HEAD-TO-HEAD · FACTS ONLY, NO SCORES

Okta vs Ping Identity: IAM jobs, prices and limits side by side

Short answer

Both document directory and single sign-on. Ping offers PingFederate as self-run software and a dedicated tenant beside its cloud, at $3 or $6 per user with a 5,000-user minimum; Okta is a cloud service with lifecycle, governance and threat protection products in our sources. Both cover directory and SSO, lifecycle and IGA and privileged access. Only Okta covers threat detection.

By The Access Desk · Best IAM Tools · Published 2026-10-08

Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial profiles, no scores; we did not run the products.

How do they compare job by job?

Coverage as described on each vendor's own pages, read in September 2026 and updated 11 October 2026. Not a score.
Job	Okta	Ping Identity
J1Directory and SSO	Documented Universal Directory, SSO and MFA from the Starter suite; 8,000+ pre-built integrations in the Okta Integration Network; FastPass passwordless; Adaptive MFA. Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta FastPass · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Adaptive MFA · Read 27 Sep 2026	Documented PingOne for Workforce Essential covers SSO, directory, OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML, SCIM, LDAP, Kerberos and a RADIUS gateway; Plus adds adaptive MFA and passwordless; PingFederate is an enterprise federation server. Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: PingFederate · Read 27 Sep 2026
J2Lifecycle and IGA	Documented Lifecycle Management with HR sources (Workday, BambooHR, SuccessFactors) and SCIM; Okta Identity Governance adds access requests, certifications and entitlement management and requires Okta Workforce Identity. Source: Okta Lifecycle Management · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partial Inbound provisioning and SCIM in the Essential tier; governance features are not in our sources. Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
J3App coverage	Not in our sources Governance of apps outside Okta's integrations is not described on the pages reviewed.	Not in our sources PingOne DaVinci orchestrates sign-in and registration journeys across identity tools from any vendor; it does not describe discovering unmanaged applications or accounts. Source: PingOne DaVinci · Read 11 Oct 2026
J4Privileged access	Partial Privileged Access is listed in the Essentials suite on the pricing page; feature detail is not in our sources. Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partial Ping announced Privileged Access for Desktop Agents on 27 May 2026, with availability that may vary by product, region or deployment model. Source: Ping Identity press release, 27 May 2026 · Read 27 Sep 2026
J5Threat detection	Documented Identity Threat Protection evaluates risk during sessions, offers Universal Logout and shares signals with CrowdStrike, Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks and Jamf. Source: Okta Identity Threat Protection · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources

Can you run both in one stack?

They overlap on directory and SSO, so most stacks would use one of them for that job and the other only for the jobs it adds.

What do they cost and how are they deployed?

Okta

Pricing: Starter $6, Core Essentials $14, Essentials $17 per user per month, billed annually; Professional and Enterprise priced on request; $1,500 annual minimum; 30-day Starter trial. Identity Threat Protection is an add-on from Essentials up and included in Professional. Okta's pricing table marks Identity Governance (OIG) as included from Essentials ($17 per user per month) upward, and Okta's footnote describes OIG as an add-on.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026
Deployment: Okta cloud service.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations: 8,000+ pre-built integrations.
Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026
Certifications: FastPass page cites FedRAMP High and NIST AAL3 requirements on properly configured devices.
Source: Okta FastPass · Read 27 Sep 2026

Ping Identity

Pricing: PingOne for Workforce Essential $3 and Plus $6 per user per month, annual contract, 5,000-user minimum; 30-day trial on both.
Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Deployment: PingOne cloud, PingOne Advanced Services dedicated tenant, or PingFederate as software in cloud containers; FedRAMP High and DoD IL5 through Ping Government Identity Cloud.
Source: PingFederate · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations: 6,500+ orchestrated capabilities across 350+ connectors.
Source: Ping Identity homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
Certifications: FedRAMP High and DoD IL5 through Ping Government Identity Cloud.
Source: PingFederate · Read 27 Sep 2026

What are each one's strengths and limits?

Okta

Strengths

The largest integration catalog in our sources (8,000+).
Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026
Published entry prices.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Directory, lifecycle, governance and threat protection from one vendor.
Source: Okta Lifecycle Management · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Threat Protection · Read 27 Sep 2026

Limits

$1,500 annual minimum contract.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Professional and Enterprise are priced on request, and the footnote describes Identity Governance as an add-on.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Apps outside the integration catalog are not covered in our sources.
Basis: absence on the pages we read

Ping Identity

Strengths

Choice of cloud, dedicated tenant or self-run software.
Source: PingFederate · Read 27 Sep 2026
Low published per-user price.
Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Broad protocol support, including Kerberos and RADIUS.
Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
PingOne DaVinci, a no-code orchestration service for identity journeys with hundreds of out-of-the-box integrations, delivered as multi-tenant SaaS.
Source: PingOne DaVinci · Read 11 Oct 2026

Limits

5,000-user annual minimum.
Source: Ping Identity pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Governance and threat detection products are not in our sources.
Basis: absence on the pages we read

Which should you look at first?

Okta

Look at Okta first if you need: threat detection.

Okta's pages highlight: The largest integration catalog in our sources (8,000+).

Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026

Ping Identity

Look at Ping Identity first if you need: the jobs both cover.

Ping Identity's pages highlight: Choice of cloud, dedicated tenant or self-run software.

Source: PingFederate · Read 27 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do Okta and Ping Identity publish prices?

Okta: Starter $6, Core Essentials $14, Essentials $17 per user per month, billed annually; Professional and Enterprise priced on request; $1,500 annual minimum; 30-day Starter trial. Identity Threat Protection is an add-on from Essentials up and included in Professional. Okta's pricing table marks Identity Governance (OIG) as included from Essentials ($17 per user per month) upward, and Okta's footnote describes OIG as an add-on. Ping Identity: PingOne for Workforce Essential $3 and Plus $6 per user per month, annual contract, 5,000-user minimum; 30-day trial on both.

Do Okta and Ping Identity overlap?

They overlap on directory and SSO, so most stacks would use one of them for that job and the other only for the jobs it adds.

How can I compare more than two IAM tools?

Use the side-by-side tool, which shows up to five vendors' job coverage, prices and limits in one table.