Secure Identity for Employees, Customers, and AI
Grade: A — Score: 95/100
Okta's technology offers a neutral and extensible platform designed to secure identities throughout their entire lifecycle, ensuring that both human and AI agents are protected. With features like Single Sign-On and Multi-Factor Authentication, Okta enhances security while simplifying user access.
The workflow capabilities allow organizations to customize and extend identity flows, enabling seamless integration with existing systems. This flexibility supports businesses in scaling their identity management solutions efficiently, reducing development labor costs and improving user experiences.
By addressing risks associated with identity management, Okta provides proactive remediation and governance solutions. This helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements while minimizing the potential for fraud and security breaches.
Starter: $6/user/month (billed annually). $1,500 annual contract minimum.
Core Essentials: $14/user/month (billed annually)
Essentials: $17/user/month (billed annually)
Professional / Enterprise: Custom (contact sales)
Consider switching to Microsoft Azure Active Directory: Microsoft Azure AD offers similar identity management features with deep integration into the Microsoft ecosystem.
Okta Workforce Identity pricing starts at $6/user/month (Starter) for SSO and basic MFA. Core Essentials at $14/user/month adds Adaptive MFA and Lifecycle Management. Essentials at $17/user/month adds Identity Governance and Privileged Access. Professional and Enterprise tiers require contacting sales. All plans are billed annually with a $1,500 annual contract minimum. Add-on modules (Governance purchased separately, Advanced Server Access, extra Workflows) can increase the total bill. A 30-day free trial covers Starter-tier features for up to 100 users.
Okta is vendor-neutral with 8,200+ pre-built integrations across cloud, on-prem, and mobile applications from any vendor. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) is tightly integrated with the Microsoft ecosystem and is included with Microsoft 365 E3/E5 subscriptions, making it effectively free for organizations already paying for M365. Okta's advantage is breadth: it connects to non-Microsoft apps more easily and offers stronger lifecycle management and governance tools. Entra ID's advantage is cost: if you already pay for Microsoft 365, adding a separate Okta subscription doubles your identity spend.
The OIN is Okta's catalog of 8,200+ pre-built connectors for SSO, SCIM provisioning, and API access. It covers cloud apps (Salesforce, Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom), on-premises applications (via Access Gateway on Enterprise tier), and HR systems (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, BambooHR). Most integrations can be configured in minutes using SAML or OIDC. As of 2026, the OIN also includes dedicated connectors for AI agent platforms (Boomi, DataRobot, Google Vertex AI) as part of Okta for AI Agents.
Starter ($6/user/month) covers SSO, basic MFA, Universal Directory, and 5 Workflow automations. It does not include Adaptive MFA, provisioning, or governance. Core Essentials ($14/user/month) adds Adaptive MFA and Lifecycle Management but not governance. Essentials ($17/user/month) adds Identity Governance (access reviews, certification campaigns) and Privileged Access for 2 admins. Professional (custom pricing) adds Device Access, Identity Security Posture Management, Identity Threat Protection with Okta AI, a sandbox environment, and unlimited Workflows. Enterprise adds API Access Management and Access Gateway for on-prem apps.
Yes. Okta provides a 30-day free trial that includes Starter-tier features: SSO, MFA, and Universal Directory. The trial supports up to 100 users and 5 Workflow automations. No credit card is required. Limitations include no Adaptive MFA, no Lifecycle Management, no Okta support access, and restricted email template editing. There is no permanent free tier for production use.
Okta can work for small businesses, but the $1,500 annual contract minimum means you are paying at least $125/month regardless of team size. For a 10-person team on Starter ($6/user/month), the annual cost would be $1,500 (the minimum). On Essentials ($17/user/month), the same team would pay $2,040/year. Small teams under 10 users that primarily need MFA may find Cisco Duo (free for up to 10 users) or Microsoft Entra ID (included with M365) more cost-effective. Okta becomes more competitive as headcount grows and the need for automated provisioning, governance, and broad integration coverage increases.
In October 2023, Okta disclosed that an attacker used a stolen service account credential to access its customer support case management system. The attacker was able to view files uploaded by some customers as part of support cases, including HAR files that contained session tokens. Okta's response included revoking embedded session tokens, notifying affected customers, and implementing additional controls on its support system. In January 2024, Okta also disclosed that an attacker had accessed names and email addresses of all Okta customer support system users. These incidents prompted scrutiny but Okta has since increased its security investments and published detailed post-incident reports.
Announced in March 2026 and generally available April 30, 2026, Okta for AI Agents enables organizations to register, authenticate, and govern AI agents as first-class identities alongside human users. It addresses three questions: where are your agents, what can they connect to, and what can they do. The OIN has been extended to include dedicated integrations for AI agent platforms like Boomi, DataRobot, and Google Vertex AI. The feature also includes detection of unsanctioned 'shadow agents' created by employees.