Cybersecurity · head to head
Beyond Identity vs Helm

Beyond Identity
Cybersecurity
Phishing-resistant passwordless authentication with device trust enforced at every login
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
The short version
- Only Helm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Beyond Identity it is an authentication layer, not an identity provider, so you keep and keep paying for Okta or Entra ID underneath and the combined per-user cost is roughly double a single-vendor approach.; Helm licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Beyond Identity and Helm actually diverge.
| Attribute | Beyond Identity | Helm |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android | Web |
| Category | Cybersecurity | Developer Tools |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Beyond Identity
- Device-bound credentials
- Continuous device posture
- No shared secrets
- Identity provider integration
- Secure developer signing
- Administrator policy engine
Only in Helm
Nothing recorded that Beyond Identity does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Beyond Identity
- An organisation that suffered a breach through MFA push fatigue and needs a factor that cannot be socially engineerednot Helm
- A software company enforcing that code is only signed from a managed device with current patchesnot Helm
- A firm with contractors on unmanaged laptops that must meet posture requirements before reaching internal systemsnot Helm
- A security team wanting to remove passwords from the helpdesk workload rather than adding another factor on topnot Helm
Helm
- Kubernetes package manager and deployment toolnot Beyond Identity
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Beyond Identity
- It is an authentication layer, not an identity provider, so you keep and keep paying for Okta or Entra ID underneath and the combined per-user cost is roughly double a single-vendor approach.
- Every device that authenticates needs the platform authenticator installed, which makes onboarding contractors, third parties and shared kiosks awkward and sometimes impossible.
- Pricing is quoted per user with no published rates, so buyers cannot benchmark it against the increasingly capable passkey support now included in identity provider base licences.
- Losing all enrolled devices requires an administrative recovery path, and organisations that design that path poorly reintroduce a social-engineering target at the helpdesk.
- Legacy applications that only speak passwords or older protocols need a federation shim or stay outside the policy, so coverage is rarely complete in an estate with old systems.
Helm
- Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- Contributors must sign commits under the Developer Certificate of Origin to have them accepted, per helm.sh, a process requirement not all Kubernetes tools impose
Pricing, plan by plan
Beyond Identity
On request- Secure Access Platform$undefined/year
- Per-user annual subscription quoted by seat count
- Deployed alongside an existing identity provider rather than replacing it
- Device posture integrations with major EDR and MDM vendors included
Helm
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Helm review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Beyond Identity if
- You need device-bound credentials.
- You work on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.
- You also want continuous device posture.
Questions people ask
- Is Beyond Identity or Helm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Beyond Identity starts at On request and Helm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Beyond Identity or Helm?
- Helm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Beyond Identity and Free for Helm.
- Does Beyond Identity or Helm run on more platforms?
- Beyond Identity runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. Helm runs on Web.
- Can I use Helm for free?
- Yes. Helm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Beyond Identity starts at On request.
- What is Beyond Identity best used for?
- Beyond Identity is most often used for an organisation that suffered a breach through mfa push fatigue and needs a factor that cannot be socially engineered, a software company enforcing that code is only signed from a managed device with current patches, a firm with contractors on unmanaged laptops that must meet posture requirements before reaching internal systems, a security team wanting to remove passwords from the helpdesk workload rather than adding another factor on top. Of those, an organisation that suffered a breach through mfa push fatigue and needs a factor that cannot be socially engineered and a software company enforcing that code is only signed from a managed device with current patches are not what Helm is typically brought in for.
- What can Beyond Identity do that Helm cannot?
- Beyond Identity covers Device-bound credentials, Continuous device posture, No shared secrets, Identity provider integration.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Beyond Identity: Does it replace Okta or Entra ID?
No. It sits in front of them as the authentication method. Budget for both.
Helm: How much does Helm cost?
Helm is free and open-source. It is a graduated project in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) with no commercial pricing model.
SourceBeyond Identity: What happens when a user loses their laptop?
They authenticate from another enrolled device, or go through an administrative recovery flow. Designing that recovery well matters, because it is the weakest point.
Beyond Identity: Is it different from passkeys?
The credential mechanism is similar in spirit. The difference is enforcing device security posture at every authentication, which standard passkeys do not do.
Related pages
More on Beyond Identity
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- Helm vs Cisco Duo
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- Helm vs Teleport
- Helm vs Authelia
- Helm vs authentik
- Helm vs Entrust Identity as a Service
- Helm vs Clerk
- Helm vs Frontegg
- Helm vs HashiCorp Boundary
- Helm vs Logto
- Helm vs Ory
- Helm vs WorkOS
- Helm vs Zscaler Internet Access
- Helm vs Milestone XProtect
- Helm vs Osano
- Helm vs Proton Mail
- Helm vs Veriff
- Helm vs pnpm
- Helm vs Visual Studio Code
- Helm vs ESLint
- Helm vs Turborepo
- Helm vs Argo CD
- Helm vs Yarn
- Helm vs Nix
- Helm vs Okteto
- Helm vs Moonrepo
- Helm vs Nx Cloud
- Helm vs Pants Build
- Helm vs Buildkite
- Helm vs Ansible
- Helm vs Helix
- Helm vs JetBrains Rider
- Helm vs Spacelift
