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 
Ping Identity Cisco Duo vs Ping Identity: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Duo edges ahead (8.5 vs 7.9/10). Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and is best for teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access; Ping Identity starts at $3/user/mo and is best for large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale. Choose Cisco Duo for the stronger overall track record; consider Ping Identity if its pricing model or fit matches your environment better. Side-by-side table below.
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Ping Identity
7.9/10
MSP Compared score
- Starting price
- $3/user/mo
- Reviews
- 4.4/5 (~106 G2 reviews)
- Free trial
- 30 days
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Best for
- Large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale
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 | Ping Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Editorial | 8.5 | 7.9 |
| User reviews | 9.0 | 8.8 |
| Adoption | 6.9 | 5.4 |
| Affordability | 9.5 | 7.6 |
| Feature breadth | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Ease of trial | 10.0 | 6.0 |
Cisco Duo vs Ping Identity: head-to-head
| Cisco Duo | Ping Identity | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3/user/mo | $3/user/mo |
| Pricing model | per user | per user |
| Free trial / tier | Free tier + 30 days | 30 days |
| Best for | Teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access | Large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| G2 rating | 4.5/5 (396) | 4.4/5 (106) |
| Capterra rating | — | — |
| Our score | 8.5 | 7.9 |
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 Ping Identity if…
You need large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale.
✓ Pros
- Deep federation + orchestration
- Covers workforce/customer/B2B identity
- Strong hybrid/on-prem support
✕ Cons
- Workforce pricing has a 5
- 000-user minimum
- Enterprise-oriented (overkill for SMB)
- Complex multi-product lineup
In depth
Pricing: Cisco Duo vs Ping Identity
Cisco Duo bills on a per user model from $3/user/mo (free tier available), while Ping Identity uses a per user model from $3/user/mo (30 days trial). Because the models differ, the cheaper option flips depending on your fleet size — model both at your seat/endpoint count.
Features & deployment
Cisco Duo ships 6 headline capabilities (Push + passwordless + FIDO2 MFA, Single sign-on, Device health + trust checks, Risk-based adaptive authentication) and deploys Cloud. Ping Identity ships 6 (No-code identity orchestration (DaVinci), Single sign-on + SCIM directory, Adaptive MFA + passwordless/FIDO, Risk signals (PingOne Protect)), deploying Cloud.
Ratings & verdict
Cisco Duo holds 4.5/5 (~396 G2 reviews); Ping Identity holds 4.4/5 (~106 G2 reviews). On our data-weighted score, Cisco Duo edges ahead (8.5 vs 7.9/10). Pick Ping Identity instead when large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale. See Cisco Duo alternatives or Ping Identity alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
- Cisco Duo vs Ping Identity: which is better?
- Cisco Duo vs Ping Identity: on our data-weighted scoring, Cisco Duo edges ahead (8.5 vs 7.9/10). Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and is best for teams wanting the simplest, fastest path to strong MFA and device-trust access; Ping Identity starts at $3/user/mo and is best for large enterprises needing deep federation, orchestration and hybrid identity at scale.
- Is Cisco Duo cheaper than Ping Identity?
- Cisco Duo starts at $3/user/mo and Ping Identity starts at $3/user/mo (see the pricing rows for models and limits).
Data as of September 14, 2026. Sources: duo.com, pingidentity.com. Figures are pulled from public vendor and security data and refreshed automatically.