Best Single Sign-on (SSO) Platforms: Ranked and Reviewed (2025)

Author: apibit

Did you know that 81% of data breaches are caused by weak or stolen passwords? It’s a startling statistic that highlights the importance of implementing secure authentication solutions like Single Sign-On (SSO) platforms.

SSO solutions enable users to authenticate their identity securely and seamlessly across multiple applications, using just one set of credentials. This not only improves security but also simplifies credential management for end-users. With the increasing number of applications and services we rely on daily, SSO has become essential for organizations and individuals alike.

Key Takeaways:

81% of data breaches are caused by weak or stolen passwords.
Single Sign-On (SSO) platforms allow users to authenticate their identity across multiple applications with a single set of credentials.
Implementing SSO improves security, simplifies credential management, and enhances user experience.
Choosing the right SSO solution depends on specific organizational requirements and use cases.
Top-rated SSO platforms include Okta, OneLogin, Microsoft Entra ID, JumpCloud, Ping Identity, and CyberArk.

Our Top Picks:

What Is Single Sign-On (SSO)?

Single sign-on (SSO) is a convenient and secure authentication method that allows users to access multiple applications and services using a single set of login credentials.

With SSO, users no longer need to remember numerous usernames and passwords for different platforms. Instead, they can log in once and gain access to various systems without the need for repetitive authentication.

SSO is widely used in enterprise environments, where employees often need to interact with multiple applications throughout their workday. It simplifies the login process, improves productivity, and reduces the risk of password-related security breaches.

One of the essential features of SSO is multi-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide additional credentials, such as a fingerprint scan or a one-time password.

By centralizing authentication and authorization, SSO also allows administrators to have better control over user access and permissions. They can manage application access, revoke credentials if needed, and monitor user activity from a single control panel.

By streamlining the login experience and enhancing security, Single Sign-On offers businesses a win-win solution that balances convenience with robust authentication mechanisms.

Benefits of Single Sign-On (SSO)

Implementing SSO brings several benefits to both users and organizations:

Enhanced convenience: Users only need to remember one set of credentials, reducing the chances of forgetting passwords or experiencing login fatigue.
Improved security: With multi-factor authentication, SSO strengthens login procedures and protects against unauthorized access.
Reduced password-related risks: SSO eliminates the need for users to create and manage multiple passwords, decreasing the likelihood of weak or reused passwords.
Efficient access management: Administrators can easily manage user access and permissions for various applications from a centralized control panel.
Enhanced productivity: Users can quickly and seamlessly switch between applications without the need for repetitive logins.

How Single Sign-On Works

To enable SSO, a trusted relationship is established between an identity provider and the applications that users want to access. Here’s a simplified overview of the process:

User initiates the login process by accessing an application.
The application redirects the user to the identity provider for authentication.
The identity provider authenticates the user using their single set of credentials.
Upon successful authentication, the identity provider generates a token and sends it back to the application.
The application grants the user access based on the token received from the identity provider.

This token-based authentication allows for seamless, secure access to multiple applications without the need to enter login credentials repeatedly.

Different Types of SSO

There are several variations of single sign-on, including:

SSO Type	Description
Enterprise SSO (eSSO)	Enables users to access multiple applications within an organization’s network.
Federated SSO	Allows for authentication across different organizations and domains by sharing user identity information.
Web-based SSO	Enables users to sign in once and access multiple web applications, even if hosted by different entities.

Each type of SSO has its own advantages and implementation considerations based on the specific needs of an organization.

In the next section, we will explore how single sign-on solutions work in more detail and the benefits they offer to organizations of all sizes.

How Do Single Sign-On Solutions Work?

Single sign-on (SSO) solutions establish a trusted relationship between an application and an identity provider, simplifying the authentication process for users. Let me explain how they work:

User Authentication: When a user tries to access a protected application or service, they enter their login credentials into the identity provider’s authentication page. The identity provider verifies the credentials and confirms the user’s identity.
Token Generation: Once the user is authenticated, the identity provider generates a unique token, often in the form of a JSON Web Token (JWT). This token contains information about the user’s identity, permissions, and authentication status.
Token Sharing: The token is securely shared with the requested application or service, allowing the application to trust the user’s authentication status without having to collect and verify credentials separately.
Access Granted: With the token, the application can validate the user’s identity and grant them access to the requested resources. This eliminates the need for the user to enter their credentials again and simplifies their overall login experience.

Using single sign-on solutions significantly improves user convenience and reduces password fatigue, as users only need to remember and enter their credentials once. It streamlines the login process, making it more efficient and seamless.

Federated Identity

Federated identity is a key concept in single sign-on. It allows for the linking of user identities across different identity providers, enabling seamless authentication and access to various applications and services.

For example, suppose a user is authenticated by their organization’s identity provider. That identity provider can then establish federated trust with external service providers. When the user attempts to access an external service, their identity provider validates their credentials and issues a token that proves their authentication status. The external service trusts the user’s identity provider and grants access based on the token received.

This federated approach simplifies SSO deployment and management, as it allows organizations to leverage existing authentication systems and establish trust relationships with multiple service providers.

Advantages of Single Sign-On	Disadvantages of Single Sign-On
Simplifies user login experience Enhances security by reducing the reliance on weak passwords Streamlines access to multiple applications Improves user productivity and satisfaction	Requires robust security measures to protect the centralized authentication system Dependent on reliable connectivity between applications and the identity provider May require additional implementation and integration efforts

Overall, single sign-on solutions simplify the authentication process, reduce password-related risks, and improve user experience. Federated identity enables organizations to establish trust relationships across multiple systems, facilitating seamless access to resources.

Next, we’ll explore why single sign-on is important for organizations and the benefits it brings. Stay tuned!

Why Is Single Sign-On Important?

Organizations today face significant challenges in securing their authentication processes and protecting against account takeover attacks. Single sign-on (SSO) plays a crucial role in addressing these challenges and providing a robust solution for secure access management.

One of the key advantages of SSO is its ability to enforce strong authentication workflows. With SSO, users only need to authenticate once, using a set of credentials, to gain access to multiple applications and services. This eliminates the need for users to remember and manage multiple passwords, reducing the risk of compromised passwords and weak authentication practices.

Beyond enhancing security, SSO also greatly improves the user experience. By eliminating the hassle of multiple passwords, SSO streamlines the access process, allowing users to seamlessly navigate between applications and services. This convenience leads to increased productivity and user satisfaction.

Additionally, SSO helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements related to authentication and access control. By implementing a centralized SSO solution, organizations can ensure that appropriate security measures are in place, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

“Single sign-on is a game-changer when it comes to both security and user experience. It minimizes the attack surface by eliminating weak points such as shared passwords and reduces the burden on users, streamlining their access to applications and services.”

	Benefits of Single Sign-On
Enhanced Security	Enforces strong authentication workflows and reduces the risk of compromised passwords
Improved User Experience	Eliminates the need for multiple passwords and streamlines access to applications and services
Regulatory Compliance	Helps organizations meet authentication and access control requirements

By combining the benefits of enhanced security, improved user experience, and regulatory compliance, single sign-on has become an integral component of modern access management strategies. Organizations of all sizes and industries can reap the advantages of SSO in strengthening their authentication processes and protecting valuable digital assets.

What Features Should You Look For In A Single Sign-On Solution?

When evaluating single sign-on (SSO) solutions for your organization, it’s crucial to consider the following key features to ensure you choose a solution that meets your specific needs:

Pre-built Integrations:

Look for SSO platforms that offer seamless integration with a wide range of supported applications. This will streamline the implementation process and allow your users to access their favorite apps easily.

Multi-Factor Authentication Support:

The ability to implement multi-factor authentication methods, such as SMS verification codes or biometric authentication, enhances the security of your SSO solution. It adds an extra layer of protection to ensure only authorized users gain access.

Adaptive Authentication:

An adaptive authentication feature can detect and block suspicious login attempts, protecting your organization from unauthorized access and potential security threats.

Flexible Identity and Access Policies:

Ensure that the SSO solution allows you to define and enforce granular identity and access policies. This will give you the flexibility to tailor access permissions based on user roles and responsibilities.

Integration with Existing Identity Stores:

Look for SSO solutions that can seamlessly integrate with your existing identity stores, such as Active Directory or LDAP. This will simplify user management and ensure a centralized approach to access control.

Comprehensive Lifecycle Management Functionality:

An SSO solution with robust lifecycle management capabilities allows you to efficiently manage user onboarding, offboarding, and access revocation. This ensures that access rights are granted or revoked in a timely and controlled manner.

Device Risk Profiling:

Look for SSO platforms that offer device risk profiling capabilities. This feature assesses the risk level of the user’s device and applies additional security measures as needed.

Robust Reporting and Analytics:

Reporting and analytics functionalities provide valuable insights into user activities and help you identify potential security risks or patterns of misuse. Choose an SSO solution that offers comprehensive reporting capabilities.

Self-Service Credential Management:

Empower your users with the ability to manage their own credentials, reset passwords, and update personal information through a self-service portal. This reduces the burden on your IT team and improves user convenience.

Considering these key features will help you make an informed decision when selecting a single sign-on solution that aligns with your organization’s security requirements, user experience expectations, and administration needs.

How To Choose The Right Single Sign-On Solution?

When selecting the ideal single sign-on (SSO) solution for your organization, it’s crucial to consider various factors that align with your specific requirements and use cases. Making an informed choice will ensure that your SSO implementation caters to your security needs and provides the desired features for seamless authentication.

Here are the key considerations to keep in mind when choosing the right single sign-on solution:

Level of Security: Evaluate the security measures offered by different SSO solutions. Ensure that the chosen solution supports robust encryption, multi-factor authentication, and comprehensive access controls to protect user identities and sensitive data.
Customization for Internal Applications: If your organization requires custom solutions for internal applications, verify whether the SSO solution supports application-specific configurations. Some SSO platforms offer greater flexibility to accommodate unique requirements.
Specific Features: Identify the specific features and functionalities that are essential for your organization. This could include features such as the ability to block logins from certain countries or devices, advanced threat detection and prevention mechanisms, comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, and support for industry-specific compliance standards.
Supported Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Methods: Consider the MFA methods that your users are familiar with and prefer. Ensure that the SSO solution supports these MFA methods to provide a secure and user-friendly authentication process.
Access Management Features: Examine the access management capabilities provided by the SSO solution. Look for features such as flexible identity and access policies, self-service credential management options, and integration with existing identity stores to streamline user provisioning and deprovisioning processes.

By carefully evaluating these factors, you can confidently select an SSO solution that meets your organization’s unique needs. Remember to consider future scalability and the vendor’s reputation in terms of reliability, support, and ongoing product development.

When assessing different SSO solutions, it can be helpful to create a comparison table to evaluate their features, pricing, and suitability for your organization. Here’s an example of a comprehensive SSO solution comparison:

SSO Solution	Key Features	Pricing
SSO Solution A	Feature 1, Feature 2, Feature 3	Pricing details here
SSO Solution B	Feature 1, Feature 2, Feature 3	Pricing details here
SSO Solution C	Feature 1, Feature 2, Feature 3	Pricing details here

Keep in mind that this is just an example, and it’s important to customize the comparison table to include the SSO solutions you are considering and their respective features and pricing details.

What Are The Benefits Of Single Sign-On?

Single sign-on (SSO) provides numerous advantages for organizations, promoting enhanced account security, streamlined access management, and improved user experience.

One of the key benefits of SSO is the enforcement of continuous multi-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security to the authentication process. By requiring users to provide multiple forms of verification, such as a password and a unique code sent to their mobile device, SSO helps prevent unauthorized access to accounts.

SSO also enables the implementation of adaptive and secure password policies. With SSO, organizations can enforce strong password requirements, including a minimum length, the use of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. This reduces the risk of weak passwords that can be easily compromised.

Another advantage of SSO is the prevention of weak passwords and shadow IT accounts. With SSO, users only need to remember one set of credentials to access multiple applications, minimizing the likelihood of using the same weak password across different platforms. SSO also helps organizations mitigate the risks associated with shadow IT, as it provides better visibility and control over user access to applications and services.

“Implementing SSO offers improved identity governance and control over access management policies. This enables organizations to ensure that employees, contractors, and partners have appropriate access permissions, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.”

Furthermore, SSO streamlines the onboarding and offboarding processes, saving time for IT administrators. Instead of individually provisioning or deprovisioning user accounts for every application, SSO allows for the automation of these tasks. This simplifies user management and reduces the administrative burden for IT teams.

Lastly, SSO enhances productivity and user experience by providing a centralized portal to access applications. Users can easily navigate between different tools without the need to remember multiple usernames and passwords. This seamless experience boosts efficiency and user satisfaction.

Overall, the benefits of single sign-on include enhanced account security through continuous multi-factor authentication, adaptive and secure password policies, the prevention of weak passwords and shadow IT accounts, improved identity governance and control over access management policies, time-saving for IT admins through automation of onboarding and offboarding processes, and increased productivity and user experience for end-users by accessing accounts from a central portal.

Is Single Sign-On Secure?

Single sign-on (SSO) is not only a convenient solution for accessing multiple applications with a single set of credentials but also plays a vital role in enhancing security. By reducing the reliance on weak passwords, SSO significantly improves the overall security posture of digital accounts.

One of the primary advantages of SSO is its ability to allow the use of complex, frequently rotated passwords without burdening users with the need to remember multiple credentials. This reduces the risk of compromised passwords and enhances the security of user accounts.

Furthermore, when combined with robust multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access policies, SSO provides an additional layer of protection. MFA adds an extra authentication factor, such as a fingerprint scan or a one-time password, strengthening the authentication process and making it more secure.

SSO also helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements related to authentication and access control. By centralizing authentication and identity management, SSO enables organizations to implement consistent security policies, enforce strong authentication workflows, and maintain audit logs for compliance purposes.

In conclusion, single sign-on is a secure authentication solution that not only simplifies the user experience but also enhances overall security. With its ability to reduce reliance on weak passwords, support multi-factor authentication, and facilitate regulatory compliance, SSO is a reliable approach for organizations looking to improve their authentication processes.

Single Sign-On Solution	Key Features	Pricing
Okta	Seamless integration with popular applications, multi-factor authentication, adaptive access policies	Custom pricing based on organization size and specific requirements
OneLogin	Secure SSO with pre-built app integrations, advanced user provisioning, single sign-on for cloud and on-premises applications	Pricing available upon request
Microsoft Entra ID	Centralized identity and access management, Azure AD integration, conditional access policies	Available as part of Microsoft 365 subscriptions
JumpCloud	LDAP-based SSO, SAML 2.0 support, multi-factor authentication, privileged access management	Pricing based on number of users
Ping Identity	Flexible SSO with adaptive authentication, OAuth and OpenID Connect support, built-in fraud detection	Custom pricing based on organization size and specific requirements
CyberArk	Enterprise-grade SSO, privileged access management, fine-grained access controls	Pricing available upon request

Detailed Features and Pricing of Top Single Sign-On Solutions

When considering the top-rated single sign-on solutions, it’s important to understand the features they offer and their corresponding pricing. Below, I have highlighted some notable features and pricing information for each of these solutions.

Okta

Okta offers a comprehensive set of features, including:

User provisioning and lifecycle management
Multi-factor authentication options
Integration with popular cloud and web applications
Real-time user analytics and reporting

For detailed pricing information, please visit Okta’s official website.

OneLogin

OneLogin stands out with the following key features:

Easy integration with various applications and directories
Strong authentication options, including biometrics
Identity and access management for remote employees
Unified endpoint management capabilities

For the latest pricing details, please visit OneLogin’s official website.

Microsoft Entra ID

Microsoft Entra ID offers a range of features designed to enhance security and usability:

Seamless integration with Microsoft 365 and Azure AD
Conditional access policies for fine-grained control
Self-service password reset and account management
Identity protection with continuous risk assessments

For pricing information, please consult Microsoft Entra ID’s official website.

JumpCloud

JumpCloud provides a comprehensive suite of features, including:

Directory services for strong identity management
Single sign-on for cloud and on-premises applications
Multi-factor authentication options
Automated user lifecycle management

For detailed pricing information, please visit JumpCloud’s official website.

Ping Identity

Ping Identity offers the following key features for secure single sign-on:

Seamless integration with popular applications
Contextual access policies for dynamic authentication
User provisioning and deprovisioning capabilities
Real-time threat intelligence and detection

For the latest pricing details, please visit Ping Identity’s official website.

CyberArk

CyberArk provides robust features designed to secure access to critical resources:

Privileged access management and control
Integration with leading IT service management solutions
Secure password vaulting and rotation
Real-time monitoring and anomaly detection

For pricing information, please consult CyberArk’s official website.

Remember, the features and pricing mentioned here are just a snapshot of what these solutions offer. It’s essential to visit the official websites of each solution for detailed information and to ensure the chosen solution aligns with your organization’s specific needs and requirements.

Conclusion

In conclusion, single sign-on (SSO) solutions provide a significant boost to security and user experience by simplifying authentication processes and eliminating the need for multiple passwords. The top-rated SSO platforms, such as Okta, OneLogin, Microsoft Entra ID, JumpCloud, Ping Identity, and CyberArk, offer a wide range of features and pricing options to meet the diverse needs of organizations.

When selecting an SSO solution, it’s crucial to carefully evaluate your organization’s specific requirements and consider the desired features and integrations. Additionally, ensuring compliance with security regulations is paramount in safeguarding your digital assets.

By implementing a robust SSO solution, you can streamline access management, enhance security through multi-factor authentication, and improve productivity for both IT admins and end-users. With the right SSO platform in place, you can experience the benefits of simplified identity management and enjoy a more secure and efficient user experience.

FAQ

What is Single Sign-On (SSO)?

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a solution that allows users to authenticate their identity securely and seamlessly across multiple applications using one set of credentials.

How do Single Sign-On solutions work?

Single Sign-On solutions establish a trusted relationship between an application and an identity provider. The identity provider authenticates the user with a single set of credentials and generates a token that is shared with third-party applications, granting them access without requiring additional logins.

Why is Single Sign-On important?

Single Sign-On improves security by reducing the risk of compromised passwords and allows for better control over user access. It also simplifies credential management for end-users and helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements related to authentication and access control.

What features should you look for in a Single Sign-On solution?

Key features to consider when choosing an SSO solution include pre-built integrations with supported applications, support for multi-factor authentication, adaptive authentication capabilities, flexible identity and access policies, comprehensive lifecycle management functionalities, device risk profiling, robust reporting and analytics, and self-service credential management options.

How do you choose the right Single Sign-On solution?

Choosing the appropriate SSO solution depends on factors such as the level of security needed, the need for custom solutions, specific features required, supported multi-factor authentication methods, and consideration of other access management features required by the organization.

What are the benefits of Single Sign-On?

Single Sign-On provides benefits such as enhanced account security, improved user experience, simplified authentication processes, reduced reliance on multiple passwords, time-saving for IT admins, and increased productivity for end-users.

Is Single Sign-On secure?

Single Sign-On contributes to security by reducing the reliance on weak passwords and improving usability. When coupled with robust multi-factor authentication and conditional access policies, SSO significantly enhances the security of digital accounts.

What are the top-rated Single Sign-On solutions?

Some of the top-rated Single Sign-On solutions include Okta, OneLogin, Microsoft Entra ID, JumpCloud, Ping Identity, and CyberArk.

What are the detailed features and pricing of the top Single Sign-On solutions?

Each of the top-rated Single Sign-On solutions has its own set of features and pricing. For detailed information, please refer to the respective websites of the solutions.