Okta review: A data-backed look

Explore Okta’s adoption trends, market share, category benchmarks, and use cases to determine if it’s the right platform for your business.

Okta logo
Okta
4.5/5

Category

Authentication Tools

Pricing

Paid plans only

Best for

Micro businesses

Website

okta.com
409% higher
cost than category average
+9%
QoQ adoption growth
82%
of customers are micro or SMB
18%
of customers are mid-market or enterprise

Okta overview

Okta is a leading identity and access management platform that provides secure single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, and lifecycle management for users and devices.

Designed for businesses of all sizes, Okta is well-suited for organizations that need to unify access to cloud, on-premises, and mobile applications. It stands out for its wide integration network, robust security, and ease of administration for IT and security teams.

How much do businesses spend on Okta?

The chart below illustrates average spending on Okta across different business sizes.


Mid-market and enterprise businesses demonstrate the most volatile spending on Okta, with quarterly expenditure showing a dramatic decline followed by steady recovery and explosive growth in the final quarter.

Small and medium-sized businesses maintain relatively stable spending with minimal fluctuations throughout the measured period. Micro businesses show moderate volatility with notable peaks in the middle quarters before stabilizing at intermediate levels.

Who is Okta best for?

The chart below breaks down Okta’s user base by industry and company size.


Micro businesses represent the largest portion of Okta's user base, making up the dominant segment of platform adoption.

Small and medium-sized companies constitute a significant portion of users, while mid-market and enterprise businesses represent the smallest segment.

Okta key features

Single sign-on (SSO)

  • What it does: Enables users to access all applications with a single set of credentials.
  • Key benefit: Simplifies user experience and reduces password fatigue.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

  • What it does: Adds extra security layers with SMS, email, or authenticator apps.
  • Key benefit: Protects accounts and sensitive data from unauthorized access.

Lifecycle management

  • What it does: Automates user provisioning, deprovisioning, and access changes.
  • Key benefit: Improves security and reduces manual IT tasks.

Universal directory

  • What it does: Stores and manages user identities from multiple sources in one place.
  • Key benefit: Centralizes identity management for better visibility and control.

API access management

  • What it does: Secures access to APIs with OAuth, policies, and monitoring.
  • Key benefit: Enables safe, scalable API-driven workflows and integrations.

Okta pricing

Plan

Price

Key Features

Ideal for

Starter

$6/mo

Foundation for identity management, Single sign-on (SSO), Multi-factor authentication

Micro and small teams

Essentials

$17/mo

All Starter features, Lifecycle management, Directory integration, Basic reporting

Small to mid-sized teams

Professional

Custom pricing

All Essentials features, Device access management, AI-powered intelligence, Advanced security controls

Large teams needing to scale

Enterprise

Custom pricing

All Professional features, End-to-end security, Real-time detection and response, Advanced compliance and governance

Enterprise teams, advanced needs

Okta pros & cons

Okta is a good fit if:

  • Your team needs unified and secure access management for all apps.
  • Your team needs scalable user provisioning and lifecycle management.
  • Your team needs rapid integration with SaaS and on-premise tools.
  • Your team needs robust compliance and reporting features.

Consider alternatives if:

  • Your team needs a self-hosted or open-source IAM solution.
  • Your team needs highly customizable identity flows.
  • Your team needs a lower-cost solution for very large user bases.
  • Your team needs advanced developer tools without vendor lock-in.

Time is money. Save both.