Pricing overview
Okta organizes its offerings and associated pricing into two main categories: Workforce Identity Cloud and Customer Identity Cloud (powered by Auth0). Each category addresses distinct identity management needs and employs different pricing structures. Workforce Identity Cloud is designed for securing employee, partner, and contractor access to applications and resources, typically employing a per-user, per-month subscription model. This model often includes tiers based on the feature set required, such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and lifecycle management. The Customer Identity Cloud, on the other hand, is built for managing external user identities for customer-facing applications and services. Its pricing is primarily usage-based, scaling with metrics like Monthly Active Users (MAU), machine-to-machine (M2M) authentication tokens, and the number of log-ins or transactions. Both categories offer custom enterprise pricing for organizations with specific requirements, large user bases, or complex integrations. Okta's pricing strategy aims to align costs with the value delivered, whether it's securing internal operations or enabling external user experiences.
Additional modules and advanced features, such as advanced server access, identity governance, or privileged access management, are available as add-ons or separate products, each with its own pricing structure. These often require direct consultation with Okta sales for a tailored quote. The modular approach allows organizations to select and pay for only the identity services they require, while providing options for scaling capabilities as their needs evolve, from basic SSO to comprehensive identity lifecycle management and API security. For example, specific features like identity threat protection or advanced reporting might be bundled into higher-tier plans or offered as distinct add-on services.
Plans and tiers
Okta's pricing for Workforce Identity Cloud is structured into several tiers, each building upon the previous with additional features. The Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0) offers plans based on usage metrics.
Workforce Identity Cloud Plans (Per User/Month, Billed Annually)
This table outlines the typical plans for securing internal users and applications, as detailed on the Okta Workforce Identity pricing page.
| Plan | Price (per user/month) | Key Features & Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | $2 | Basic Single Sign-On (SSO), limited integrations (up to 3 apps), basic reporting. | Small businesses needing fundamental SSO for a few applications. |
| Express | $5 | SSO for unlimited apps, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), Universal Directory (UD), basic lifecycle management. | Growing businesses requiring robust SSO and MFA across more applications. |
| Plus | $8 | Advanced MFA (e.g., Adaptive MFA), API Access Management, Advanced Lifecycle Management, Workflows. | Enterprises needing advanced security, automated provisioning/deprovisioning, and API protection. |
| Enterprise | Custom Quote | Enhanced security, advanced reporting & analytics, custom integrations, dedicated support, and additional modules like Identity Governance. | Large enterprises with complex identity requirements, compliance needs, and extensive integrations. |
Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0) Plans (Usage-Based)
The Auth0 pricing structure is determined by Monthly Active Users (MAU) and other usage metrics. Developers can use a pricing calculator on Auth0's site to estimate costs based on specific usage patterns.
| Plan | Pricing Model | Key Features & Limits | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 MAU, 0 M2M tokens | Up to 7,000 MAU, unlimited logins, basic authentication, social connections, 3 M2M apps. | Developers and small projects for initial testing and limited production use. |
| Developer | Starts at $23/month | Up to 10,000 MAU, unlimited logins, advanced authentication features, single sign-on, unlimited M2M apps. | Startups and small to medium businesses building customer-facing applications. |
| Developer Pro | Starts at $130/month | Up to 100,000 MAU, enterprise connections, advanced multi-factor authentication, anomaly detection. | Growing applications requiring higher scale, advanced security, and more complex integrations. |
| Enterprise | Custom Quote | High volume MAU, dedicated support, advanced security features, compliance, custom integrations. | Large enterprises with critical customer-facing applications and strict compliance needs. |
It is important to note that the Customer Identity Cloud's pricing can also include charges for specific add-ons such as higher rates of machine-to-machine tokens, custom domains, or advanced security features that extend beyond standard plan inclusions. Organizations should carefully evaluate their anticipated MAU and feature requirements to select the most appropriate plan.
Free tier and limits
Okta offers a free tier primarily through its Developer Edition for Workforce Identity Cloud and a limited free plan for Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0).
- Workforce Identity Cloud - Developer Edition: This free tier provides access to core Okta functionalities for developers to build and test integrations. It typically includes support for up to 50 users, enabling features such as SSO, MFA, and basic user management for development and testing environments. The Okta developer documentation provides guides for getting started with this free edition. This is suitable for individual developers or small teams prototyping solutions before a full enterprise deployment.
- Customer Identity Cloud (Auth0) - Free Plan: The Auth0 Free Plan allows for up to 7,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU) and unlimited logins. It includes core authentication capabilities, social connections, and support for up to 3 machine-to-machine applications. This plan is designed for developers and small projects to test and launch applications without an initial financial commitment. Details on its limits and inclusions can be found on the Auth0 pricing page. Exceeding the 7,000 MAU limit on the free plan will typically prompt an upgrade to a paid tier.
Both free tiers provide opportunities for developers to explore Okta's identity platforms and integrate them into applications before committing to paid subscriptions. However, they come with limitations on user count, advanced features, and support levels, making them unsuitable for large-scale production environments.
Real-world cost examples
Understanding Okta's pricing requires considering the specific use case and scale. Here are a few hypothetical real-world cost examples:
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Small Business Workforce Identity: A startup with 50 employees needs to secure access to five cloud applications (e.g., Salesforce, Notion, Google Workspace). They opt for the Workforce Identity Cloud 'Starter' plan at $2/user/month. Annually, this would cost 50 users * $2/user/month * 12 months = $1,200. This covers basic SSO for their applications.
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Medium Enterprise Workforce Identity with Advanced MFA: An organization with 500 employees requires robust SSO, advanced multi-factor authentication (Adaptive MFA), and automated user provisioning/deprovisioning across 20+ applications. They select the 'Plus' plan at $8/user/month. Their annual cost would be 500 users * $8/user/month * 12 months = $48,000. This includes enhanced security and lifecycle management.
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E-commerce Platform Customer Identity: An e-commerce site expects 25,000 Monthly Active Users (MAU) for its customer login portal. Using Auth0's 'Developer' plan, which starts at $23/month for up to 10,000 MAU and scales beyond that, they would pay a base rate plus additional MAU charges. For 25,000 MAU, the cost might be approximately $23 (base) + (15,000 additional MAU * ~$0.0035/MAU) = $23 + $52.50 = ~$75.50 per month, or roughly $906 annually. This includes social login, passwordless, and basic authentication features. Higher usage or additional features like enterprise connections would increase this cost.
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SaaS Application with High MAU and M2M: A B2B SaaS platform with 150,000 MAU and significant machine-to-machine (M2M) API interactions. This scale would likely fall into Auth0's 'Developer Pro' or 'Enterprise' tier. A 'Developer Pro' plan starts at $130/month for up to 100,000 MAU. For 150,000 MAU, the cost would scale up from the base. Assuming M2M tokens are within a certain threshold, the cost could range from $250 to $500+ per month, depending on exact usage and feature requirements. This example highlights the scalability of the usage-based model for customer-facing applications.
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Large Enterprise with Identity Governance: A global enterprise with 10,000 employees requires not only SSO and MFA but also advanced identity governance features (certification campaigns, access requests) and privileged access management (PAM). This organization would likely engage with Okta for a custom 'Enterprise' plan that bundles various modules. The cost for such a comprehensive deployment could be significantly higher, often in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, due to the specialized nature of these advanced security and compliance features.
These examples illustrate that Okta's pricing can vary widely based on the number of users, the specific features required, and the chosen product category (Workforce vs. Customer Identity). Organizations should use the official pricing pages and potentially contact Okta sales for accurate quotes tailored to their unique needs.
How the pricing compares
Okta operates in a competitive market with several established identity and access management (IAM) providers. When comparing Okta's pricing, it's useful to look at its primary competitors:
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Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory): Microsoft offers tiered pricing for its identity services, often bundled with other Azure or Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Entra ID Free is included with Azure, Office 365, Microsoft 365 subscriptions. Paid tiers like Entra ID P1 and P2 offer advanced features like conditional access, identity protection, and privileged identity management. Microsoft's per-user pricing can sometimes appear lower, especially for organizations already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, potentially reducing integration costs. For example, Microsoft Entra ID P1 is often priced around $6 per user/month, offering a feature set that competes with Okta's mid-tier Workforce plans.
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Ping Identity: Ping Identity also provides a suite of IAM products, including SSO, MFA, and API security. Their pricing often involves custom quotes, particularly for enterprise deployments, making direct comparisons challenging without specific proposals. Ping Identity tends to target larger enterprises with complex on-premises and hybrid cloud environments, similar to Okta's Enterprise offerings. Like Okta, their pricing model is typically per-user for workforce identity, with usage-based components for customer identity solutions, as outlined in their cloud identity pricing models analysis.
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ForgeRock: ForgeRock offers a comprehensive digital identity platform. Historically, ForgeRock has been known for its on-premises deployments, though it now offers cloud services. Their pricing generally involves custom enterprise licensing, often based on user counts or processor cores for on-premises solutions, and MAU for cloud deployments. ForgeRock's focus on complex, bespoke identity solutions for large organizations means its pricing is typically in the same enterprise bracket as Okta's higher-tier plans, often requiring detailed consultations.
Overall, Okta's per-user pricing for Workforce Identity is competitive, especially at the Starter and Express tiers, making it accessible for small to medium businesses. For Customer Identity (Auth0), its usage-based model scales well from free developer plans to large enterprise needs. When evaluating alternatives, organizations should consider not just the sticker price, but also total cost of ownership, including integration efforts, administrative overhead, and the specific feature set required for their security and user experience goals. The choice often comes down to the ecosystem an organization is already embedded in, the complexity of its identity landscape, and its long-term strategic identity needs, as highlighted by industry analysts like Gartner in their Magic Quadrant for Access Management reports.