Okta
The identity layer that decides who gets into everything else.
- Security
- Productivity
- Development
- from $6/mo
Okta is an identity and access management platform providing single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, user directory and lifecycle automation for workforce and customer identity. It is the independent alternative to identity bundled with a productivity suite, and its value grows with the number of applications an organisation runs.
Okta: the short answer
Every line below is drawn from facts verified on 9 August 2026.
- What it is
- The identity layer that decides who gets into everything else
- Best for
- Organisations running many SaaS applications across mixed vendors
- Starts at
- Starter from $6 per user/month, subject to annual contract minimums
- Free option
- No free plan, 30 days trial
- Biggest strength
- Vendor-neutral, with a very large catalogue of pre-built integrations
- Biggest drawback
- Duplicates identity most Microsoft 365 customers already own
- Closest alternative
- Microsoft Entra ID - Often already owned through Microsoft 365, and cheaper as a result
- True annual cost
- from $72 a year at the cheapest paid tier
Okta at a glance
| Best for | Organisations running many SaaS applications across mixed vendors, Companies automating joiner, mover and leaver processes, Businesses that want identity independent of Microsoft or Google |
|---|---|
| Category | Security, Productivity, Development |
| Starting price | Starter from $6 per user/month, subject to annual contract minimums |
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | 30 days |
| Pricing model | subscription |
| Company | Okta, Inc. |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Founders | Todd McKinnon, Frederic Kerrest |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Public API | Yes |
| Browser extension | Yes |
| Mobile apps | iOS + Android |
| Self-hosting | No |
| Affiliate programme | No |
| Data source | Vendor pricing page and public records |
| Last checked | August 2026 |
Okta pricing
Prices below were read from the vendor's own pricing page on 9 August 2026. Pricing model: subscription. Free trial: 30 days.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $6 | per month | per user - Single sign-on, MFA, Universal Directory and 5 Workflows |
| Core Essentials | $14 | per month | per user - Middle option for teams not needing advanced security and compliance |
| Essentials | $17 | per month | per user - Adds Adaptive MFA, Privileged Access, Lifecycle Management and Access Governance |
| Professional | Inquire for pricing | Negotiated | Enterprise capabilities quoted per organisation |
What Okta actually costs over a year
A monthly price is not the same thing as a monthly contract. These are the plans above multiplied out to twelve months, per seat or unit where the plan is charged that way.
| Plan | Monthly | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| Starterper user | $6 | $72 |
| Core Essentialsper user | $14 | $168 |
| Essentialsper user | $17 | $204 |
Which Okta plan should you buy?
| Your situation | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You need SSO and MFA across many SaaS applications | Starter | $6 per user, subject to annual contract minimums that are not published. |
| You want a middle option without advanced governance | Core Essentials | $14 per user. |
| You need adaptive MFA, lifecycle management and access governance | Essentials | $17 per user, and the tier where joiner-mover-leaver automation actually lives. |
| You are already on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace | Check Entra ID or Google first | Both include identity you already pay for. Okta's case is being vendor-neutral, which only matters if your estate is mixed. |
| You are a small team | Ask about the contract minimum before anything else | The per-user price is published but the annual minimum is not, and it is what excludes small organisations. |
Verdict by who you are
Company running many SaaS apps from mixed vendorsYes
Vendor-neutral identity is the whole argument, and the integration catalogue is the deepest available.
IT team automating joiners and leaversYes
Lifecycle Management on Essentials removes the manual deprovisioning that leaves former staff with access for months.
Microsoft 365 organisationNo
Entra ID is included in licences you hold and covers most of this.
Small businessNo
Annual contract minimums make this impractical below a certain size, and they are not published.
Should you buy Okta?
Buy Okta if…
- Organisations running many SaaS applications across mixed vendors
- Companies automating joiner, mover and leaver processes
- Businesses that want identity independent of Microsoft or Google
Do not buy Okta if…
- Small teams already covered by Entra ID or Google Workspace
- Organisations below the annual contract minimum
- Buyers wanting a single all-inclusive price
Key features
- Single sign-on across thousands of pre-integrated applications
- Adaptive multi-factor authentication with risk signals
- Universal Directory as a central user store
- Lifecycle Management for automated provisioning and deprovisioning
- Okta Workflows for identity automation without code
- Access governance and periodic access reviews
- Customer Identity Cloud for external users
- Privileged access management on higher tiers
Integrations
- Microsoft 365 and Entra ID
- Google Workspace
- Salesforce, Workday and ServiceNow
- AWS, Azure and Google Cloud
- SCIM, SAML and OIDC standards
- Okta Integration Network
Okta screenshots
Captured by us in August 2026 at 1440px, unedited. Interfaces change, so these show the product as it looked on the date we verified this profile. Vendors localise pricing by visitor region, so a pricing screenshot may display a different currency to the USD figures recorded above.
Our assessment
Okta's argument is independence. Because it is not tied to a productivity suite, it treats every application as a first-class integration rather than favouring one vendor's estate, and Lifecycle Management genuinely removes the manual joiner and leaver work that creates most access risk. The counter-argument is equally simple: organisations on Microsoft 365 already own Entra ID, and paying again for identity needs justifying. Pricing is also less approachable than the $6 entry suggests, because annual contract minimums apply and the automation most buyers want sits at Essentials.
What works in Okta
- Vendor-neutral, with a very large catalogue of pre-built integrations
- Lifecycle Management removes manual provisioning and deprovisioning
- Workflows automate identity processes without engineering effort
- Strong adaptive MFA and access governance on higher tiers
What doesn't
- Duplicates identity most Microsoft 365 customers already own
- Annual contract minimums put it out of reach for small teams
- The capabilities most buyers want are at Essentials, not Starter
- The 2022 support-system breach damaged trust and is still cited
EveryAny Decision Score
Scored by dimension rather than averaged into one number, because the trade-offs are the useful part. 2 of these 7 dimensions are calculated from verified facts by published formula; the rest are editorial judgement, labelled as such. How each score is calculated.
- Portability5/10
derivedpublic API
- Subscription flexibility6/10
derivedfree trial, subscription, monthly billing
- Feature depth9/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Ease of learning5/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Collaboration6/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- AI capability5/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
- Professional adoption9/10
editorialeditorial judgement, reviewed at last check
What leaving Okta would cost
moderate lock-in
Calculated as 10 minus a portability score of 5, built from four signals (self-hosting, a public API, open-source licensing and a documented export path) . Okta scores on: public API. Formula.
Okta competitors and alternatives
| Alternative | Why you might pick it instead |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra ID | Often already owned through Microsoft 365, and cheaper as a result. |
| JumpCloud | Combines identity with device management, strong for smaller organisations. |
| Auth0 | Owned by Okta, and the usual choice for identity inside your own product. |
The entry price is not the entry cost
Starter is $6 per user per month, but Okta applies annual contract minimums, so a very small organisation cannot simply buy twenty seats and stop. Ask what the minimum is for your configuration before modelling per-user cost, because below a certain headcount the effective rate is considerably higher than the list price implies.
Starter, Core Essentials or Essentials?
Starter covers single sign-on, MFA and the directory. That is useful and it is not why most people buy Okta. Lifecycle Management, which provisions and deprovisions accounts automatically as people join, move and leave, sits at Essentials ($17). Since that automation is usually the business case, budget Essentials and treat Starter as the floor.
Core Essentials at $14 exists for organisations that want more than Starter without the full governance and security set.
The Entra ID question
If your organisation runs Microsoft 365, you already have an identity provider, and Entra ID handles single sign-on and conditional access competently. Okta earns its place when the estate is genuinely heterogeneous, when you want identity that does not favour one vendor, or when Lifecycle Management across many non-Microsoft applications is the requirement.
Why identity is worth doing properly
The unglamorous case: most access incidents are not sophisticated attacks but accounts that were never switched off. Automated deprovisioning tied to the HR system closes that gap on the day someone leaves rather than whenever IT gets to the ticket. That is the outcome to price against, not the login screen.
Okta questions, answered
- Is Okta worth it?
- Okta's argument is independence. Because it is not tied to a productivity suite, it treats every application as a first-class integration rather than favouring one vendor's estate, and Lifecycle Management genuinely remo
- How much does Okta cost?
- Starter from $6 per user/month, subject to annual contract minimums. The cheapest paid tier we recorded works out at $6 a month, or $72 over a year. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
- Does Okta have a free plan or free trial?
- Okta has no free plan. A free trial is available: 30 days.
- What is the best Okta alternative?
- It depends on the job. Microsoft Entra ID: Often already owned through Microsoft 365, and cheaper as a result. JumpCloud: Combines identity with device management, strong for smaller organisations. Auth0: Owned by Okta, and the usual choice for identity inside your own product.
- Can I self-host Okta?
- No. Okta is a hosted service only, so your data lives on the vendor's infrastructure.
Provenance and freshness
When each fact was last checked
- Pricing ·
- Plans ·
- Free trial
- Features
- Platforms
- Integrations
- Affiliate programme
- Company details
What has changed
-
August 2026
- Per-user pricing verified; contract minimums remain unpublished
- Added plan picker and verdicts
Sources & verification
Facts on this page were read from the sources below on the dates shown. Where a vendor does not publish a figure, we record it as not disclosed rather than estimating it.
- Okta pricing - checked 9 August 2026
Spotted something out of date? Email [email protected] and we will re-check it. Corrections are logged on the page.