Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Cisco Duo vs Fortinet FortiAuthenticator comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 15, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.4
Cisco Duo enhances security, boosts staff morale, saves costs, and improves operations, despite perceived productivity impacts.
Sentiment score
6.3
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator enhances security and compliance, offering quick ROI through two-factor authentication, reducing breaches and compliance costs.
I think Cisco Duo offers a good return on investment for startups, newer organizations, or those utilizing cloud-based applications.
I have not seen ROI with Cisco Duo; probably the opposite, because it impedes productivity time to be able to get into the system.
From my point of view, the biggest return on investment when using Cisco Duo is the security and the ease of setting it up.
It enhances security by ensuring only the right person can access systems, even if their login credentials are compromised.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.5
Cisco Duo's support is highly rated for expertise and solutions, but some users note delays and improvement needs.
Sentiment score
7.3
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator's support is responsive and knowledgeable, but complex issues may face initial delays.
They got back to us quickly, were nice, and gave us what we needed.
Other support sections have failed miserably because of the lack of response time.
I would rate the technical service and customer support of Cisco Duo a ten out of ten.
At times, some technical staff lack knowledge, which delays issue resolution.
Customer service and support are excellent.
When we send a ticket to Fortinet, they go into research mode as if they are hearing the problem for the first time.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Cisco Duo is scalable, easily integrates across sites, and supports thousands of users without disruptions, adapting to various applications.
Sentiment score
7.8
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator excels in scalability for medium to large enterprises, with adaptable licenses and both virtual and physical options.
I believe Cisco Duo is very scalable because it is cloud-based.
We started out with just the basics, getting a token, and then we changed to push, and now, we have added the offline mode.
It scales easily because it is just tied into our identity provider, and it grows along with that.
The scalability of FortiAuthenticator is good, and I would rate it an eight on a scale of one to ten.
I find Fortinet FortiAuthenticator to be highly scalable, and I would rate it an eight out of ten for scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Cisco Duo is highly stable and reliable, with minimal downtime and quick issue resolution, maintaining productivity efficiently.
Sentiment score
7.7
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is praised for stability, but larger user bases may face reliability issues, affecting performance and authentication.
When there is a bigger problem, we get notifications from Cisco Duo saying, 'Hey, we have a problem,' and that has helped us.
It is very reliable, easy to use, and I don't have too many issues with it.
There has been no downtime, crashes, or performance issues with Cisco Duo.
It remains stable even when the number of concurrent users increases.
 

Room For Improvement

Cisco Duo needs telephony credit, integration, deployment, and user interface improvements, plus better licensing, documentation, and older app compatibility.
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator needs interface updates, better documentation, improved integration, scalability, automation, and support with attention to pricing.
Cisco should allow easier integration with third-party equipment because Cisco's own equipment is expensive.
There needs to be consideration for how to launch Cisco Duo with a handheld device that is not native, where you can install the application.
There has to be a way to make the whole process of push notifications easier, so that when I have my phone with me, I do not have to do anything.
For example, authentication for wireless users expires after 24 hours, requiring re-authentication daily.
I recommend Fortinet make its images migratable between environments.
The technical support could be improved as some staff lacks the necessary knowledge to assist effectively.
 

Setup Cost

Cisco Duo's pricing is competitive, flexible, straightforward, and suited for large enterprises, with premium support and moderate setup costs.
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator offers flexible, competitive licensing with optional costs, balancing features and market conditions effectively for affordability.
The approximate cost is around eighty dollars per user.
Licensing is straightforward and convenient for higher education because student populations are included.
I am pleased that the prices remained stable after Cisco acquired the solution.
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is not overly expensive compared to other Fortinet subscriptions.
 

Valuable Features

Cisco Duo is praised for its versatile multi-factor authentication, integration, user-friendly interface, and adaptability to hybrid environments.
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator enhances security and efficiency with two-factor authentication, SSO integration, user management, and cost-effective robust protocols.
From a management perspective, I appreciate that we can enroll or control devices on the back end for people who get a new phone and forget to handle Cisco Duo properly and need to add a new device.
The benefit of having a complete passwordless environment in our organization is that it's gotten people away from using the sticky note under their keyboard - which is a huge problem.
A valuable feature of the solution is its hybrid structure, which involves proxy agents running on-premises while other services are on the cloud.
The integration with FortiToken is outstanding, adding a layer of security for authentication.
We use multi-factor authentication for enhancing security.
The most valuable feature I find in FortiAuthenticator is web filtering.
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Duo
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
2nd
Ranking in Authentication Systems
2nd
Ranking in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
74
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA as a Service (6th), Cisco Security Portfolio (3rd)
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator
Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)
6th
Ranking in Authentication Systems
3rd
Ranking in Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
1st
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Identity Management (IM) (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 6.1%, down from 7.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is 7.3%, down from 7.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Single Sign-On (SSO)
 

Featured Reviews

Chandan Tripathi - PeerSpot reviewer
Starts quickly with quick deployment but needs more support for older applications
Cisco Duo ( /products/cisco-duo-reviews ) is quick to deploy and easy to start. A valuable feature of the solution is its hybrid structure, which involves proxy agents running on-premises while other services are on the cloud. This setup makes it scalable, as the deployment section is in the cloud, allowing the installation of agents according to needs.
Yonas Abebe - PeerSpot reviewer
Integration capabilities simplify authentication and migration challenges need addressing
The integration capabilities of Fortinet FortiAuthenticator are very interesting, as it can be integrated with third-party devices easily and is straightforward to configure. The integration with FortiToken is outstanding, adding a layer of security for authentication. In addition, it can be used by integrating with zero trust single access, enhancing overall security measures.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Single Sign-On (SSO) solutions are best for your needs.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Duo Security compare with Microsoft Authenticator?
We switched to Duo Security for identity verification. We’d been using a competitor but got the chance to evaluate Duo for 30 days, and we could not be happier. Duo Security is easy to configure a...
What do you like most about Duo Security?
They are users who, as mentioned before, utilize RDPAP and MDPAP. It includes functionalities related to finance, specifically in single sign-on.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Fortinet FortiAuthenticator is not overly expensive compared to other Fortinet subscriptions. However, it would be beneficial if the licensing allowed for more flexibility to cover additional users.
What needs improvement with Fortinet FortiAuthenticator?
Initially, we deployed Fortinet FortiAuthenticator on VMware and faced challenges when migrating to an OpenStack environment, which required reconfiguration. I recommend Fortinet make its images mi...
 

Also Known As

Duo Security
FortiAuthenticator
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Black Gold Regional Schools, Amadeus Hospitality, Jefferson County, Chunghwa Telecom, City of Boroondara, Dimension Data
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco Duo vs. Fortinet FortiAuthenticator and other solutions. Updated: May 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.