HEAD-TO-HEAD · FACTS ONLY, NO SCORES

Okta vs Orchid Security: IAM jobs, prices and limits side by side

Short answer

Okta signs people in and governs apps in its integration catalog; governance of apps outside it is not described in our sources. Orchid discovers unmanaged applications and feeds identity context to IAM and IGA tools; Okta is not among the integrations named on Orchid's home page. Both cover lifecycle and IGA, privileged access and threat detection. Only Okta covers directory and SSO. Only Orchid Security covers app coverage.

By The Access Desk · Best IAM Tools · Published 2026-10-08

Desk research from public vendor pages read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-11. Editorial profiles, no scores; we did not run the products.

How do they compare job by job?

Coverage as described on each vendor's own pages, read in September 2026 and updated 11 October 2026. Not a score.
Job	Okta	Orchid Security
J1Directory and SSO	Documented Universal Directory, SSO and MFA from the Starter suite; 8,000+ pre-built integrations in the Okta Integration Network; FastPass passwordless; Adaptive MFA. Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta FastPass · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Adaptive MFA · Read 27 Sep 2026	Not in our sources Orchid is not an identity provider; it works with the IAM tools already in place. Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
J2Lifecycle and IGA	Documented Lifecycle Management with HR sources (Workday, BambooHR, SuccessFactors) and SCIM; Okta Identity Governance adds access requests, certifications and entitlement management and requires Okta Workforce Identity. Source: Okta Lifecycle Management · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partial Feeds identity context into IAM, IGA and ITSM tools; joiner, mover and leaver execution and certification campaigns stay in those tools. Source: Orchid Security: IAM programs · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security blog: SailPoint partnership · Read 27 Sep 2026
J3App coverage	Not in our sources Governance of apps outside Okta's integrations is not described on the pages reviewed.	Documented Discovers SaaS, cloud, on-premises, legacy and custom-built applications, maps local accounts, hardcoded credentials, shadow authentication paths and privilege drift inside them, and brings them under IAM, IGA, PAM and audit control. Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security platform · Read 27 Sep 2026
J4Privileged access	Partial Privileged Access is listed in the Essentials suite on the pricing page; feature detail is not in our sources. Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partial Brings discovered applications under PAM control and reports privileged accounts it finds to Idira Privilege Cloud's Discovered Accounts queue, without sending credentials; it is not a credential vault. Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security blog: Orchid and Idira · Read 11 Oct 2026
J5Threat detection	Documented Identity Threat Protection evaluates risk during sessions, offers Universal Logout and shares signals with CrowdStrike, Zscaler, Palo Alto Networks and Jamf. Source: Okta Identity Threat Protection · Read 27 Sep 2026	Partial Lists incident response teams as a use case; it is not described as an identity threat detection product. Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

Can you run both in one stack?

Neither documents a job the other also documents, so they can sit in the same stack without overlap: Okta for directory and SSO, lifecycle and IGA and threat detection, Orchid Security for app coverage.

What do they cost and how are they deployed?

Okta

Pricing: Starter $6, Core Essentials $14, Essentials $17 per user per month, billed annually; Professional and Enterprise priced on request; $1,500 annual minimum; 30-day Starter trial. Identity Threat Protection is an add-on from Essentials up and included in Professional. Okta's pricing table marks Identity Governance (OIG) as included from Essentials ($17 per user per month) upward, and Okta's footnote describes OIG as an add-on.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026
Deployment: Okta cloud service.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations: 8,000+ pre-built integrations.
Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026
Certifications: FastPass page cites FedRAMP High and NIST AAL3 requirements on properly configured devices.
Source: Okta FastPass · Read 27 Sep 2026

Orchid Security

Pricing: No price on its own site (its /pricing page returns 404). AWS Marketplace lists "Orchid Fundamental" (Continuous IAM Assurance, Discovery and Readiness, 30 applications) at $250,000.00 per 12 months on a 12-month contract, with 24- and 36-month options, and custom pricing by private offer.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orchid Security · Read 11 Oct 2026
Deployment: SaaS, per its AWS Marketplace listing (deployed on AWS). Its own site does not say whether the platform itself can run on premises; it discovers SaaS, cloud, on-premises, legacy and custom-built applications.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orchid Security · Read 11 Oct 2026 · Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
Integrations: Microsoft, Saviynt, SentinelOne, CyberArk and SailPoint named on the home page; ServiceNow and Jira ticketing in a customer story. It reports privileged accounts it finds to the Discovered Accounts queue in Idira Privilege Cloud, and says it does not send credential values, secrets or session data.
Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security: Costco story · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security blog: Orchid and Idira · Read 11 Oct 2026
Certifications: HIPAA, SOC 2, GDPR, ISO 27001 and ISO 27701 listed.
Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

What are each one's strengths and limits?

Okta

Strengths

The largest integration catalog in our sources (8,000+).
Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026
Published entry prices.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Directory, lifecycle, governance and threat protection from one vendor.
Source: Okta Lifecycle Management · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Governance · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Okta Identity Threat Protection · Read 27 Sep 2026

Limits

$1,500 annual minimum contract.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Professional and Enterprise are priced on request, and the footnote describes Identity Governance as an add-on.
Source: Okta pricing · Read 27 Sep 2026
Apps outside the integration catalog are not covered in our sources.
Basis: absence on the pages we read

Orchid Security

Strengths

Application discovery across SaaS, cloud, on-premises, legacy and custom-built apps.
Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
Identity evidence mapped to SOX, PCI, HIPAA, GDPR and NIS2, with every discovery, policy and action recorded.
Source: Orchid Security platform · Read 27 Sep 2026 · Source: Orchid Security: GRC and audit · Read 27 Sep 2026
Built to sit beside an existing IGA: a SailPoint Technology Alliance Partner since August 2026.
Source: Orchid Security blog: SailPoint partnership · Read 27 Sep 2026

Limits

No price on its own site; the public list price is on AWS Marketplace, $250,000.00 per 12 months for 30 applications, with custom pricing by private offer.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orchid Security · Read 11 Oct 2026
Not a provisioning engine or certification tool: joiner, mover and leaver actions and access reviews run in your IGA or IdP.
Source: Orchid Security: IAM programs · Read 27 Sep 2026
Delivered as SaaS; an on-premises option for the platform itself is not stated.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orchid Security · Read 11 Oct 2026 · Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026
Not an identity provider, so it does not replace directory or SSO.
Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

Which should you look at first?

Okta

Look at Okta first if you need: directory and SSO.

Okta's pages highlight: The largest integration catalog in our sources (8,000+).

Source: Okta Integration Network · Read 27 Sep 2026

Orchid Security

Look at Orchid Security first if you need: app coverage.

Orchid Security's pages highlight: Application discovery across SaaS, cloud, on-premises, legacy and custom-built apps.

Source: Orchid Security homepage · Read 27 Sep 2026

Frequently asked questions

Do Okta and Orchid Security publish prices?

Okta: Starter $6, Core Essentials $14, Essentials $17 per user per month, billed annually; Professional and Enterprise priced on request; $1,500 annual minimum; 30-day Starter trial. Identity Threat Protection is an add-on from Essentials up and included in Professional. Okta's pricing table marks Identity Governance (OIG) as included from Essentials ($17 per user per month) upward, and Okta's footnote describes OIG as an add-on. Orchid Security: No price on its own site (its /pricing page returns 404). AWS Marketplace lists "Orchid Fundamental" (Continuous IAM Assurance, Discovery and Readiness, 30 applications) at $250,000.00 per 12 months on a 12-month contract, with 24- and 36-month options, and custom pricing by private offer.

Do Okta and Orchid Security overlap?

How can I compare more than two IAM tools?

Use the side-by-side tool, which shows up to five vendors' job coverage, prices and limits in one table.