Duo Security vs FusionAuth Pricing (2026)
How do these two stack up on price? Here's what each one costs, what you get, and where the value sits.
| Duo Security | FusionAuth | |
|---|---|---|
| Starts at | $3/mo | $162/mo |
| Number of plans | 4 | 4 |
| Free plan | ||
| Free trial | — | |
| Pricing model | per-seat | usage-based |
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
Community
- Core authentication standards & features most apps need
- Community support (forums, Slack, Github)
- Self-host FusionAuth on your own infrastructure for free.
Starter
Popular- Premium authentication features
- Breached Password Detection, authentication, Machine-to-Machine, and more
- Community support (forums, Slack, Github)
- Includes basic hosting
Essentials
- Advanced connectivity, MFA, & security features
- Custom OAuth scopes
- Email support (24 to 48 hour response time during business hours)
- Includes business hosting
Enterprise
- Advanced threat detection
- SSO Tenant Manager
- 24/7 support (email and phone)
- Private Slack channel (with contract)
- Solution architect guidance
- Advanced governance & contract requirements
- Includes High availability hosting
Duo Security vs FusionAuth FAQ
- Which one is cheaper?
- Duo Security starts lower at $3/mo, compared to $162/mo for FusionAuth.
- 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. Duo Security uses per-seat pricing, while FusionAuth goes with usage-based. That changes the math depending on your team size and usage.
- Which one is a better deal?
- Depends on what you need. 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. FusionAuth: FusionAuth sits in the mid-market auth space competing with Auth0 and Okta CIC, and they're clearly positioning as the more developer-friendly, cost-transparent alternative. At $162/mo for 1K MAUs, they're not the cheapest (Clerk and Stytch have aggressive lower tiers) but they undercut Auth0 significantly at scale, targeting teams that got burned by Auth0's pricing as they grew.
Still deciding? See the best Duo Security alternatives or the best FusionAuth alternatives, ranked with verified pricing.
Keep tabs on both.
We'll monitor pricing changes for Duo Security and FusionAuth and let you know when something moves.