Duo Security alternatives: 11 multi-factor authentication tools compared
Teams look for a Duo alternative when the price ladder stops matching what they need, when they want a vendor outside Cisco, or when MFA should arrive inside a directory or identity suite. Others want a different billing shape, such as monthly active users, or a platform they can host themselves.
Short answer: Protectimus, Rublon and HYPR head the list of Duo Security alternatives drawn from our multi-factor authentication software ranking. Our rule for order: vendors outside the big brands go first, and the largest names are not placed in the top three. Protectimus is the one to try if you want a free 10-user plan plus the option to run the platform yourself. Below are 11 alternatives, each taken from the Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026 ranking, with its main difference from Duo Security.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Pricing: Published per-user monthly tiers; free plan up to 10 users; 30-day trial
Established in: Not stated by the vendor
Built for: Small teams wanting a published ladder that starts with a free plan
Not for: Buyers who avoid vendors owned by large networking groups
01
Why buyers look past Duo Security
01
Features sit on the upper rungs
Duo lists Free, Essentials at 3, Advantage at 6 and Premier at 9 dollars per user per month. Passwordless and single sign-on begin at Essentials, risk-based authentication and session theft protection at Advantage, and device trust with VPN-less access at Premier. A team that wants one adaptive feature may find itself on a higher rung.
02
Licences come in blocks
Under 100 users, Duo licences are bought in increments of 10, and above 100 in increments of 25. A company of 12 people therefore buys 20 seats. The free plan stops at 10 users, so growth past that point starts the paid ladder at once.
03
Ownership and hosting are not on the pages
The pages we read carry a Cisco Systems copyright line but say nothing about where data is hosted. Buyers who need a named data region or a vendor outside a large US group have to ask, or compare with vendors that state this plainly.
you want a full workforce identity suite and can commit to annual billing
#10
03
What each one does differently
1
Protectimus
Ireland · Published
Registered in Dublin, Protectimus runs the same product as a cloud service or as a platform you operate on-site or in a private cloud. Its free plan covers 10 users without a card, matching Duo's free ceiling. Push, bot and mail methods are shown as free; SMS is charged per user. Hardware OTP tokens are priced per unit.
Switch from Duo Security if you want a free 10-user plan plus the option to run the platform yourself.
A Polish company, Rublon sp. z o.o. in Zielona Gora, sells two paid tiers: Business from 15 licences and Enterprise from 300. Protected users are unlimited on both, and a free plan covers one user. Calls and SMS passcodes bill as phone credits on every plan, so heavy phone use changes the total.
Switch from Duo Security if a 15-licence minimum suits you better than Duo's blocks of 10 or 25.
HYPR publishes three workforce tiers per user per month, with standard support in the price. Customer authentication, identity verification and audit modules are quoted through sales. Offices are named in New York and New Jersey, with a presence in Belgrade. The trial button leads to a demo form without stated terms.
Switch from Duo Security if passwordless sign-in for staff is the main goal and you accept a quote for anything customer-facing.
Silverfort places Universal MFA in its Core package beside ISPM, with authentication firewall, ITDR and privileged access in higher packages. No prices appear: cost follows organisation size, and Premier and Diamond support add 10% and 20% of licence cost. Capabilities can be bought one at a time.
Switch from Duo Security if you want MFA for older systems folded into a wider identity protection package.
AuthPoint is managed from WatchGuard Cloud, and the page sets it beside Total Identity Security, which adds dark web credential monitoring. The pages we read show no prices and no currency, and the trial and demo links give no terms. Contracting entity and ownership are not stated beyond the copyright line.
Switch from Duo Security if you already manage firewalls from WatchGuard Cloud and want MFA in the same console.
SecureAuth Corporation, with a mailing address in Irvine, California, bills by annualised monthly active users under an annual volume commitment. Tabs cover workforce, B2C, B2B and non-human identity. All plans carry a 99.99% SLA, and a 30-day trial needs no card. Air-gapped and FIPS options are add-ons without figures.
Switch from Duo Security if your count of active users swings and you prefer billing by monthly activity.
Beyond Identity, Inc. names three licences, Authentication Essentials, Zero Trust Identity and Device, and Secure Access Complete, and says price depends on the environment. Offices are in Addison, Texas and New York. Device360, Secure DevOps and RealityCheck are listed as add-ons, though the page does not say which licence contains them.
Switch from Duo Security if you want a quote built around your environment and device checks.
JumpCloud sells MFA inside a directory: SSO, device identity, passwordless, Cloud LDAP, Cloud RADIUS and conditional access are separate per-user lines. Rates fall when billed annually, a 30-day trial is offered, suspended users still bill as normal users, and listed prices exclude VAT.
Switch from Duo Security if you would rather replace the directory and the MFA with a single vendor.
PingOne for Workforce lists Essential at 3 and Plus at 6 per user per month, on an annual contract with a 5,000 user minimum. For customer identity, Plus adds adaptive MFA and passwordless goes through sales. Contact details give a Denver headquarters, and both product families have 30-day trials.
Switch from Duo Security if you run a workforce of thousands and sign annual enterprise contracts.
RSA positions SecurID for on-premises authentication, with hybrid failover through RSA ID Plus for its authenticator app and the DS100 hardware authenticator. ID Plus tiers carry per-user monthly prices, one hybrid tier needs sales, and a trial link is offered. Owner and country are not stated on the page we read.
Switch from Duo Security if authentication has to keep working on-site, with hardware authenticators.
Okta lists Starter at 6, Core Essentials at 14 and Essentials at 17 per user per month, billed annually with a yearly minimum contract. MFA arrives in Starter beside SSO, adaptive MFA only in Essentials. Professional and Enterprise are by inquiry. Okta, Inc. includes its Auth0 subsidiary.
Switch from Duo Security if you want a full workforce identity suite and can commit to annual billing.
You want a free plan you could also run on your own servers
Protectimus: The free plan covers 10 users without a card, and the platform version can run on-site or in a private cloud.
02
You want a European vendor with unlimited protected users
Rublon: Rublon is registered in Poland and sells Business from 15 licences; phone credits bill extra on every plan.
03
Your old systems cannot take a modern login prompt
Silverfort: Universal MFA sits in the Core package, and capabilities can be chosen one by one, with prices on request.
04
You want sign-in, directory and devices from one supplier
JumpCloud: SSO, device identity and conditional access are separate per-user lines, with a 30-day trial.
05
Your hardware tokens must keep working on-site
RSA SecurID: The SecurID page describes on-premises authentication with hybrid failover and the DS100 hardware authenticator.
04
When Duo Security is still the right choice
Duo stays a sensible choice when you want self-service purchase and a clear price ladder with a free plan for up to 10 users. The 30-day trial activates in minutes, the page lists a wide range of methods including Duo Push, security keys and phone call, and it covers legacy Active Directory resources, VPNs, SaaS and custom apps. If you already run Cisco security products, staying keeps one supplier.
05
What moving off Duo Security involves
01
Enrolled devices must be enrolled again
Users register Duo Mobile or a security key per account, and a new product usually needs a fresh enrolment. Plan the rollout in waves, keep Duo active for the first group, and prepare a recovery path for staff who lose a phone.
02
Integrations are re-pointed one by one
VPNs, directories and SaaS tools each hold a Duo configuration. List them before you start, check that the new vendor lists the same applications, and test policies such as device health on a pilot group before the cutover.
06
Questions about replacing Duo Security
6 answers
What does Duo cost per user?
Duo's pricing page lists Free at 0, Essentials at 3, Advantage at 6 and Premier at 9 dollars per user per month. Licences are bought in increments of 10 below 100 users and 25 above. Check the live page for your currency.
Is there a free version of Duo?
Yes, Duo Free is for teams of 10 or fewer. Protectimus offers a free plan for 10 users as well, and Rublon a free plan for one user.
Who owns Duo?
The pages we read show a Cisco Systems, Inc. copyright line. Our record notes that Duo joined Cisco in 2018; the pricing page did not say so, and hosting is not stated there.
Which alternatives are European?
Of the tools listed here, Rublon is registered in Poland and Protectimus in Dublin. Other vendors either name a US base or do not state a country on the pages we read.
Can I host the MFA service myself?
Protectimus describes a platform that runs on-site or in a private cloud, and RSA positions SecurID for on-premises authentication. Hosting yourself means you run updates and availability.
Do phone calls and SMS cost extra elsewhere?
Rublon bills SMS passcodes, SMS links and calls as credits, and Protectimus charges per user for SMS. Duo's pricing page we read did not state telephony charges, so ask before assuming.
—
Sources
Checked 6 November 2026
Duo editions and pricing: Free, Essentials 3, Advantage 6, Premier 9 dollars per user per month, free plan up to 10 users, blocks of 10 and 25, 30-day trial, feature split by edition.
Duo MFA product page: Duo Push, security key, phone call, legacy and custom app coverage, Cisco copyright line.
Protectimus: Dublin registration, cloud or on-site platform, free plan for 10 users, SMS extra, hardware tokens per unit.
Rublon: Poland, Business from 15 and Enterprise from 300 licences, one-user free plan, phone credits.
HYPR: Three workforce tiers, customer plan via sales, New York and New Jersey offices.
Silverfort: Universal MFA in Core, four packages, support add-ons of 10% and 20%.
SecureAuth: Irvine address, monthly active user billing, 99.99% SLA, 30-day trial.
Beyond Identity: Three licences by environment, Addison and New York offices, add-ons.
WatchGuard: AuthPoint on WatchGuard Cloud, Total Identity Security, no prices shown.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Checked and edited by Sebastiaan Smits, last on 6 November 2026. The editorial process explains the method.
