Two-factor authentication has emerged as a vital safety measure for organizations to boost the safety of their customers. Duo and Microsoft Authenticator are two standard apps that present this degree of safety.

Duo makes use of push notifications, time-based, one-time passwords, bodily tokens, and biometrics to confirm the id of customers at login. Equally, Microsoft Authenticator makes use of push notifications and one-time passcodes that may combine with Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Entra ID (previously Azure Lively Listing.)

Whereas each 2FA choices share some similarities, key variations can sway your resolution to decide on one over the opposite.

• Duo: Finest for additional safety capabilities like adaptive authentication, granular entry insurance policies, and risk detection.
• Microsoft Authenticator: Finest for Microsoft-centric environments that need seamless integration with Microsoft Entra ID and different Home windows providers.

Duo vs Microsoft Authenticator: Comparability desk

Duo vs Microsoft Authenticator pricing

Beneath is how Duo and Microsoft Authenticator sq. up in opposition to one another by way of pricing.

Duo pricing

Duo follows a tiered system primarily based on options and providers you prefer to added to the applying. For the time being, it provides 4 subscription tiers:

Microsoft Authenticator pricing

Microsoft Authenticator is free and comes bundled with all Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Lively Listing) and 365 Enterprise accounts.

For a full listing of costs and options, you may go to our articles on Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Lively Listing).

Characteristic comparability: Duo vs Microsoft Authenticator

Each Duo and Microsoft Authenticator current glorious options to customers, however here’s a head-to-head characteristic comparability:

Software Programming Interface integration

Most enterprise organizations contemplating Duo or Microsoft Authenticator will wish to combine these apps with present or customized software program and server purposes.

Duo helps limitless software integrations by means of its platform in all accessible editions.

However, whereas Microsoft Authenticator additionally integrates with different third-party services and products, it’s far simpler to combine with Microsoft-supported providers as a result of it’s already bundled with a few of them.

Safety features

Each Duo and Microsoft Authenticator prioritize safety and provide strong options to guard person accounts. Duo helps adaptive authentication, which assesses the chance of every login try and prompts for added verification when vital. It additionally offers granular entry insurance policies, permitting directors to outline particular authentication necessities primarily based on person roles and situations.

Microsoft Authenticator leverages the facility of Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Lively Listing) to ship superior safety features, similar to conditional entry insurance policies, risk-based authentication, and seamless single sign-on experiences throughout purposes. It additionally helps hardware-backed safety keys for enhanced safety in opposition to phishing assaults.

Authentication strategies

Each Duo and Microsoft Authenticator present a number of authentication strategies. Duo provides a wide range of authentication choices, together with push notifications, WebAuthn and biometrics, tokens, passcodes, and {hardware} safety keys.

In the meantime, Microsoft Authenticator helps push notifications, OTPs, and biometric authentication (fingerprint, facial recognition) on supported units.

Backup and restoration

Duo’s Restore characteristic lets customers backup Duo-protected accounts and third-party OTP accounts for restoration to the identical or new system. This lets you again up your Duo accounts on cloud providers like iCloud and Google Drive.

Equally, Microsoft Authenticator provides backup and restoration choices that permit customers to securely retailer their accounts and settings within the cloud. This characteristic allows simple account restoration on new units or in case of system loss.

Buyer help

In the case of buyer help, each suppliers provide an honest quantity of choices.

For Duo, they’ve a devoted help web page with an internet data base categorized for Duo customers and directors — making it simple to get help for each forms of customers.

In addition they have a weblog, documentation portal, and chatbot characteristic. Other than that, you may file a help case, contact a dwell agent by way of cellphone, or e-mail the Duo help workforce.

Conversely, help for Microsoft Authenticator falls below the umbrella help providers you get with Microsoft as an entire. You may contact Microsoft’s help brokers by means of their official help web page, make a cellphone name to considered one of their regional help numbers, or go to their Microsoft Neighborhood discussion board for dwell discussions.

In addition they have an in depth FAQs web page for Microsoft Authenticator itself, offering documentation from setup to troubleshooting widespread points.

Duo execs and cons

Whereas Duo presents many advantages to customers, it additionally has some drawbacks. Here’s a abstract of the professionals and cons.

Execs

• Single sign-on.
• Passwordless.
• A number of authentication strategies.
• Push Phishing Safety.
• Risk Detection.
• Backup and restoration.

Cons

• Duo Free accounts are restricted to 10 customers.
• Barely cluttered UI in sure locations as a result of large number of authentication choices.
• Safety notifications generally take longer than anticipated.

Microsoft Authenticator execs and cons

Microsoft authenticator provides highly effective two-factor authentication options, however there could also be a number of drawbacks some customers say they’ve skilled whereas utilizing the product. Beneath are some execs and cons.

Execs

• Passwordless sign-in.
• Push notifications by means of the cellular app.
• The authenticator app can be utilized as a software program token.
• Backup and restoration help.

Cons

• Multi-factor report choice is just supported within the larger plans.
• Pricing mannequin could also be sophisticated for some customers to navigate.
• Is probably not ultimate for corporations that would not have Microsoft ecosystems.

Ought to your group use Duo or Microsoft Authenticator?

Choosing one 2FA software program over one other may be difficult, particularly when many placing similarities bind the merchandise collectively. For Duo and Microsoft Authenticator, the primary level of reference when deciding between the 2 ought to revolve round your general know-how stack, ease of use, and pricing.

In case you closely depend on Microsoft merchandise similar to Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Lively Listing), Microsoft 365, and different Microsoft providers, Microsoft Authenticator might present a extra seamless and built-in expertise.

However, when you’ve got a various set of platforms and purposes, Duo’s broad compatibility and in depth integration capabilities make it a extra versatile alternative. Duo integrates simply with providers like Slack, Atlassian, Salesforce, Dropbox, and extra.

You must also take into account the pricing fashions and the way they meet your online business necessities and budgets. Duo’s pricing construction varies relying on the options and help degree chosen, whereas Microsoft Authenticator is usually bundled with Microsoft Entra ID and Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

Duo’s pricing is extra complete and clear, not like Microsoft’s, which is extra sophisticated because of its bundling with Microsoft subscriptions. Take time to guage your group’s particular wants and take into account the related prices when evaluating the pricing of those options.

Lastly, look into every service’s person expertise and ease of use. Each Duo and Microsoft Authenticator present seamless person experiences, however preferences might range relying in your group’s tech stack, person base, and the way acquainted they’re with every platform.

Use the free variations every answer provides to get hands-on expertise with every product. When testing, assess issues such because the simplicity of setup, the intuitiveness of the authentication course of, and any further options that improve usability.

Take into account conducting a pilot check with each options to guage their efficiency and compatibility inside your online business setting. This lets you collect firsthand expertise and suggestions out of your customers and directors earlier than making a last resolution.

For a extra complete analysis of two-factor authentication primarily based on safety affect and strategic enterprise initiative, take a look at this two-factor authentication analysis information.

SEE: Securing Linux Coverage (roosho Premium)

Methodology

To attract a good comparability between Duo and Microsoft Authenticator, we began by going by means of the documentation pages of every product, the place we realized about their key options and the way they combine with different applied sciences. We additionally checked out person opinions from trusted third-party assessment websites to get some opinions from verified customers. The author additionally makes use of Microsoft Authenticator, making it simpler to debate the product primarily based on my expertise. All these supplied sufficient perception to assist form our assessment.

This text was initially written by Franklin Okeke in August 2023 and was up to date by Luis Millares in January 2025 to account for characteristic and product adjustments, like Azure Lively Listing’s identify change to Microsoft Entra ID.