Cisco Duo Passwordless vs FortiAuthenticator

Cisco Duo Passwordless9.4Visit FortiAuthenticator8.5Visit

Higher score Cisco Duo Passwordless #1 in Multi-Factor Authentication Software 9.4/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Cisco Duo

vs

FortiAuthenticator #8 in Multi-Factor Authentication Software 8.5/10 Pricing on request ✓ 3 of 3 features Visit Fortinet

• Cisco Duo Passwordless fits best

  Teams wanting a mature free MFA tier

• FortiAuthenticator fits best

  Self-hosted MFA for network-heavy environments

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Side by side

Feature	Cisco Duo Passwordless 9.4/10 Visit ↗	FortiAuthenticator 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	8.5
Ranking	#1 in Multi-Factor Authentication Software	#8 in Multi-Factor Authentication Software
Best for	Teams wanting a mature free MFA tier	Self-hosted MFA for network-heavy environments
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$3/user/mo	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	30 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Self-hosted, Cloud
Support	Email, Phone, Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs
Integrations	500+ integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cisco Duo Passwordless 0/3 · FortiAuthenticator 3/3
Adaptive access policies	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Passwordless authentication	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Device trust controls	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment	Not checked yet	Hybrid
Supported factors	Not checked yet	Password; FortiToken hardware; FortiToken Mobile; SMS; email; FIDO2 security keys/passkeys
App integration methods	Not checked yet	RADIUS; TACACS+; LDAP; SAML; REST API; Fortinet Security Fabric
Our review
Pros	Free Duo tier includes strong MFA and a free authenticator app Supports passkeys, biometrics, FIDO2 keys, and Duo Push Works across web, desktop, mobile, directories, and cloud apps	Supports mobile push, hardware tokens, OTP, certificates, and FIDO2 Connects with RADIUS, TACACS+, SAML, OIDC, LDAP, APIs, and 802.1X Adds adaptive access, trusted endpoints, certificates, and high availability
Cons	Complete passwordless mode starts with the $3 Essentials plan Advanced risk and session protections require Duo Advantage VPN-less private-resource access is limited to Duo Premier	Its broad enterprise scope may exceed smaller teams' requirements Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure and administrative ownership Certificate, directory, and protocol configuration can add implementation complexity
Our verdict	Cisco Duo Passwordless provides password-free access to web applications through Duo Single Sign-On. It is designed for businesses and enterprises that need phishing-resistant authentication, centralized policy controls, directory… Read the review →	FortiAuthenticator is Fortinet’s identity and access management solution for enterprises that need centralized authentication across networks, VPNs, applications, and cloud services. It combines multi-factor authentication, single sign-on,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Cisco Duo Passwordless — where it wins

  • Free Duo tier includes strong MFA and a free authenticator app
  • Supports passkeys, biometrics, FIDO2 keys, and Duo Push
  • Works across web, desktop, mobile, directories, and cloud apps

  Where it doesn't

  • Complete passwordless mode starts with the $3 Essentials plan
  • Advanced risk and session protections require Duo Advantage
  • VPN-less private-resource access is limited to Duo Premier

• FortiAuthenticator — where it wins

  • Supports mobile push, hardware tokens, OTP, certificates, and FIDO2
  • Connects with RADIUS, TACACS+, SAML, OIDC, LDAP, APIs, and 802.1X
  • Adds adaptive access, trusted endpoints, certificates, and high availability

  Where it doesn't

  • Its broad enterprise scope may exceed smaller teams' requirements
  • Self-hosted deployment requires infrastructure and administrative ownership
  • Certificate, directory, and protocol configuration can add implementation complexity

• Cisco Duo Passwordless9.4/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A broad MFA platform with a capable free tier and paid passwordless access.

  Visit Cisco DuoFull verdict →
• FortiAuthenticator8.5/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad self-hosted MFA platform for complex networks, directories, certificates, and SSO.

  Visit FortinetFull verdict →