For example: who needs access, who approves it, what happens when someone changes roles, and what evidence you need before granting access. Then check the product’s documentation for those specific workflows. Ask vendors to identify what is included in the quoted plan and what requires an add-on or separate product. If you need more than one type of identity capability, compare the cost and operational burden of a suite against a combination of specialist tools. Don’t pay for breadth you won’t use.
05Compare the full price and plan limits before switching
Treat the listed price as a starting point, not the full comparison. Check whether pricing is public, which plan contains the capabilities you need, and whether the pricing page states limits or leaves them unpublished. If a quote is required, ask vendors to price the same user count, applications, workflows and support requirements so the offers are comparable.
Before replacing an existing system, inventory the identities, permissions, integrations and approval steps that must carry over. Confirm in the documentation how the candidate handles each requirement; don’t assume a feature name means the workflow matches. Plan for migration effort, user communication and a rollback path, and include those costs in the decision. If a critical limit or integration is unclear, get the answer in writing before signing. A lower starting price may not be the cheaper option once required plans and add-ons are included.
Questions people ask
What should I compare when choosing identity and access management software?
Start with the specific problem: employee access, identity checks, permission governance or privileged access. Compare documented workflows, required integrations, plan limits and published pricing. For details that are missing or quote-based, ask vendors to confirm what is included and how the cost changes with your requirements.
How can I compare IAM pricing when a vendor requires a quote?
Ask each vendor to price the same scope: users, applications, required capabilities, support and contract term. Record which details are published and which remain unconfirmed. Don’t compare a base price with a quote that includes add-ons or broader requirements; request an itemized offer where possible.
Should I choose one IAM platform or combine specialist tools?
Choose based on the workflows you actually need, not the number of capabilities on a product page. Ask whether one platform covers each required workflow at an acceptable cost, then compare that with the price and administration involved in combining tools. Verify integrations and responsibilities in vendor documentation.
What should I check before replacing an identity and access tool?
List the identities, permissions, applications, approval steps and integrations that must be accounted for during the change. Confirm the proposed product’s documented support for each item, identify any limits or migration work, and agree on a rollback plan. Resolve critical unknowns with the vendor before committing.