Descope vs Duo Security Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Descope | Duo Security | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $249/mo | $3/mo |
| Number of plans | 4 | 4 |
| Free plan | ||
| Free trial | — | |
| Pricing model | usage-based | per-seat |
Free Forever
- 7,500 Monthly active users (MAUs)
- 10 Monthly active tenants
- 3 SSO connections
- 1 Federated app (OIDC)
- 5 Test users
- 10,000 M2M exchanges
- 2,000 Monthly active consents (MACs)
- 2,000 Monthly active tokens (MATKs)
- All auth methods
- Role-based access control
- MFA / step-up authentication
- Secure session management
- Self-service admin widgets
- Third-party connectors
- No Descope watermark
- Community support
- 99% SLA
Pro
- 10,000 Monthly active users (MAUs)
- 35 Monthly active tenants
- 5 SSO connections
- 2 Federated apps (SAML / OIDC)
- 100 Test users
- 50,000 M2M exchanges
- 5,000 Monthly active consents (MACs)
- 5,000 Monthly active tokens (MATKs)
- Custom Domain
- Google One Tap
- Custom OIDC Provider
- SSO for third-party apps
- Self-service SSO setup
- CI / CD integration
- Localization
- Web and email support
- SOC 2 reports
- 99.99% SLA
Growth
- 25,000 Monthly active users (MAUs)
- 100 Monthly active tenants
- 10 SSO connections
- Unlimited Federated apps (SAML / OIDC)
- 500 Test users
- 100,000 M2M exchanges
- 10,000 Monthly active consents (MACs)
- 10,000 Monthly active tokens (MATKs)
- Bot protection
- 1M Anonymous users
- Zero-downtime SSO migration
- SCIM provisioning
- Admin Portal
- Fine-grained authorization
- External audit connectors
- Multi-region data residency
- HIPAA BAA
- FedRAMP High deployments
Enterprise
- Tiered discounts
- Premium support add-on
- Dedicated CS engineer
- Custom deployments
- Unlimited test users
- Unlimited anonymous users
Duo Free
- Add up to 10 users
- Strong MFA
- Seamless integrations
- Free authenticator app
Duo Essentials
- Duo Directory
- Phishing-resistant MFA
- Complete passwordless authentication
- Single sign-on
- Trusted Endpoints
- Unlimited applications
Duo Advantage
Popular- Cisco Identity Intelligence (Cross-identity visibility, ISPM, and ITDR)
- Duo Passport
- Session theft protection
- Active Directory Defense
- Risk-Based Authentication
Duo Premier
- A comprehensive package for complete Zero Trust access
- VPN-less remote access to private resources
- Complete device trust with endpoint protection check
Descope vs Duo Security FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Duo Security is the cheaper option, starting at $3/mo vs $249/mo for Descope.
- Can I use either one for free?
- Both offer free plans, so you can try each without paying. Start with whichever fits your workflow better and upgrade when you hit the limits.
- How do they charge?
- Different approach here. Descope uses usage-based pricing, while Duo Security goes with per-seat. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. Descope: They're positioned as a mid-market alternative to Auth0 and Okta — cheaper than Okta's enterprise lock-in, more feature-rich than rolling your own. The Hello World startup program is a direct shot at Auth0's free tier dominance in the developer-first space. Duo Security: At $3–$9/user/month, Duo sits in the affordable-to-mid range for identity security — well below Okta's MFA add-ons and competitive with Microsoft Authenticator bundles for orgs not already in the M365 ecosystem. They're clearly targeting security-conscious SMBs and mid-market teams that want enterprise-grade MFA without enterprise-grade pricing.
Keep tabs on both.
We'll monitor pricing changes for Descope and Duo Security and let you know when something moves.