Okta
Standard Notes
| Feature | Okta | Standard Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $2/mo | Free / from $7.5/mo |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | enterprises, it-teams, security-teams, saas-companies | privacy-focused-users, journalists, professionals, researchers |
| Founded | 2009 | 2016 |
| Single Sign On | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Factor Auth | ✓ | ✗ |
| Lifecycle Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Api Access Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Universal Directory | ✓ | ✗ |
| Adaptive Mfa | ✓ | ✗ |
| Device Trust | ✓ | ✗ |
| Encryption | ✗ | ✓ |
| Themes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Editors | ✗ | ✓ |
| Tags | ✗ | ✓ |
| File Attachments | ✗ | ✓ |
| Two Factor Auth | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ 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
✓ Standard Notes Pros
- End-to-end encrypted
- 100-year company promise
- Cross-platform
- Open-source
✗ Standard Notes Cons
- Basic free version
- Fewer features than Notion
- Limited formatting
The Verdict
Okta is built for enterprises and it teams, with a focus on single-sign-on and multi-factor-auth. Standard Notes targets privacy focused users and journalists and leads with encryption and themes.
On pricing, Okta is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $2/mo compared to $7.5/mo for Standard Notes. That $5.5/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Standard Notes has a free plan, which gives it a meaningful edge for individuals and small teams exploring their options. Okta requires a paid subscription from day one.
Feature-wise, Okta offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Standard Notes takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
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.