Cisco Duo vs Secret Double Octopus comparison

Cisco and Secret Double Octopus are both solutions in the Authentication Systems category. Cisco is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.8, while Secret Double Octopus is ranked #33. Cisco holds a 5.3% mindshare in AS, compared to Secret Double Octopus’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Secret Double Octopus users who would recommend it.

Cisco Duo

Read 86 Cisco Duo reviews

6,543 Views
4,711 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Secret Double Octopus

Read 1 Secret Double Octopus review

507 Views
416 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco Duo

Secret Double Octopus

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco Duo and Secret Double Octopus based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Cisco, Fortinet and others in Authentication Systems.

To learn more, read our detailed Authentication Systems Report (Updated: January 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

January 2026

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Helped 880,490 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco Duo

Ranking in Authentication Systems

2nd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Single Sign-On (SSO) (3rd), Access Management (4th), ZTNA as a Service (5th), Cisco Security Portfolio (2nd), Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) (1st)

Secret Double Octopus

Ranking in Authentication Systems

33rd

Average Rating

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Passwordless Authentication (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Authentication Systems category, the mindshare of Cisco Duo is 5.3%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Secret Double Octopus is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Authentication Systems Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Cisco Duo	5.3%
Secret Double Octopus	0.7%
Other	94.0%

Authentication Systems

Featured Reviews

Charles Slaustas

Information Technology Contractor at Insight global

Supports seamless authentication for users across multiple organizations and personal portals

The features I use in Cisco Duo include Duo Pushes to confirm my identity to the device, and eventually as MFA security was increased, I actually had to use exchange passcodes. Sometimes, I have to go into the site and get into Cisco Duo to retrieve the passcode, and many of them have been two-factor, where the sites send a passcode that I have to enter into Cisco Duo. It has been more of the latter. I have not seen issues with lagging or crashing on Cisco Duo's end; it was usually on the client end, often because someone set up a bad upgrade or there were connection issues with the Cisco Duo cloud through the administrative site.

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Gaurav Gaurav

Architect at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees

A solution with good capabilities across a wide range of platforms that comes with a useful mobile application, but upgrades cause issues

We have noticed that patches and upgrades cause issues with how the application functions, due to the lack of stability of the product. However, we would recommend the solution because it has good capabilities, across a wide range of platforms, and the mobile application allows for use via Bluetooth, so users don't have to be connected to the internet. I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"By deploying Duo, we have virtually eliminated the risk of direct deposit redirection as a result of credentials that have been compromised via phishing."

"Cisco Duo helps minimize the risk of attack vectors and prevents unauthorized access to our data since it's tied with multi-factor authentication, which helps block threats."

"What I most appreciate about Cisco Duo is the ease of use."

"The feature of Cisco Duo that I prefer the most is the policies, being able to control what we need to within the policies. You can get pretty granular."

"The two-factor login is great. I receive a message and just have to press okay."

"My total rating for Cisco Duo is ten out of ten."

"The biggest benefit of Cisco Duo for my customers is the license because they count licenses for the user—one user can use many applications integrated with Cisco Duo."

"The feature I like the most about Cisco Duo is that it allows us to authenticate users before they can connect to our network from outside of our company."

More Cisco Duo pros

"This solution has a mobile application, which comes with multi-factor authentication; allowing for more flexible usage, without having to sacrifice system security."

Cons

"There might be a little slowness, but that could be my connection."

"Duo Security could be improved with the addition of more applications."

"With Cisco Duo, you have to do that, and customers complain about that process. At some point, you need to be technically savvy to understand how to use Cisco Duo."

"The product price needs improvement."

"I faced a significant issue about a year back when I tried to integrate Cisco Duo with Citrix NetScaler and enable MFA for Citrix NetScaler integration."

"We first deployed Duo Security for our company with the VPN, and afterward, about a year later, we implemented it for a customer of ours where we offered infrastructure as a service. When I tried to establish a VPN connection through Duo Security, it did not function well on that version, which was the latest one at the time. So, I had to make a copy of the machine and then implement Duo Security with the VPN because it did not function well with the newer version."

"There was an issue related to integration with third parties."

"One downside of Cisco Duo is the expense, as there are clients that can afford only the basic package, which does not include Geo-fencing, leaving them unable to pay for the more expensive level, which I do not feel justifies the double price of that upper tier version."

More Cisco Duo cons

"The product suffers from frequent disturbances in service, that have impacted our end users when we deploy software updates."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Duo Security is free."

"Cisco's licensing is always a bit complicated to understand, but the price is fair. It could be more expensive than others, but the way they integrate everything, it has a fair price."

"You pay per user when using this solution and the pricing is fair."

"My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing of Cisco Duo has been great. We've been there for 10 years. While we haven't gone through the setup part for a while, licensing is straightforward and convenient for higher education because student populations are included. So, we don't have to pay extra for it. We just pay for our knowledge workers, which has been great, and the cost is reasonable."

"Our licensing fee is currently on an annual basis."

"I haven't seen any information on the pricing in four years, so I can't comment on that."

"Its price is reasonable. It is not highly expensive."

"Price-wise, the solution has been very, very reasonable...Licensing is the last thing I think about Duo Security because it's so easy, and I had no problems with it."

More Cisco Duo pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

24%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Hospitality Company

11%

Educational Organization

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	39

No data available

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...

See all answers

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.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Duo Security?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing reveals that one of the most powerful features is the licensing model and the price. According to the pricing, it is really fantastic to get th...

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Comparisons

Fortinet FortiAuthenticator vs Cisco Duo

Compared 9% of the time

Microsoft Entra ID vs Cisco Duo

Compared 9% of the time

Fortinet FortiToken vs Cisco Duo

Compared 7% of the time

Yubico YubiKey vs Cisco Duo

Compared 5% of the time

Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) vs Cisco Duo

Compared 5% of the time

More Cisco Duo Competitors

Microsoft Entra ID vs Secret Double Octopus

Compared 30% of the time

Ping Identity Platform vs Secret Double Octopus

Compared 17% of the time

HYPR vs Secret Double Octopus

Compared 17% of the time

More Secret Double Octopus Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco Duo

January 2026

Download Cisco Duo product report

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

January 2026

Download Secret Double Octopus product report

Also Known As

Duo Security

Octopus Authenticator

Overview

Cisco Duo is a cloud-based identity security platform safeguarding critical resources for any user and device worldwide. Known for its ease of use, Duo offers seamless protection across multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments.

Cisco Duo is designed to secure access with identity-first protection and provides extensive visibility throughout an organization's identity ecosystem. Offering multi-factor authentication, Duo facilitates easy integration and management, allowing teams to protect data effectively on VPNs, applications, and networks. Its single-pane management improves security processes while enhancing trust, making it suitable for diverse IT infrastructures.

What are the key features of Cisco Duo?

Multi-factor Authentication: Strengthens user verification with multiple methods.
Push Notifications: Simplifies authentication with quick approvals.
Single Sign-On: Enhances convenience by allowing one set of credentials.
VPN Access: Secures remote connections with reliable authentication.
User Activity Visibility: Offers comprehensive insights into access patterns.

Which benefits and ROI should users consider?

Quick Deployment: Facilitates rapid integration within existing systems.
Effective Management: Streamlines IT operations with centralized control.
Regulatory Compliance: Aids in meeting industry standards for data protection.
Enhanced Trust: Strengthens security posture across networks.
User-friendly Approach: Simplifies authentication for non-technical users.

In industries like education and finance, Cisco Duo is widely employed to secure multi-factor authentication across platforms such as email, databases, and servers. Its integration capabilities with Microsoft 365, Active Directory, and VPNs like AnyConnect are instrumental in verifying user identities using mobile apps or OTPs, catering effectively to both remote and on-premise environments.

Cisco

Secret Double Octopus (SDO) is the most widely deployed workforce Passwordless MFA solution today. It offers the most non-disruptive and comprehensive way for enterprises to gain the benefits of truly secure authentication.

SDO is the only passwordless MFA provider that enables organizations to achieve passwordless benefits incrementally, with options that range from extending existing MFA solutions to desktops to implementing full end-to-end passwordless MFA across all use cases end users encounter.

SDO is FIDO-certified and makes access frictionless and passwordless secure for desktop end users, administrative users, remote workers and legacy app users.

https://doubleoctopus.com/

Secret Double Octopus

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

United Technologies (UTC), American Family Association, ASL Airlines France, BNP Paribas, A Fortune 50 Bank, Bingham County Idaho, Britannia Financial Services, Carolina Behavioral Health Alliance LLC, European Commission, County of Midland Michigan, JRM Construction Management, Greer Commission of Public Works, Poste Italiane, Kennedy Wilson Europe, Key Mechanical, Marker Therapeutics Inc, Mediawan, Ministero Dell'interno, FairPrice, NTUC Health, Mercatus, TBC, Techni-Photo, Tinsa Group, Yates Law, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Z-Medica Corporation, A Member of the 5 largest US law firms.

Buyer's Guide

Authentication Systems

January 2026

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