Okta, SailPoint, OneLogin: Saas Review?

Surprising Secret: Even the top IAM vendors offer a free tier you can level up without ever hitting your expense ceiling. Which one gives you the most bang for $0?

For a startup that needs identity-as-a-service without a line-item in the budget, Okta’s free tier currently delivers the broadest set of capabilities, though SailPoint and OneLogin each carve out niche strengths that may suit particular use-cases. In my experience covering cloud security vendors on the Square Mile, the free-tier debate often reduces to the trade-off between feature breadth and integration depth.

Key Takeaways

• Okta free tier offers the most extensive SSO and MFA suite.
• SailPoint free tier focuses on governance for up to 10 users.
• OneLogin free tier provides unlimited users but limited customisation.
• All three tiers include API access, but rate limits differ.
• Choose based on integration needs and growth trajectory.

When I first evaluated these platforms three years ago, the market narrative was that free tiers were merely marketing placeholders. Whilst many assume they lack real utility, the reality today is that each vendor has invested in a usable zero-cost offering, largely driven by the SaaS-first mindset that dominates enterprise software procurement. The “death of SaaS” narrative, which some analysts have suggested could spur M&A activity (see PitchBook’s Q4 2025 Enterprise SaaS M&A Review), actually underscores how providers are fighting for market share by lowering entry barriers.

Feature-by-feature comparison

To make an informed decision, I mapped the core capabilities of each free tier against the typical requirements of a seed-stage tech company - single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), user provisioning, API access and support. The table below summarises the headline differences as of October 2024.

The numbers tell a story of trade-offs. Okta’s cap of 50 users may appear restrictive, yet for most early-stage teams the ceiling aligns with typical headcounts before a Series A round. SailPoint’s governance-centric model, despite a lower user ceiling, shines when compliance is paramount - a scenario I have seen at a fintech startup that needed role-based access reviews before obtaining a FCA licence. OneLogin’s unlimited user count is tempting for rapid hiring, but the absence of built-in MFA in the free tier means an extra cost later if security policies tighten.

Integration ecosystem

Beyond raw features, the richness of an IAM platform’s connector library can dictate its practicality. Okta boasts over 7,000 pre-built integrations, ranging from Azure AD to GitHub, a legacy that reflects its long-standing dominance in the identity market. During a recent interview, a senior analyst at Okta told me, "Our free tier deliberately includes the most popular SaaS apps because we know startups need to move fast without custom development."

"The free tier is not a stripped-down version; it’s a fully functional entry point that scales with the organisation," said the analyst.

SailPoint, by contrast, concentrates on governance connectors - for example, it offers out-of-the-box policy templates for Salesforce and ServiceNow, but fewer consumer SaaS apps. OneLogin’s catalogue sits somewhere in the middle, with solid coverage of HR and productivity tools but fewer niche developer platforms. When I consulted a London-based AI lab that leverages the Gadget Flow AI App Builder stack, the lab chose Okta precisely because the free tier already supported the required OAuth flows for their internal notebooks.

Cost of scaling beyond the free tier

Any free-tier decision must anticipate the cost of graduating to a paid plan. Okta’s entry-level paid tier, "Essentials", starts at £4 per user per month, a price that many startups accept once they outgrow the 50-user limit. SailPoint’s next step, "IdentityNow", begins at roughly £8 per user per month, reflecting its governance-heavy feature set. OneLogin’s paid plans start at £3 per user per month, but the lack of native MFA in the free tier often forces an additional third-party purchase, eroding the apparent savings.

In my time covering the City’s fintech cohort, I have observed that organisations which begin with Okta tend to stay within the Okta ecosystem as they scale, simply because the migration cost - both in terms of engineering effort and licence fees - is lower. Conversely, companies that start with SailPoint often do so because of a regulatory driver; they accept the higher per-user cost later in favour of built-in governance. OneLogin’s unlimited free users make it attractive for rapid hiring, yet the eventual need for advanced MFA and custom branding usually pushes firms towards a paid tier within a year.

Security posture and compliance

For regulated sectors such as banking, the ability to demonstrate robust identity governance is non-negotiable. The FCA’s recent guidance on digital identity underscores the need for MFA, audit trails and role-based access reviews. Okta’s free tier satisfies the MFA requirement out-of-the-box, while SailPoint’s governance dashboards provide the audit trail, albeit without native MFA. OneLogin’s free tier would need supplementary tools to meet the same standard.

When I attended a London fintech meetup last spring, a founder explained how they chose Okta’s free tier because it allowed them to meet the FCA’s MFA baseline without additional spend, buying them crucial time to focus on product development. That anecdote illustrates how a well-designed free tier can be a strategic lever rather than a stop-gap.

User experience and administration

The admin console experience often determines how quickly a small team can roll out IAM. Okta’s UI is widely praised for its intuitive layout; the free tier includes a drag-and-drop policy builder that even non-technical founders can navigate. SailPoint’s governance UI, while powerful, carries a steeper learning curve - something I observed during a pilot at a legal tech startup that needed to train a single admin to manage access reviews. OneLogin’s console is simple but lacks some of the visual customisation that Okta offers, meaning teams may spend more time on documentation.

From a user perspective, the login experience matters for adoption. Okta’s universal directory and adaptive MFA reduce friction, a point highlighted in the Substack piece on Monday.com’s rise - the author noted that a smooth SSO experience was a key differentiator for SaaS products competing for SMB attention. SailPoint’s free tier, lacking native MFA, can lead to inconsistent experiences if a third-party MFA is layered on. OneLogin’s default login page is functional but less polished, which could affect employee perception in a high-growth startup environment.

Future-proofing and roadmap considerations

All three vendors have signalled continued investment in AI-driven identity analytics. The recent PitchBook report on SaaS M&A noted that identity providers are becoming attractive acquisition targets for larger cloud platforms, a trend that may accelerate feature roll-outs for free tiers as vendors seek to expand user bases. Okta, for instance, announced a roadmap that includes AI-enhanced risk-based authentication - features that will eventually flow down to the free tier, according to a product manager I spoke with.

SailPoint’s roadmap emphasises deeper integration with data-as-a-service platforms, aligning with the broader DaaS trend. OneLogin, after its acquisition by One Identity, is focusing on consolidating its API portfolio, which could improve the rate limits for free-tier developers.

Bottom line for startups

Choosing a free tier is less about headline feature counts and more about alignment with your immediate security needs, integration priorities and growth plan. If you need a turnkey SSO/MFA solution that can be deployed within days, Okta’s free tier gives you the most bang for $0. If regulatory governance is your primary driver and you can live with a modest user ceiling, SailPoint’s free tier offers a governance-centric approach that may save you money on compliance tooling later. If you anticipate rapid hiring and are comfortable layering on third-party MFA, OneLogin’s unlimited free users provide a cost-neutral starting point, albeit with a potential need for paid upgrades as security requirements tighten.

In practice, I recommend piloting two vendors in parallel - a quick Okta proof of concept for SSO/MFA, and a SailPoint pilot for governance - before committing to a single platform. This dual-track approach mirrors the methodology used by many London-based accelerators, which seek to hedge against vendor lock-in while capitalising on the strengths of each free tier.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Okta’s free tier include multi-factor authentication?

A: Yes, Okta’s free tier provides MFA via push notifications, SMS and email, allowing organisations to meet basic security standards without additional cost.

Q: How many users can I manage on SailPoint’s free tier?

A: SailPoint’s free tier is limited to ten users, which is suitable for small pilots focused on identity governance and compliance testing.

Q: Is there a limit on API calls for OneLogin’s free tier?

A: OneLogin offers 2,000 API calls per month on its free tier, which is ample for most early-stage integrations but may require upgrading as usage scales.

Q: Which free tier is best for a regulated fintech startup?

A: For regulated fintech, Okta’s free tier is often the most suitable because it includes built-in MFA and a wide range of integrations that satisfy FCA-mandated security baselines.

Q: Can I upgrade from a free tier to a paid plan without data loss?

A: All three vendors support seamless migration from free to paid tiers, preserving user data and configuration; however, the process may involve additional steps for custom policies or third-party integrations.