Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling: Which IAM software is best

Identity and access management often means different things to different teams. For some, it’s about secure logins and MFA. For others, it’s about automating access across hundreds of applications. 

Okta, Duo, and Rippling each tackle a part of that puzzle:

• Okta positions itself as a workforce identity platform with thousands of integrations

• Duo focuses on authentication security and device verification, primarily for organizations in the Cisco ecosystem

• Rippling takes a completely different approach by treating identity as part of workforce management rather than a standalone system

The key question is not which platform has more features, but which one solves your actual problem. Are you strengthening authentication, managing access at scale, or syncing HR data with system permissions?

I’ve analyzed how each platform approaches authentication, manages access, and handles devices. Let's cut through the marketing speak and look at what these platforms really do.

Quick comparison: Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling at a glance

Here's where these platforms actually differ:

Methodology: How I reviewed different IAM software

To compare these platforms accurately, I evaluated each across dimensions that actually matter when implementing identity and access management:

• Product scope and positioning: Understanding what each platform is actually designed for matters more than feature counts. Duo is primarily an authentication security layer. Okta is a standalone workforce IAM hub. Rippling is a unified workforce platform where identity is one capability among many. These fundamental differences affect everything else.

• Feature depth: I looked beyond whether features exist to examine how they work. For example, all three offer MFA, but Duo specializes in phishing resistance, Okta provides adaptive risk assessment across a broad ecosystem, and Rippling uses HR context to inform authentication decisions. 

• Security approach: I evaluated not just security features but the underlying security model. This includes how each platform handles device trust, threat intelligence and behavioral security.

• Deployment and operational overhead: Some platforms require specialized expertise and ongoing maintenance. Others prioritize rapid deployment and minimal operational burden. This affects the total cost of ownership beyond licensing fees.

• Pricing transparency and structure: The pricing models were considered — what's included at each tier, and how costs scale. This reveals the real cost of each platform over time.

• User feedback: I also went through reviews on G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra to see what real users say about reliability, support, and overall experience.

Features comparison: Duo vs. Okta vs. Rippling

Each platform approaches IAM from a different angle. Here’s how they compare across the most critical capabilities.

Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication is the first layer of defense in any IAM system. Here’s how each platform strengthens account security:

Rippling

Rippling IT management software uses the platform's integrated HR data to make authentication decisions that consider employment context. The system doesn't just know where someone is logging in from, it also knows where they should be based on their employment record. 

Because Rippling manages both identity and devices, MFA policies can also factor in device security posture. Access to sensitive apps can be limited to devices that are encrypted, up to date, and enrolled in management. This adds another layer of protection that traditional identity systems can’t easily enforce.

Behavioral detection adds context other systems miss. Rippling uses role and department data to spot abnormal access attempts, reducing false alarms while improving threat accuracy. The result is an MFA system that blends HR context, device health, and behavioral signals for stronger, more adaptive protection.

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Okta

Okta’s Adaptive MFA evaluates logins based on device security, network, and user behavior, requiring extra verification only when activity seems risky. It supports phishing-resistant authentication through FastPass, which uses cryptographic keys on user devices instead of passwords. ThreatInsight adds global intelligence by blocking IPs tied to known attacks, while continuous device checks catch compromised sessions. 

Duo

Duo focuses on phishing-resistant authentication without relying on hardware tokens. Duo Push lets users approve logins with a single tap in the mobile app, while proximity checks prevent fraudulent push attempts. It also supports WebAuthn security keys and biometric authentication based on FIDO2 standards for phishing-resistant verification. The platform integrates with major identity systems like Active Directory and Okta using SAML and OIDC protocols. 

Our verdict: Rippling is best for organizations that want MFA powered by real HR data. It checks login attempts against where employees should be and what they should access, giving more accurate security without complex integrations. Duo works for teams focused on phishing-resistant authentication and device trust, while Okta caters to enterprises that need adaptive MFA within an identity management system.

Single sign-on (SSO)

Single sign-on determines how users access their tools safely and efficiently. While all three offer SSO, their approaches differ based on integration depth and control.

Rippling

Rippling’s SSO software ties authentication directly to the employee lifecycle, so identity isn’t managed in isolation. With HR, IT, and access all in one platform, login permissions automatically reflect each person’s current role, department, and status. When someone joins, changes teams, or leaves, their access updates instantly — no manual syncs or admin delays.

From one dashboard, employees can reach every application they need. Apps that support SAML or OIDC connect through federation, while others use Rippling’s built-in password manager. The result is a secure single sign-on that covers every tool, simplifying authentication for users and keeping permissions accurate by design.

Okta

Okta’s SSO lets users access cloud, on-premises, and mobile apps with one set of credentials. It works alongside existing systems like Active Directory and LDAP, so companies can modernize authentication without rebuilding their identity infrastructure. Universal Directory serves as a flexible cloud user store consolidating identities from multiple sources.

Duo

With Duo Passport, users authenticate once and stay signed in for their work session, reducing repeated MFA prompts. The system supports cloud and on-premises apps using SAML 2.0 and OIDC, integrates with existing identity providers like Active Directory, Azure AD, or Okta, and includes hundreds of ready-to-use connectors plus support for custom applications. 

Our verdict: Rippling is best for teams that want SSO tightly connected to HR data and employee lifecycle events. Access updates automatically as roles, departments, or employment status change, reducing manual work and keeping permissions accurate in real time. 

Identity management

Identity management is about how user accounts are created, maintained, and revoked across systems. Each platform handles this lifecycle in a unique way.

Rippling

Rippling's identity management software works differently because it doesn't manage identity separately from employee data. The system provides a central employee directory including all HR information alongside IT data. This unified view eliminates synchronization because there's nothing to sync.

User provisioning happens automatically based on employment events. New hires get accounts created based on their role and department. Role changes trigger access updates. Terminations revoke all access immediately. These aren't separate workflows needing integration, rather they're direct responses to underlying HR data changing.

Okta

Okta’s Universal Directory serves as a cloud-based hub for workforce identity, combining user data from multiple sources. It supports identity lifecycle management with provisioning, deprovisioning, and profile updates triggered by changes in these systems. Group management allows admins to organize users by attributes and apply policies at scale, with dynamic groups adjusting automatically as attributes change. 

Duo

Duo Directory is a cloud-based identity store that combines lifecycle management, SSO, MFA, and device trust in one system. It can run independently or integrate with existing directories like Active Directory or Okta. Organizations can manage internal employees, contractors, and third-party users within the same directory while enforcing security controls. 

Our verdict: Rippling wins for workforce identity management when you want identity and HR data unified rather than synchronized. On the other hand, Okta provides traditional directory management with governance features, while Duo offers basic identity management focused mainly on authentication security and device trust.

Access management

Access management defines who gets into which applications and under what conditions. This is where real-time employee data and device trust play the biggest role.

Rippling

Rippling leverages the platform's rich employee data to create granular policies based on hundreds of attributes, such as department, role, job level, manager, employment type, location, start date, or any custom HR field. These policies adjust automatically as employee data changes. 

The platform also supports behavioral and device-based policies that go beyond static rules. Because Rippling understands employee schedules, roles, and approved devices, it can spot unusual activity that traditional identity systems might miss. Administrators can enforce requirements for device compliance, like encryption or OS version, before granting access. 

Okta

Okta's policy engine combines multiple contextual factors including device security, network location, user behavior, IP reputation, and authentication strength. The platform provides both global policies applying across all applications and application-specific policies for granular control. 

Duo

Duo's access management emphasizes risk-based authentication and device trust as the foundation for secure access decisions. Device trust policies enforce health checks before granting access. The system verifies OS versions, browser versions, patches, plugins, and other security controls. Non-compliant devices can be blocked or directed to remediation instructions.

Our verdict: Rippling wins for access management when policies need to reflect real HR data and employment context in real time. Okta works for enterprises needing governance across large app environments, while Duo focuses on device trust and authentication risk for phishing resistance. But for workforce access that adapts automatically to employee changes, Rippling provides the strongest foundation.

Device security

Device security ensures that only safe, compliant hardware can access your systems. The platforms differ in how directly they enforce these checks.

Rippling

Rippling combines device and identity management in one platform, allowing device security policies to directly shape access decisions. It includes full MDM and endpoint management, enforcing encryption, OS updates, and configuration standards. Access can be limited to compliant, enrolled devices, with onboarding and offboarding workflows handling both account provisioning and device setup or wipe simultaneously. Centralized monitoring tracks device health and automatically restricts non-compliant endpoints.

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Okta

Okta provides device health monitoring and trust verification as part of its access management capabilities. The platform integrates with endpoint management and security tools to understand device context when making access decisions.

Duo

Duo Device Trust is a core component of the platform's security model. The platform provides real-time visibility into managed, unmanaged, and BYOD devices. Duo's agentless approach to device trust works through browser-based checks and the Duo Mobile app. This makes deployment simpler than solutions requiring agent software on every device.

Verdict: Rippling provides the most complete approach to managing devices and identities together in one system. Its built-in MDM, policy enforcement, and real-time device health checks feed directly into access controls, removing integration complexity and improving accuracy. 

Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling: Pricing

Understanding the true cost of each platform requires looking at pricing models and what's included at each tier.

Rippling

Rippling’s pricing starts at $8 per employee per month for its core workforce platform. Final costs vary depending on the modules you use. Because all these functions run in one system, Rippling often replaces multiple standalone tools like HRIS, MDM, and IAM, reducing integration overhead and total spend. For exact pricing and module configuration, contact Rippling’s sales team.

Okta

Okta’s workforce identity cloud starts around $6 per user per month for the Starter plan, which includes SSO, MFA, and Universal Directory. The Essentials plan (about $17 per user per month) adds adaptive MFA, lifecycle management, and access governance. Higher tiers like Professional and Enterprise introduce advanced security and API access management, with pricing available on request.

Duo

Duo’s plans range from $3 to $9 per user per month, depending on features. The Essentials plan includes passwordless authentication, SSO for unlimited apps, and Duo Directory. The Advantage tier adds device health checks, Duo Passport, and risk-based authentication, while Premier includes identity threat detection and posture management. Duo also offers a free plan for basic MFA.

Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling: Reviews

Here's how users rate each platform on major review sites:

G2’s breakdown highlights Rippling as the top performer in usability metrics critical to everyday operations:

Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling: Pros and cons

Rippling pros and cons

Pros

• Unified platform eliminates synchronization between HR and identity systems

• Real-time access changes based on actual employment events

• Granular policies based on hundreds of HR attributes

• Integrated device management alongside identity management

• Built-in password manager (RPass) for all applications

• Automated workflows spanning HR and IT operations

Cons

• New admins may need time to get comfortable with workflow configuration

• Automation policies often require early fine-tuning

• Fewer pre-built integrations than Okta's

Okta pros and cons

Pros

• 7,000+ pre-built integrations enabling streamlined access across applications

• Unified identity platform with SSO across SAML, OIDC, and SWA protocols

• Automated lifecycle management for user provisioning and deprovisioning

• Flexible authentication options including passwordless and biometric

• System logs with detailed event tracking and SIEM integration capabilities

Cons

• May require more initial setup time for advanced workflow configurations

• Some features may need additional professional services support

• Pricing may be higher for full platform capabilities

Duo pros and cons

Pros

• Phishing-resistant authentication using FIDO2 standards

• Device health monitoring and trust verification

• Integration with major identity providers and VPN solutions

• Comprehensive telephony and authentication logging

• Built-in reporting for policy impact and deployment progress

Cons

• May have more limited integration options compared to alternatives

• Some advanced features only available in higher subscription tiers

• Certain capabilities may require Cisco ecosystem integration

Why Rippling is the best IAM software compared to Okta and Duo

While Okta and Duo each have their strengths, IT leaders should consider platforms that unify identity control with core business systems. Rippling is a great example.

Rippling offers a comprehensive approach by integrating identity management directly with HR and device management capabilities. Key platform features include:

• Unified identity platform powered by a central employee graph that connects HR data, IT systems, and device management

• Dynamic access controls that automatically adjust based on employment status, role, and department

• Custom zero-trust protocols leveraging hundreds of user attributes for granular security

• Automated lifecycle management from onboarding through offboarding

• Built-in password management with secure sharing capabilities

• Integration support across LDAP, Active Directory, OIDC, and RADIUS protocols

The platform's integration with HR systems creates a single source of truth for user identity, ensuring access permissions stay synchronized as employees move through the organization. When roles change or employees depart, Rippling automatically adjusts or revokes access across all connected systems — from software applications to physical devices.

Security remains paramount with comprehensive audit logging, compliance reporting, and certification standards including SOC 1/2/3, ISO 27001, and CSA STAR Level 2. The platform connects with over 600 business applications through pre-built integrations while supporting custom SCIM implementations for additional flexibility. With Rippling, organizations can strengthen security controls while reducing administrative overhead. 

Okta vs. Duo vs. Rippling FAQs