Okta
Palo Alto Networks
| Feature | Okta | Palo Alto Networks |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $2/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprises, it-teams, security-teams, saas-companies | large-enterprises, security-operations-centers, cloud-native-companies, government-agencies |
| Founded | 2009 | 2005 |
| Single Sign On | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Factor Auth | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lifecycle Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api Access Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Universal Directory | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adaptive Mfa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Device Trust | ✓ | ✗ |
| Next Gen Firewall | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cloud Security | ✗ | ✓ |
| Endpoint Protection | ✗ | ✓ |
| Siem Soar | ✗ | ✓ |
| Zero Trust | ✗ | ✓ |
| Threat Prevention | ✗ | ✓ |
| Sd Wan | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Okta Pros
- Market leader in identity management
- Over 7,000 pre-built application integrations
- Excellent single sign-on experience
- Strong adaptive multi-factor authentication
✗ Okta Cons
- Per-user pricing adds up for large organizations
- Each feature is a separate add-on cost
- Initial setup requires careful planning
✓ Palo Alto Networks Pros
- Complete security platform covering network, cloud, and endpoint
- Industry-leading next-generation firewalls
- AI-driven security operations (Cortex XSIAM)
- Strong cloud-native security (Prisma Cloud)
✗ Palo Alto Networks Cons
- Very expensive for smaller organizations
- Complex product portfolio can be confusing
- Requires dedicated security staff to manage
The Verdict
Okta is built for enterprises and it teams, with a focus on single-sign-on and multi-factor-auth. Palo Alto Networks targets large enterprises and security operations centers and leads with next-gen-firewall and cloud-security.
Palo Alto Networks uses custom enterprise pricing, while Okta starts at $2/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.