Cisco Duo vs One Identity Defender comparison

Cisco and One Identity are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8, while One Identity is ranked #29. Cisco holds a 5.0% mindshare in AS, compared to One Identity’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of One Identity users who would recommend it.

Cisco Duo

Read 89 Cisco Duo reviews

7,041 Views
4,858 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

One Identity Defender

Read 3 One Identity Defender reviews

599 Views
581 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Duo

One Identity Defender

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 28, 2025

Cisco Duo and One Identity Defender are prominent security solutions competing in authentication and access management. Based on user feedback, Cisco Duo has the upper hand in ease of use and quick deployment, while One Identity Defender is notable for its robust and customizable features.

What features are offered by Cisco Duo in comparison to One Identity Defender?

Cisco Duo offers straightforward two-factor authentication setup, seamless integration with existing systems, and user-friendly interfaces. One Identity Defender provides extensive security protocols, customizable policies, and support for various authentication methods.

What areas of improvement can be found in Cisco Duo in comparison to One Identity Defender?

Cisco Duo could benefit from enhanced reporting, better backup options, and expanded feature sets. One Identity Defender needs a more intuitive setup process, improved technical documentation, and a streamlined user experience.

How is the ease of deployment and customer service of Cisco Duo in comparison to One Identity Defender?

Cisco Duo is noted for its smooth and quick deployment process supported by responsive customer service. One Identity Defender features a more involved setup but benefits from detailed support channels, requiring a deeper initial investment of time.

What setup costs and ROI can be seen with Cisco Duo in comparison to One Identity Defender?

Cisco Duo is highlighted for its competitive pricing and favorable ROI due to its user-friendly nature and minimal overhead costs. One Identity Defender, while perceived as costlier, is justified by users for its advanced features and long-term security benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco Duo vs. One Identity Defender Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. One Identity Defender

February 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Duo

Ranking in Authentication Systems

2nd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (3rd), Access Management (4th), ZTNA as a Service (4th), Cisco Security Portfolio (2nd), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (1st)

One Identity Defender

Ranking in Authentication Systems

29th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 5.0%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of One Identity Defender is 1.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Duo	5.0%
One Identity Defender	1.5%
Other	93.5%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Charles Slaustas

Information Technology Contractor at Insight global

Supports seamless authentication for users across multiple organizations and personal portals

The features I use in Cisco Duo include Duo Pushes to confirm my identity to the device, and eventually as MFA security was increased, I actually had to use exchange passcodes. Sometimes, I have to go into the site and get into Cisco Duo to retrieve the passcode, and many of them have been two-factor, where the sites send a passcode that I have to enter into Cisco Duo. It has been more of the latter. I have not seen issues with lagging or crashing on Cisco Duo's end; it was usually on the client end, often because someone set up a bad upgrade or there were connection issues with the Cisco Duo cloud through the administrative site.

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Maksym Tkachenko

Sales Engineer at Bakotech

Good compatibility, responsive support, and a nice interface

The solution works very well. The initial setup is pretty easy. It is stable and pretty reliable in general. We find that the product scales very well. Technical support is responsive. The interface is good. It is compatible with other products. It has everything we need right now. The login…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Cisco Duo helps minimize the risk of attack vectors and prevents unauthorized access to our data since it's tied with multi-factor authentication, which helps block threats."

"Cisco Duo has positively impacted my organization by helping to implement zero trust, ensuring that every user is protected against phishing or password theft, and reducing security incidents according to my records and reports for a year."

"It is really scalable. It is easy once you get an application in. You can import users from Active Directory and enroll users really fast."

"The push notifications and the integrations they offer are valuable. Their mobile app is very useful. It is very easy to use."

"The solution is easy to use."

"Duo features benefit my company by making logins more secure and simpler. Everything is in one box, so we don't have multiple servers trying to do the same thing."

"The most valuable features of Duo Security are visibility and OTP authentication. The OTP is very important because it is a self-enrollment feature, you are able to enroll users very quickly with a shorter time period."

"Cisco Duo seems very scalable—in my experience, I started with a small-medium business, and in my last contracting position, it was a large one for a major worldwide airline that had hundreds of thousands of devices that could use Cisco Duo, and it scaled very well."

More Cisco Duo pros

"It's very fast, and it's easy to use because it's integrated with Active Directory."

"One Identity Defender has good network protection."

"We find that the product scales very well."

Cons

"There is another issue with removing the application from your computer. It is difficult to remove the application on Windows."

"The technical engineers in the first line of support should improve their knowledge."

"Improving Cisco Duo might involve alerting us about telephony credits when people receive texts. We hit zero at one point, and we were running around in circles without any idea until I discovered it."

"Duo Security should better organize its tile feature to organize applications better."

"Conversational AI in Cisco Duo is limited in its current application."

"My experience with Cisco Duo's strong security authentication system is that sometimes there are difficulties, and sometimes users just won't be able to log in. We have to reset their password so they can use Duo."

"Often, people do not receive expiration messages, and sometimes, for security reasons, accounts get disabled without notifying the end user, so they mistakenly think something has gone wrong when it really just needs to be re-enabled on the external system."

"I faced a significant issue about a year back when I tried to integrate Cisco Duo with Citrix NetScaler and enable MFA for Citrix NetScaler integration."

More Cisco Duo cons

"The login capabilities could be better."

"We have some clients that are wanting to protect their Apache web servers with One Identity Defender but all the research I have done says cannot be done. It can only be oriented to an IIS server. One Identity Defender should have more integration with more types of web servers."

"Maybe it could provide support for more web applications. It seems more focused on IIS web applications."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is affordable for what's coming to the table with it, but in this day and age, the cost is looked at under a microscope, and companies need to very finely define what is needed versus what is critical. In some cases, it might not be cost-effective for a company to have it. In a lot of other cases, it is the cost of doing business."

"Duo Security's pricing is good, fair, and very comparable to today's market."

"It's a bit confusing because we're on a three-year plan with a certain number of licenses, and we've gone over that number. They told us that when we renew, they will add all these licenses. We've expanded quickly, so everyone's kind of scared because no one knows what the bill is with the long pricing cycle."

"From a business perspective, it is a little bit costly. The licensing is on a per-user basis."

"Overall, the pricing is fair. Customers can wrap it into their Enterprise Agreement, making it easier for them to solve their issues."

"Cisco's licensing is always a bit complicated to understand, but the price is fair. It could be more expensive than others, but the way they integrate everything, it has a fair price."

"I rate the product pricing a seven out of ten."

"It falls in line with everything else."

More Cisco Duo pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	34
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	40

No data available

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?

We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Duo Security?

The pricing of Cisco Duo is quite reasonable compared to other products.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Duo Security?

One downside of Cisco Duo is the expense, as there are clients that can afford only the basic package, which does not include Geo-fencing, leaving them unable to pay for the more expensive level, w...

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Comparisons

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo

Compared 7% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo

Compared 7% of the time

Fortinet FortiToken vs Cisco Duo

Compared 6% of the time

Yubico YubiKey vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo

Compared 4% of the time

More Cisco Duo Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs One Identity Defender

Compared 30% of the time

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs One Identity Defender

Compared 18% of the time

Starling Two-Factor Authentication vs One Identity Defender

Compared 15% of the time

Imprivata Confirm ID vs One Identity Defender

Compared 12% of the time

More One Identity Defender Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo

February 2026

Download Cisco Duo product report

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

January 2026

Download One Identity Defender product report

Also Known As

Duo Security

No data available

Overview

Cisco Duo is a cloud-based identity security platform safeguarding critical resources for any user and device worldwide. Known for its ease of use, Duo offers seamless protection across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

Cisco Duo is designed to secure access with identity-first protection and provides extensive visibility throughout an organization's identity ecosystem. Offering multi-factor authentication, Duo facilitates easy integration and management, allowing teams to protect data effectively on VPNs, applications, and networks. Its single-pane management improves security processes while enhancing trust, making it suitable for diverse IT infrastructures.

What are the key features of Cisco Duo?

Multi-factor Authentication: Strengthens user verification with multiple methods.
Push Notifications: Simplifies authentication with quick approvals.
Single Sign-On: Enhances convenience by allowing one set of credentials.
VPN Access: Secures remote connections with reliable authentication.
User Activity Visibility: Offers comprehensive insights into access patterns.

Which benefits and ROI should users consider?

Quick Deployment: Facilitates rapid integration within existing systems.
Effective Management: Streamlines IT operations with centralized control.
Regulatory Compliance: Aids in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Enhanced Trust: Strengthens security posture across networks.
User-friendly Approach: Simplifies authentication for non-technical users.

In industries like education and finance, Cisco Duo is widely employed to secure multi-factor authentication across platforms such as email, databases, and servers. Its integration capabilities with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and VPNs like AnyConnect are instrumental in verifying user identities using mobile apps or OTPs, catering effectively to both remote and on-premise environments.

Cisco

Defender enhances security by requiring two-factor authentication to gain access to your network resources. Defender uses your current identity store within Microsoft Active Directory (AD) to enable two-factor authentication.

One Identity

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Bakersfield Police Department, Village of Westmont, Illinois

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo vs. One Identity Defender

February 2026

Free Report: Cisco Duo vs. One Identity Defender

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