Is Arnica or Cisco Duo better?

Neither clearly leads. Arnica starts at Free and Cisco Duo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Arnica or Cisco Duo?

Arnica starts at Free and Cisco Duo at Free.

Does Arnica or Cisco Duo run on more platforms?

Arnica runs on Web, GitHub, IDE. Cisco Duo runs on Web.

Can I use Arnica for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Arnica best used for?

Arnica is most often used for detecting ai-generated vulnerabilities in copilot and cursor suggestions, finding hardcoded secrets before they reach production, mapping container vulnerabilities back to source code, generating sbom for supply chain compliance requirements. Of those, detecting ai-generated vulnerabilities in copilot and cursor suggestions and finding hardcoded secrets before they reach production are not what Cisco Duo is typically brought in for.

What can Arnica do that Cisco Duo cannot?

Arnica covers AI SAST, Software Composition Analysis, Secrets detection, IaC scanning.

Cybersecurity · head to head

Arnica vs Cisco Duo

Arnica

Cybersecurity

AI-native application security platform detecting and fixing vulnerabilities across the SDLC

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Cisco Duo

Cybersecurity

Trusted access for all users, all devices

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Arnica per-identity pricing ($25-$50/person/year) requires tracking active developers; Cisco Duo free tier limited to 10 users maximum
Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Arnica and Cisco Duo actually diverge.

Attributes where Arnica and Cisco Duo differ
Attribute	Arnica	Cisco Duo
Pricing model	Per-identity subscription with annual discount	subscription
Platforms	Web, GitHub, IDE	Web

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Arnica

AI SAST
Software Composition Analysis
Secrets detection
IaC scanning
Container scanning
SBOM generation
Agentic rules
Pipelineless integration

Only in Cisco Duo

Nothing recorded that Arnica does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Arnica

Detecting AI-generated vulnerabilities in Copilot and Cursor suggestionsnot Cisco Duo
Finding hardcoded secrets before they reach productionnot Cisco Duo
Mapping container vulnerabilities back to source codenot Cisco Duo
Generating SBOM for supply chain compliance requirementsnot Cisco Duo
Scanning infrastructure-as-code for misconfiguration risksnot Cisco Duo

Cisco Duo

Eliminating phishing with passwordless authnot Arnica
Implementing zero trust with device trustnot Arnica
Protecting sessions from hijacking and theftnot Arnica
Managing compliance for regulated industriesnot Arnica

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Arnica

Per-identity pricing ($25-$50/person/year) requires tracking active developers
Overage identity tracking via 90-day PR activity can be unpredictable
Free plan limited to weekly updates, requiring upgrade for real-time scanning
Advanced add-ons (Image Scanning, AI SAST, Agentic Rules Enforcer) pricing not published
On-premises deployment limited to Enterprise tier

Cisco Duo

Free tier limited to 10 users maximum
Licenses must be purchased in 10-user increments (under 100 users) or 25-user increments (100+ users)
Pricing is per-user per-month with minimum purchase increments

Pricing, plan by plan

Arnica

Free

FreeFree
- No credit card required
- 14-day trial available
- Weekly risk identification updates
Core Business$360/year
- Monthly billing option at $30/identity/month
- Annual billing at $25/identity/month (17% discount)
- Real-time risk scanning and notifications
Core Enterprise$720/year
- Monthly billing option at $60/identity/month
- Annual billing at $50/identity/month (17% discount)
- All Core Business features

Cisco Duo

Free

FreeFree
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Seamless integrations
- Authenticator app
Essentials$3/month
- All Free features
- Duo Directory
- Phishing-resistant MFA
Advantage$6/month
- All Essentials features
- Identity intelligence
- Cisco Identity Intelligence (ISPM, ITDR)
Premier$9/month
- All Advantage features
- Complete device trust
- VPN-less remote access

Which should you pick?

Choose Arnica if

You need ai sast.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Web, GitHub, IDE.
You also want software composition analysis.

Arnica review

Choose Cisco Duo if

You want to start without paying.

Cisco Duo review

Questions people ask

Is Arnica or Cisco Duo better?: Neither clearly leads. Arnica starts at Free and Cisco Duo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Arnica or Cisco Duo?: Arnica starts at Free and Cisco Duo at Free.
Does Arnica or Cisco Duo run on more platforms?: Arnica runs on Web, GitHub, IDE. Cisco Duo runs on Web.
Can I use Arnica for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Arnica best used for?: Arnica is most often used for detecting ai-generated vulnerabilities in copilot and cursor suggestions, finding hardcoded secrets before they reach production, mapping container vulnerabilities back to source code, generating sbom for supply chain compliance requirements. Of those, detecting ai-generated vulnerabilities in copilot and cursor suggestions and finding hardcoded secrets before they reach production are not what Cisco Duo is typically brought in for.
What can Arnica do that Cisco Duo cannot?: Arnica covers AI SAST, Software Composition Analysis, Secrets detection, IaC scanning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Arnica: How are identities defined in Arnica pricing?

Identities are any users and other contributing entities that contributed code and/or had PR activity during the last 90 days. This ensures billing matches active developers.

Source

Cisco Duo: How much does Cisco Duo cost?

Cisco Duo Free is $0/user/month (up to 10 users). Paid plans start at $3/user/month (Essentials), $6/user/month (Advantage), and $9/user/month (Premier). Billing is per-user per-month.

Source

Arnica: What is the annual discount?

Annual prepayment offers approximately 17% savings versus monthly billing. Core Business annual is $300/identity versus $360 for monthly.

Source

Cisco Duo: Is Cisco Duo free to try?

Yes, Duo Free offers multi-factor authentication and seamless integrations at $0/user/month for up to 10 users.

Source

Arnica: Can I cancel or downgrade Arnica anytime?

Yes. Subscriptions can be cancelled or downgraded at any time. Overage identities receive automatic protection with true-up invoicing.

Source

Cisco Duo: What is the minimum purchase for Cisco Duo?

Organizations must buy licenses in 10-user increments for under 100 users, or 25-user increments for 100 or more users. Plans are modifiable at any time.

Source

Cisco Duo: What does the Advantage plan add over Essentials?

Advantage ($6/user/month) adds identity intelligence, Cisco Identity Intelligence (ISPM, ITDR), Duo Passport, session theft protection, Active Directory Defense, and risk-based authentication.

Source

Arnica vs Cisco Duo

Arnica

Cisco Duo

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Arnica

Only in Cisco Duo

What people use each for

Arnica

Cisco Duo

Where each one falls short

Arnica

Cisco Duo

Pricing, plan by plan

Arnica

Cisco Duo

Which should you pick?

Choose Arnica if

Choose Cisco Duo if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Arnica

More on Cisco Duo

Keep looking

Other head to heads