Duo Security (now Cisco Duo) is the leading multi-factor authentication platform, providing MFA for enterprise applications — requiring employees to verify identity via phone push notification, hardware token, or biometrics before accessing company systems. Acquired by Cisco for $2.35B in 2018, Duo protects access to VPNs, cloud apps, SSH servers, and custom applications. Free tier protects up to 10 users. Used by hundreds of thousands of organizations including the US Army and Facebook.
Duo Security
Multi-factor authentication platform
Best for: Organizations wanting enterprise-grade MFA that integrates with existing VPN, cloud apps, and on-premise systems
- Free plan
4.5/5 ratingEditorial score 86/100duo.com
The editorial note
What to know about Duo Security
Is it right for you?
Who Duo Security suits
Choose it if
- Organizations wanting enterprise-grade MFA that integrates with existing VPN, cloud apps, and on-premise systems
Look elsewhere if
- Individual users wanting personal 2FA apps (Authy or Google Authenticator is simpler for personal use)
What you get
Key features
- Push authentication
- Hardware tokens
- SSO
- Device trust
- Adaptive policies
- Zero-trust
- Remote access
Works with
Integrations6
The trade-off
Pros and cons
Pros
- Enterprise-grade MFA
- Free up to 10 users
- Cisco backed
- Wide integrations
- Push notifications
- Biometric support
Cons
- Expensive at scale
- Cisco's pricing can be opaque
- Overkill for small teams
Quick read
At a glance
- Category
- Cybersecurity & Privacy
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Free plan
- Available
- Free trial
- Not listed
- Website
- duo.com
The verdict
Our take on Duo Security
Best enterprise MFA platform for protecting access to all company systems. Duo's phone push authentication protects more organization types — from VPN to cloud SaaS to custom apps — than any other MFA solution, and its Cisco backing ensures enterprise reliability for the organizations that can't afford authentication outages.
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