Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID (2026): Pricing, Pros & Verdict
Compare / Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID
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Team size
25 seats

Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID

Identity & Access Management pricing comparison · 2026

Cisco Duo pricing ranges from $0–$9/user/month, while Microsoft Entra ID ranges from $0–$12/user/month. Cisco Duo is typically 33% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Cisco pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Microsoft pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · Identity & Access Management
Side-by-side · live
Cisco Duo
Cisco Duo is the MFA category leader, with transparent per-user pricing ($3-$9/user/month)
verified 8w ago
$1.8K $2.7K
View pricing →
Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID pricing starts at $0 with the Entra ID Free plan, which is included wit
verified 8w ago
$1.8K $2.7K
View pricing →
Verdict · list-price math · year 1
Cisco saves $900 vs Microsoft · 25 seats
Cheapest $1.8K
Spread 33%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Duo Advantage
$1.8K/yr
year 1 license · $6/seat
Entra ID P2
$2.7K/yr
year 1 license · $9/seat
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 8 sourced facts
5 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
Sources 12 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 1 contract · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Telephony and SMS Fees
    $0.05 to $0.15 per authentication
    1 source
  • Device Registration Overages
    1 source
  • Professional Services
    $5,000 to over $50,000
    1 source
  • Hardware Tokens
    1 source
  • Renewal Price Increases
    5% to 15%
    1 source
5 documented
  • Migration Costs
    $25,000 to $150,000
    1 source
  • Consulting and Professional Services
    1 source
  • Licensing for All Beneficiaries
    1 source
  • Long-term Audit Retention
    1 source
  • Azure Infrastructure Costs
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Cisco
Microsoft
Auto-renewal
Yes
—
Cancellation
30 to 60 days' notice
—
Commitment
2-3 years
—
Price escalation
5% to 15%
No published schedule but users report mid-contract and year-over-year cost increases of 10-30% across Microsoft Azure and related services.
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 2 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9.5/5 (441)
G2
4.5/5 (720)
Watch out
Authentication Issues
TrustRadius
8.8/5 (560)
G2
4.5/5 (519)
Watch out
Unexpected Azure infrastructure cost increases tied to Microsoft pricing changes
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Cisco pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Microsoft pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
Identity & Access Management

Cisco Duo

$0–$9
/user/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
Identity & Access Management

Microsoft Entra ID

$0–$12
/user/month
4 plans · Free tier
Full pricing breakdown →

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Cisco Duo Microsoft Entra ID
Duo Free Free /user/month Free /user/month
Duo Essentials $3 /user/month $6 /user/month
Duo Advantage $6 /user/month $9 /user/month
Duo Premier $9 /user/month $12 /user/month

What Users Say

Cisco Duo

G2
4.5/5 (720)
TrustRadius
9.5/10 (441)
Top complaints
  • Authentication Issues
  • Login Issues and Delays
  • Complexity

Microsoft Entra ID

G2
4.5/5 (519)
TrustRadius
8.8/10 (560)
Top complaints
  • Unexpected Azure infrastructure cost increases tied to Microsoft pricing changes
  • Azure networking configuration complexity and added costs after default public IP removal

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Cisco Duo 5 hidden costs

medium
Telephony and SMS Fees $0.05 to $0.15 per authentication
medium
Device Registration Overages
high
Professional Services $5,000 to over $50,000
low
Hardware Tokens
high
Renewal Price Increases 5% to 15%
See all Cisco Duo hidden costs →

Microsoft Entra ID 9 hidden costs

high
Migration Costs $25,000 to $150,000
medium
Consulting and Professional Services
high
Licensing for All Beneficiaries
medium
Long-term Audit Retention
medium
Azure Infrastructure Costs
See all Microsoft Entra ID hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Cisco Duo Microsoft Entra ID
Auto-renewal Yes —
Cancellation 30 to 60 days' notice —
Minimum commitment 2-3 years —
Price escalation 5% to 15% No published schedule but users report mid-contract and year-over-year cost increases of 10-30% across Microsoft Azure and related services.

Continue researching

Cisco Duo

Microsoft Entra ID

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