Cisco Duo
8.5/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $3/user/mo
- Reviews
- 4.5/5 (~396 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- Free tier + 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access
Best Identity & Access (MFA / SSO) · 2026
Cisco Duo vs 
Microsoft Entra ID Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID: on our data-weighted scoring, Microsoft Entra ID edges ahead (8.6 vs 8.5/10). Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and is best for teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access; Microsoft Entra ID starts at $6/user/mo (P1) and is best for microsoft 365 / Azure shops wanting identity bundled with the tools they already run. Choose Microsoft Entra ID for the stronger overall track record; consider Cisco Duo if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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Microsoft Entra ID
8.6/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $6/user/mo (P1)
- Reviews
- 4.5/5 (~791 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- Free tier + 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Microsoft 365 / Azure shops wanting identity bundled with the tools they already run
Strengths at a glance
Six criteria, each scored 0–10 on the same scale from real review data, public pricing and feature coverage. See our methodology →
| Criterion | Cisco Duo | Microsoft Entra ID |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 8.5 | 8.6 |
| User reviews | 9.0 | 9.0 |
| Adoption | 6.9 | 7.7 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 10.0 | 10.0 |
Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID: head-to-head
| Cisco Duo | Microsoft Entra ID | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3/user/mo | $6/user/mo (P1) |
| Pricing model | per user | per user |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier + 30 days | Free tier + 30 days |
| Best for | Teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access | Microsoft 365 / Azure shops wanting identity bundled with the tools they already run |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.5/5 (396) | 4.5/5 (791) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 8.5 | 8.6 |
Choose Cisco Duo if…
You need teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong mfa and device-trust access.
✓ Pros
- Free tier up to 10 users
- Fastest MFA to deploy
- Low per-user pricing
✕ Cons
- Less full-suite IAM than Okta/Entra
- Best features in higher tiers
- SSO app catalog smaller than Okta
Choose Microsoft Entra ID if…
You need microsoft 365 / azure shops wanting identity bundled with the tools they already run.
✓ Pros
- Free tier comes with M365/Azure
- Deep Microsoft ecosystem integration
- Often already owned via E3/E5
✕ Cons
- Best value only inside Microsoft stack
- Advanced features need P2
- Non-MS app integration trails Okta
In depth
Pricing: Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo
Microsoft Entra ID bills on a per user model from $6/user/mo (P1) (free tier available), while Cisco Duo uses a per user model from $3/user/mo (free tier available). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Microsoft Entra ID ships 6 headline capabilities (Free tier with every M365/Azure tenant, Conditional access policies, Adaptive + passwordless MFA, Identity Protection + risk detection (P2)) and deploys Cloud. Cisco Duo ships 6 (Push + passwordless + FIDO2 MFA, Single sign-on, Device health + trust checks, Risk-based adaptive authentication), deploying Cloud.
Ratings & verdict
Microsoft Entra ID holds 4.5/5 (~791 G2 reviews); Cisco Duo holds 4.5/5 (~396 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Microsoft Entra ID edges ahead (8.6 vs 8.5/10). Pick Cisco Duo instead when teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong mfa and device-trust access. See Microsoft Entra ID alternatives or Cisco Duo alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID: which is better?
- Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID: on our data-weighted scoring, Microsoft Entra ID edges ahead (8.6 vs 8.5/10). Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and is best for teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access; Microsoft Entra ID starts at $6/user/mo (P1) and is best for microsoft 365 / Azure shops wanting identity bundled with the tools they already run.
- Is Cisco Duo cheaper than Microsoft Entra ID?
- Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and Microsoft Entra ID starts at $6/user/mo (P1) (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 17, 2026. Sources: duo.com, microsoft.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.