HEAD-TO-HEAD · FACTS ONLY, NO SCORES

Okta vs SailPoint: IAM jobs, prices and limits side by side

Short answer

Okta Identity Governance runs inside Okta and requires Okta Workforce Identity; SailPoint is a separate governance platform that works beside the identity provider you run. Both document lifecycle automation and certifications. Both cover lifecycle and IGA. Only Okta covers directory and SSO, privileged access and threat detection. Only SailPoint covers app coverage.

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	SailPoint
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	Not in our sources
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	Documented Joiner, mover and leaver automation; Manager, Source Owner and Search certification campaigns; AI-driven certifications; automatic audit evidence collection and audit-ready reports. Source: SailPoint Identity Security Cloud · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: SailPoint documentation: certifications · Read 27 Sep 2026
J3App coverage	Not in our sources Governance of apps outside Okta's integrations is not described on the pages reviewed.	Partial The Application Management add-on gives app owners a self-registration portal and integration templates, and the SailPoint Discovery Tool uncovers unmanaged applications, identifies ownership and exposes shadow AI activity. Discovery of accounts inside those apps is not detailed. Source: SailPoint blog: Application Management · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: SailPoint Discovery Tool · Read 27 Sep 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	Not in our sources SailPoint completed its acquisition of Entro Security, which secures non-human identities, secrets and tokens, on 29 June 2026. Privileged access products are not profiled here. Source: SailPoint press release: Entro Security acquisition closed · 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 lifecycle and IGA, 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

SailPoint

Pricing: Suites listed (Standard, Agentic Business, Agentic Business Plus) without prices.
Source: SailPoint suites · Read 27 Sep 2026
Deployment: SaaS on SailPoint Atlas.
Source: SailPoint Identity Security Cloud · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations: Integration templates for app onboarding; no integration count in our sources.
Source: SailPoint blog: Application Management · Read 27 Sep 2026
Certifications: Not covered in our sources

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

SailPoint

Strengths

Deep certification campaigns: Manager, Source Owner and Search, plus AI-driven certifications.
Source: SailPoint documentation: certifications · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: SailPoint Identity Security Cloud · Read 27 Sep 2026
Audit evidence collected automatically, with audit-ready reports.
Source: SailPoint Identity Security Cloud · Read 27 Sep 2026
Works with discovery vendors: Orchid Security joined its Technology Alliance Partner program in August 2026.
Source: Orchid Security blog: SailPoint partnership · Read 27 Sep 2026

Limits

Suites listed without prices.
Source: SailPoint suites · Read 27 Sep 2026
The Discovery Tool uncovers unmanaged applications; discovery of accounts inside them is not detailed.
Source: SailPoint Discovery Tool · Read 27 Sep 2026

Which should you look at first?

Okta

Look at Okta first if you need: directory and SSO and threat detection.

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

Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026

SailPoint

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

SailPoint's pages highlight: Deep certification campaigns: Manager, Source Owner and Search, plus AI-driven certifications.

Source: SailPoint documentation: certifications · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: SailPoint Identity Security Cloud · Read 27 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do Okta and SailPoint 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. SailPoint: Suites listed (Standard, Agentic Business, Agentic Business Plus) without prices.

Do Okta and SailPoint overlap?

They overlap on lifecycle and IGA, 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.