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Duo Security (Cisco) vs Ping Identity(2026)

Duo Security (Cisco) is better for teams that need best-in-class mfa ux. Ping Identity is the stronger choice if best for highly regulated industries. Duo Security (Cisco) is freemium (from $3/user/mo) and Ping Identity is paid (from $20,000/yr).

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

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Duo Security (Cisco) logo

Duo Security (Cisco)

freemium

Duo Security by Cisco provides multi-factor authentication, zero trust access policies, and device health verification — protecting every application with user-friendly 2FA.

Starting at $3/user/mo

Visit Duo Security (Cisco)
Ping Identity logo

Ping Identity

paid

Ping Identity provides enterprise identity security with SSO, MFA, access management, and API security — favored by financial services and healthcare for its flexibility and compliance features.

Starting at $20,000/yr

Visit Ping Identity

How Do Duo Security (Cisco) and Ping Identity Compare on Features?

FeatureDuo Security (Cisco)Ping Identity
Pricing modelfreemiumpaid
Starting price$3/user/mo$20,000/yr
MFA (push/TOTP/hardware keys)
Zero Trust access
Device trust policies
SSO
Remote access
Trusted Endpoints
Risk-based authentication
SSO (SAML/OIDC/WS-Fed)
MFA
Adaptive authentication
API security gateway
Directory services
On-premises + cloud
FAPI compliance

Duo Security (Cisco) Pros and Cons vs Ping Identity

D

Duo Security (Cisco)

+Best-in-class MFA UX
+Free up to 10 users
+Cisco enterprise support
+Easy user enrollment
MFA-first (not full IAM)
Cisco acquisition adds bureaucracy
SSO less feature-rich than Okta
P

Ping Identity

+Best for highly regulated industries
+On-premises deployment available
+FAPI/banking standard support
+Flexible deployment
Very expensive (enterprise)
Complex implementation
Not suitable for SMBs

Should You Use Duo Security (Cisco) or Ping Identity?

Choose Duo Security (Cisco) if…

  • Best-in-class MFA UX
  • Free up to 10 users
  • Cisco enterprise support

Choose Ping Identity if…

  • Best for highly regulated industries
  • On-premises deployment available
  • FAPI/banking standard support

More Enterprise SSO & Identity Comparisons