Okta is a security & identity tool for Enterprise and Small businesses, offered as paid ($6/mo). Founded in United States in 2009.
About Okta
Okta is an identity and access management company founded in 2009 in San Francisco by Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest. It went public in 2017 and bought Auth0 in 2021 for about $6.5 billion. Its core job on the workforce side is to give every employee one secure login to all their apps, enforce multi-factor authentication, and create or remove accounts automatically as people join, move or leave.
Workforce Identity is sold per user per month, billed annually, with a $1,500 annual minimum. Starter ($6) covers SSO, MFA and Universal Directory; Essentials ($17) adds Adaptive MFA, lifecycle management, access governance and privileged access, with Core Essentials ($14) in between; Professional and Enterprise add Device Access, Identity Threat Protection, Identity Security Posture Management and API Access Management. Customer Identity starts at $3,000 a month, and a free Integrator plan allows 10 users in a non-production org.
Okta fits companies running dozens of SaaS apps that need central access control, audits and fast offboarding. It falls short for very small teams because of the contract minimum, and add-ons push real costs above list prices. Microsoft Entra ID is the natural rival for Microsoft-heavy shops, Keycloak is a free self-hosted option, and 1Password covers password sharing rather than full IAM.
Recent development: Okta for AI Agents reached general availability on April 30, 2026, registering AI agents as non-human identities with managed tokens and kill switches. Okta also pushes the Cross App Access (XAA) protocol through the IETF.
Key features of Okta
- Single sign-on to thousands of apps via the Okta Integration Network
- Adaptive MFA with Okta Verify push, biometrics and FastPass
- Universal Directory that syncs users from AD, LDAP and HR systems
- Lifecycle management for automatic provisioning and deprovisioning
- No-code Okta Workflows for identity automation
- Identity governance, access reviews and privileged access
- Identity Threat Protection and posture management for risky sessions
- Okta for AI Agents to register and govern non-human identities
Pros and cons
Pros
- Largest catalog of prebuilt SSO and provisioning integrations
- Vendor-neutral, works well across Microsoft, Google and AWS
- Mature lifecycle automation that speeds onboarding and offboarding
- Strong compliance reporting for audits like SOC 2 and ISO 27001
- Early, concrete product for governing AI agent identities
Cons
- $1,500 annual minimum rules out very small teams
- Many capabilities are add-ons, so real costs exceed list prices
- Professional and Enterprise tiers are quote-only
- Admin console has a learning curve for complex policies
- Past security incidents, such as the 2023 support system breach, worry some buyers
Okta pricing
Okta uses a paid model. A 30-day free trial is available.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $6 / user/mo | Billed annually; SSO, MFA, Universal Directory, 5 Workflows |
| Core Essentials | $14 / user/mo | Billed annually; mid-tier bundle between Starter and Essentials |
| Essentials | $17 / user/mo | Billed annually; Adaptive MFA, lifecycle, governance, 50 Workflows |
| Professional / Enterprise | Custom | Device Access, ITDR, ISPM, API Access Management |
| Customer Identity | $3,000 / mo | Enterprise base platform, billed annually |
Source: www.okta.com · checked on Oct 20, 2026
How Okta compares in Security & identity
- Rank by votes
- #1 / 24
- Starting price
- $6
- Free alternatives
- 3
0 votes from members
25% below the category median ($8/mo)
Free or open-source tools in Security & identity
Okta ranks #1 of 24 security & identity tools by community votes and is priced below most tools in the category.
Common use cases
- 1One login with MFA for 50 to 50,000 employees across SaaS apps
- 2Automatically provisioning accounts from Workday when someone is hired
- 3Instant offboarding that revokes all app access on the last day
- 4Passwordless login with Okta FastPass on managed devices
- 5Quarterly access reviews for SOX or SOC 2 audits
- 6Registering and controlling AI agents that access company data
Best for
Mid-sized and large companies with many SaaS apps that need central SSO, MFA and automated joiner, mover and leaver processes.
Not ideal for
Very small teams or those fully on Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Entra ID, Keycloak, 1Password).
Integrations
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Salesforce
- Slack
- Zoom
- AWS
- Workday
- ServiceNow
Our take
Okta remains the reference workforce identity platform for multi-cloud companies. Start with a 30-day trial on Starter or Essentials, list the add-ons you really need before requesting a quote, and compare against Entra ID if most of your stack is Microsoft.
FAQ
- What is Okta?
- Okta is a Security & identity tool: Enterprise identity platform for SSO, MFA and user lifecycle.
- How much does Okta cost?
- Okta uses a Paid model; paid plans start at $6 per month.
- Does Okta have a free trial?
- Yes, Okta offers a 30-day free trial.
- What does Okta integrate with?
- Okta integrates with Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom, AWS and more.
- Which platforms does Okta support?
- Okta is available on web, macos, windows, ios, android.
- Who is Okta for?
- Mid-sized and large companies with many SaaS apps that need central SSO, MFA and automated joiner, mover and leaver processes.
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