Multi-factor authentication software asks a user for a second proof, such as a phone prompt, a code or a hardware key, before a login succeeds.
This guide ranks vendors by rollout setup, what phone credits and add-ons do to the bill, whether the vendor stands alone, and how much price is visible before a sales call.
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.
In short
What multi-factor authentication software does
Multi-factor authentication software checks a second proof of identity, such as a push prompt, code, hardware token or biometric, alongside a password before users reach applications, VPNs and servers.
Five tests decide the order: setup effort, real cost, how your data leaves, whether you can walk away, and who the multi-factor authentication tool was built for. On top of them sits one rule. The top three places are for challengers, which means vendors outside the big names, where the category has any, and the household brands come in from fourth place. The reasoning behind the five tests, and behind having no score out of ten, is set out on the how we work page.
Polish MFA vendor with two paid tiers and unlimited protected users
Ranked #1 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
Rublon's pricing page shows Business at EUR 2 per user per month with a 15-licence minimum and multi-year discounts, and Enterprise at EUR 4 with a 300-licence minimum under a custom contract.
The Free plan covers a single protected user with community support only. A trial is offered for the two paid tiers and drops back to the Free plan on expiry. Optional phone support is an extra charge, so budget for it before signing.
What stands out
Per-user tiers
One-user free plan
Phone credits extra
Where it costs you
The free plan stops at one protected user and leaves out the network, device and location policies.
SMS and call authentication draw on phone credits that cost extra on every plan.
Right for
Small and mid-sized teams wanting a fixed per-user MFA rate from 15 licences
Wrong for
Buyers who must see cloud or on-premises hosting options first
PolandPublished per-user monthly tiers (Business, Enterprise); free plan for one user; phone credits extra
Dublin-registered MFA sold as a cloud service or an on-site platform
Ranked #2 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
The cloud tab lists a free plan for 10 users, then plans covering 23 and 77 users, the larger with two resources, and a Custom plan at a per-user rate.
The platform tab starts at 99 users per month with a per-user rate beyond that, plus a lifetime licence through sales. Each plan includes an initial account balance. Hardware tokens range by model and volume, with a discount when a year of service is paid in advance.
What stands out
Cloud or on-site
10-user free plan
Hardware OTP tokens
Where it costs you
Resources, admins and filters are limited or billed separately, so tier names hide the real plan size.
SMS authentication is charged per user per month on top of the plan.
Right for
Teams wanting one MFA vendor for both cloud use and a private deployment
Wrong for
Buyers who need one all-in per-user price with no extras
IrelandPublished cloud and platform plans; free plan for 10 users; hardware tokens priced per unit
Per-user workforce tiers plus a sales-led customer authentication plan
Ranked #3 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The workforce rows run from Identity Assurance Access through Plus to Advanced, the last marked Popular. The customer plan, called HYPR Platform Customer Authentication, carries a six-month log retention and a 99.9% SLA, with volume pricing stated for 100,000 users and above.
Dynamic Use Cases is usage-based without rates. The company page lists New York and Holmdel, and no headquarters country, so confirm the contracting entity.
What stands out
Three workforce tiers
Customer plan via sales
Support add-ons
Where it costs you
Premium Plus and Enterprise support are add-ons outside the listed workforce rates.
The trial button only opens a demo request, and no trial terms are described.
Right for
Workforce teams that want three clearly priced tiers before any sales call
Wrong for
Customer-facing apps that need a price before contacting sales
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-user monthly workforce tiers; customer plan and identity verification sold through sales
Universal MFA inside four packages sized by organisation
Ranked #4 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The pricing page defines Core as ISPM and Universal MFA, Plus as adding non-human identity and AI agent security, Advanced as adding Authentication Firewall and ITDR, and Enterprise as adding Access Intelligence and Privileged Access Security.
Standard support is included. The company page describes protecting identities in the cloud or on-premises, with a use case for legacy environments. MFA is therefore one capability within an identity-protection suite, not a stand-alone product.
What stands out
Four packages
A la carte capabilities
Legacy coverage
Where it costs you
Every package ends in a quote button, so no budget figure exists before a sales call.
No trial or entry plan is mentioned, which delays hands-on testing.
Right for
Organisations extending MFA to legacy and on-premises systems
Wrong for
Small teams wanting a self-service plan to start today
Not stated by the vendorQuoted by organisation size across four packages; support add-ons set as a share of licence cost
US identity platform billed by monthly active users, 30-day trial
Ranked #5 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Volume pricing decreases as monthly active users grow, and seasonal credits absorb traffic spikes without overage charges. That helps consumer-style login but gives a workforce buyer with steady headcount little advantage.
Optional add-ons include Continuous Session Assurance, additional SCIM connectors, reserved capacity and custom rate limits. A 30-day trial is available without a credit card, while guided proof-of-concept work goes through sales.
What stands out
MAU-based billing
99.99% SLA
Priced add-ons
Where it costs you
No prices are shown anywhere, and add-ons such as vanity domains and extra webhooks are sold separately.
Three licence names priced by environment and listed without figures
Ranked #6 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestNorth America
Licences are named rather than described: the tiers move from Authentication Essentials to Zero Trust Identity and Device, then Secure Access Complete. The page ties the final price to environment factors and tells buyers to contact the team.
Device360, Secure DevOps and RealityCheck appear as separate add-ons. The privacy policy names the company, its offices in Addison and New York, and a US location. Ask for a written licence map before comparing quotes.
What stands out
Three licences
Environment-based pricing
Unclear add-ons
Where it costs you
Add-ons are listed without saying which licence includes them, so the real bill is unclear.
Neither a trial nor an entry plan is named on the pricing page.
Right for
Buyers wanting device-aware authentication from a US-based specialist vendor
Wrong for
Teams that need a stated price before a conversation
United StatesQuoted by environment across three licences; no trial named
Cloud-console MFA with an optional identity security tier
Ranked #7 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The AuthPoint page sets two options side by side: AuthPoint MFA and Total Identity Security, the second adding dark web credential monitoring. Both run on WatchGuard Cloud and are managed from one console, which suits a buyer who prefers fewer admin tools.
Try Now and Demos and Free Trials links are shown without terms. The copyright reads WatchGuard Technologies, Inc., and the page names no headquarters country or parent company.
What stands out
Cloud console
Dark web monitoring
Sales-led pricing
Where it costs you
The page shows no prices or currency, so cost can only be learned through sales.
Nothing on the page says how long a trial or demo lasts.
Right for
Teams already managing security through the WatchGuard Cloud console
Wrong for
Buyers who compare vendors on published rates first
Not stated by the vendorNo prices shown on the AuthPoint page; trial and demo links lead to sales
MFA bought inside a directory, with SSO and device lines priced separately
Ranked #8 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
For an MFA shopper the useful comparison is the SSO line against the device identity line, because annual billing is cheaper than monthly on both. The Platform Essentials plan stops at 300 users and the larger Platform and Prime plans go through contact.
Payment is by card or ACH, and invoicing appears only above a monthly spend. Delaware law governs the directory service terms, and the vendor says it is not a VAT registered entity.
What stands out
Directory-led
Per-user product lines
30-day trial
Where it costs you
Each added line, such as passwordless or conditional access, adds a further per-user charge.
Suspended users are billed like active ones, which inflates the count for MFA seats.
Right for
Companies wanting MFA, single sign-on and device control from one directory
Wrong for
Buyers who only need a standalone second factor
United StatesPublished per-user monthly rates, lower when billed annually; platform tiers by contact; 30-day trial
Annual enterprise MFA contracts with a 5,000-user workforce minimum
Ranked #9 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Customer pricing starts at 35,000 a year for Essential and 50,000 for Plus, with currency not shown on the page. Plus is the package that brings adaptive MFA together with API access control.
Essential includes no-code orchestration, an LDAP gateway, and, on the workforce side, Kerberos and RADIUS gateways. Those gateways matter to buyers extending MFA to older network systems. Workforce rates apply only once the 5,000 user threshold is met.
What stands out
5,000-user minimum
Adaptive MFA in Plus
Denver headquarters
Where it costs you
The 5,000-user minimum rules out most small and mid-sized buyers.
Passwordless is available through sales only and has no price on the page.
Right for
Large employers wanting priced MFA for staff and a separate customer package
Wrong for
Organisations with fewer than a few thousand people to protect
United StatesPublished workforce and customer tiers on annual contracts; 30-day trials
Starter tier includes MFA; adaptive MFA begins one suite higher
Ranked #10 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Starter holds SSO, MFA, five workflows and Universal Directory, which covers a basic rollout. Moving up to Essentials brings adaptive MFA beside privileged access, lifecycle tooling and governance of who reaches what, while Professional brings Device Access and Identity Threat Protection.
The integrator plan allows 10 monthly active users outside production, so it cannot serve as a pilot with real staff. Customer identity is also sold on an annual contract.
What stands out
MFA in Starter
Adaptive MFA higher
Annual billing
Where it costs you
Adaptive MFA sits one suite above the entry tier, so risk-based rules cost more.
Professional and Enterprise tiers carry no listed price.
Right for
Mid-sized firms that want MFA bundled with single sign-on and a directory
Wrong for
Teams wanting monthly billing or a lone second-factor product
United StatesPublished suite tiers with monthly per-seat rates billed yearly; higher tiers by inquiry; contract minimum
Authentication kept on-site, with hybrid cloud failover via RSA ID Plus
Ranked #11 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Self-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
The tier ladder runs from Cloud IAM through Hybrid auth and Hybrid IAM to an Entra ID Enhanced option, each with a per-user monthly price except the top Hybrid IAM tier.
Hybrid failover is the selling point: the RSA Authenticator App and DS100 hardware authenticator keep working when the cloud is unreachable. A trial of ID Plus is linked, but its length is not stated, so ask before planning a pilot.
What stands out
On-premises roots
Hybrid failover
ID Plus tiers
Where it costs you
Prices shown belong to ID Plus tiers, so SecurID's own cost is not visible.
The page does not name an owner or a headquarters country.
Right for
Organisations keeping authentication on-site while adding a cloud fallback
Wrong for
Cloud-first teams wanting a short, self-service rollout
Not stated by the vendorPublished ID Plus tiers per user per month; trial link; SecurID itself shows no prices
SafeNet Trusted Access with token, FIDO and smart card authenticators
Ranked #12 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The product catalogue treats multi-factor authentication as one capability inside SafeNet Trusted Access. Authenticators named on the page stretch from OTP tokens to smart cards, a wider hardware range than most cloud-only MFA vendors list.
The page carries a Thales copyright notice but does not confirm who owns SafeNet. Treat it as a hardware-heavy option and verify licensing directly.
What stands out
Trusted Access
Hardware authenticators
FIDO and PKI
Where it costs you
No price, plan or deployment model is shown, so a buyer learns little before contact.
The trial link states no duration or terms.
Right for
Organisations needing smart card, PKI and hardware token authenticators together
Wrong for
Buyers wanting stated prices and self-service plans
Not stated by the vendorNo prices shown; trial link without terms
Cisco-owned MFA with tiered per-user prices and a ten-user free plan
Ranked #13 of 13 in Best Multi-Factor Authentication Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Essentials, Advantage and Premier step up in price, and Advantage is labelled Most Popular. The free plan is meant for small businesses with 10 or fewer users, while the trial requires a credit card.
Duo started in Ann Arbor and belongs to Cisco Security since 2018, which matters for buyers weighing independence. Ask the vendor about the country of the contracting entity, because the about page does not state a headquarters.
What stands out
Four tiers
Cisco-owned
10-user free plan
Where it costs you
Licences round up to the next increment of 10 or 25.
The pricing page shows only a dollar sign, with no currency code.
Right for
Small teams wanting a published ladder that starts with a free plan
Wrong for
Buyers who avoid vendors owned by large networking groups
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-user monthly tiers; free plan up to 10 users; 30-day trial
How to choose multi-factor authentication software
Multi-factor authentication software checks a second proof of identity, such as a push prompt, code, hardware token or biometric, alongside a password before users reach applications, VPNs and servers. Rather than compare features, settle the following points one after another.
01
Start with pricing transparency
The split is 8 published against 5 quoted. If you want to compare numbers first, start with Rublon, Protectimus, HYPR, JumpCloud, Ping Identity, Okta, RSA SecurID, Duo Security.
02
Look at where the vendor sits
These 13 vendors are established in 4 countries across 3 regions (Elsewhere 6, North America 5, Europe 2). That decides whose disclosure law applies to what the vendor holds, wherever the servers are.
Multi-factor authentication software: count the phone credits first
The cheapest line on an MFA price page is rarely the line you pay. Rublon sells Business and Enterprise per user but bills phone credits for text and call factors on every plan, and Protectimus charges SMS per user while showing push, bot and mail methods as free. Duo, HYPR and RSA SecurID publish tier prices, whereas Silverfort, SecureAuth and Beyond Identity show none at all.
Work out how many of your staff will receive codes by text, how many will use an authenticator app, and whether anyone needs a hardware token. Then ask each vendor for one total that covers the factors you will really use, including support, rather than the entry rate.
Split staff into app, SMS, call and hardware-token users
Ask whether phone credits are included in the quoted rate
Request the total with support included, not the entry tier
Cloud, hybrid or on-site: what the pricing page admits
Hosting decides how hard the first ninety days are, yet many MFA pages say nothing about it. Protectimus shows separate Cloud Service and On-Premise tabs, and RSA SecurID aims at authentication run on-site, with hybrid failover through RSA ID Plus. SecureAuth lists air-gapped and private managed SaaS deployment as paid add-ons.
Rublon, Duo and HYPR do not state hosting on the pages we read, and WatchGuard AuthPoint runs on WatchGuard Cloud, managed from one console. If your VPN, servers or legacy systems cannot call a cloud service, ask each vendor in writing where authentication runs, what happens if the cloud is unreachable, and which gateways or connectors are included in the price.
Ask in writing where authentication runs and what happens offline
List the VPNs, servers and legacy systems that need a connector
Check whether on-site or air-gapped options cost extra
Free plans, trials and minimums in MFA pricing
Entry terms vary far more than the headline price. Duo's free plan stops at 10 users and its 30-day trial that needs a credit card, Protectimus lets 10 users start without a card, and Rublon's entry tier protects one user only. SecureAuth offers a 30-day trial without a card.
Ping Identity lists a 5,000 user minimum for workforce pricing, Rublon sets minimums of 15 and 300 licences, and Duo rounds licences to increments of 10 or 25. Okta bills annually with a contract minimum. Compare the smallest purchase each vendor allows with your real headcount, and keep a note of which trial lengths each vendor states and which it leaves blank, because blanks usually mean a sales call.
Compare each vendor's minimum licence count with your headcount
Note whether a trial needs a card or converts to a free plan
Confirm trial length in writing when the page omits it
Stand-alone MFA or part of an identity suite
Several shortlisted names sell MFA as one feature of something larger, and that changes both price and exit. Okta Starter bundles MFA with SSO and a directory, but adaptive MFA starts higher. JumpCloud prices SSO, device identity, passwordless and conditional access on individual per-user rows, and Silverfort places Universal MFA in a Core package beside ISPM.
Rublon, Protectimus and WatchGuard AuthPoint are closer to MFA on its own. A suite makes sense when you will also use its directory and single sign-on, since you retire another tool. It is a poor trade when you only need a second factor, because you pay for lines you never switch on and must still export users and policies when you leave.
List which suite features you would genuinely switch on
Find which tier first includes adaptive or risk-based MFA
Ask how users and policies can be exported if you leave
What goes wrong most often when buying multi-factor authentication software
Choosing a tier by its entry price and finding afterwards that SMS or call authentication draws on separate phone credits.
Assuming a vendor runs on-site because it sells hardware tokens, when its pricing page never states a hosting model.
Ignoring licence minimums such as 5,000 users at Ping Identity or increments of 10 or 25 at Duo Security.
Buying an identity suite for its MFA line and then paying for adaptive MFA that only sits in a higher tier.
07
Frequently asked questions
7 answers
What is the best multi-factor authentication software in 2026?
First of 13 on this page is Rublon. Rublon sp. z o.o. is registered in Zielona Gora, Poland, and sells MFA in two paid tiers with minimums of 15 licences on Business and 300 on Enterprise, so a small team can price it from the page.
Protected users are unlimited on both. The surprise is phone: SMS passcodes, SMS links and calls bill as credits on every plan, and the pricing page says nothing about hosting options.
Which multi-factor authentication tools publish their pricing?
The ones that do, with the model each states:
Rublon: Published per-user monthly tiers (Business, Enterprise); free plan for one user; phone credits extra.
Protectimus: Published cloud and platform plans; free plan for 10 users; hardware tokens priced per unit.
HYPR: Published per-user monthly workforce tiers; customer plan and identity verification sold through sales.
JumpCloud: Published per-user monthly rates, lower when billed annually; platform tiers by contact; 30-day trial.
Ping Identity: Published workforce and customer tiers on annual contracts; 30-day trials.
Okta: Published suite tiers with monthly per-seat rates billed yearly; higher tiers by inquiry; contract minimum.
RSA SecurID: Published ID Plus tiers per user per month; trial link; SecurID itself shows no prices.
Duo Security: Published per-user monthly tiers; free plan up to 10 users; 30-day trial.
The remaining 5 sell by quote.
Is there a free multi-factor authentication tool?
Rublon, Protectimus, Duo Security offer a free tier or a free self-hosted edition.
Where are these multi-factor authentication software vendors established?
In 4 countries across 3 regions: Elsewhere 6, North America 5, Europe 2.
Rublon: Poland.
Protectimus: Ireland.
HYPR: Not stated by the vendor.
Silverfort: Not stated by the vendor.
SecureAuth: United States.
Beyond Identity: United States.
WatchGuard AuthPoint: Not stated by the vendor.
JumpCloud: United States.
Ping Identity: United States.
Okta: United States.
RSA SecurID: Not stated by the vendor.
Thales SafeNet: Not stated by the vendor.
Duo Security: Not stated by the vendor.
Which multi-factor authentication tools can you host yourself?
RSA SecurID. The remaining 12 run only on the vendor's servers.
What should you use instead of Rublon?
The next in line are Protectimus, aimed at teams wanting one MFA vendor for both cloud use and a private deployment, and HYPR, aimed at Workforce teams that want three clearly priced tiers before any sales call.
Who should not buy Rublon?
Buyers who must see cloud or on-premises hosting options first. The free plan stops at one protected user and leaves out the network, device and location policies..
Vendors who think their multi-factor authentication software product should be here can tell us about it: what it does, who it is for. The call is ours, and software advice sets out what being listed means.
