Cybersecurity · head to head
Descope vs One Identity
One Identity
Cybersecurity
Quest-owned identity governance, PAM and Active Directory management
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Descope has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Descope free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations; One Identity the portfolio is assembled from separate acquisitions, so components are separately licensed, separately administered and do not present one console, which raises operational cost.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Descope and One Identity actually diverge.
| Attribute | Descope | One Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, API | Web, Windows, Linux |
Identical on both: 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 Descope
Nothing recorded that One Identity does not also cover.
Only in One Identity
- Identity Manager
- Safeguard
- Active Roles
- OneLogin
- Password Manager
- syslog-ng
- Starling connectors
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Descope
- Organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom developmentnot One Identity
- Companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, AI agents) in single platformnot One Identity
- Multi-tenant B2B2C SaaS applications requiring per-organisation identity policiesnot One Identity
- Teams building passwordless-first authentication experiencesnot One Identity
- Healthcare and regulated industries requiring HIPAA-compliant identity managementnot One Identity
One Identity
- An organisation whose authoritative directory will remain on premises Active Directory and needs delegated administration with attribute-level controlnot Descope
- A government or defence environment requiring privileged session management on a hardened physical appliance rather than a cloud servicenot Descope
- A manufacturer with SAP and Active Directory needing provisioning governed under one certification processnot Descope
- An enterprise consolidating Active Directory after an acquisition and needing automated account lifecycle across both forestsnot Descope
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Descope
- Free tier capped at 7,500 MAU; Pro tier at 10,000 MAU, Growth tier at 25,000 MAU, forcing migration to Enterprise for larger organisations
- HIPAA compliance only available in Growth tier ($799/mo) and above; not included in lower-priced plans
- No-code UI builder provides pre-built flows but still requires custom frontend development for fully-branded authentication experiences
- All paid tiers billed annually; no monthly billing option for commitment-free flexibility
- Bot protection features available only in Growth tier and above
One Identity
- The portfolio is assembled from separate acquisitions, so components are separately licensed, separately administered and do not present one console, which raises operational cost.
- Identity Manager implementations are customisation-heavy and commonly run over a year, with the services spend exceeding the licence cost in the first year.
- Quest has changed private equity ownership more than once since the Dell separation, and buyers should ask directly about product investment commitments before signing a multi-year deal.
- Product documentation and support sit behind a customer portal, which makes independent evaluation before purchase harder than with vendors that publish openly.
- The cloud-native and developer experience trails the pure-play identity vendors, so organisations moving decisively to SaaS applications find the on premises heritage becomes a constraint rather than an asset.
Pricing, plan by plan
Descope
Free- Free ForeverFree
- 7,500 monthly active users
- Basic authentication
- Community support
- Pro$249/month
- 10,000 monthly active users
- Custom domains
- CI/CD integration
- Growth$799/month
- 25,000 monthly active users
- Bot protection
- Fine-grained authorisation
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited monthly active users
- Tiered discounts
- Premium support with dedicated CS engineer
One Identity
On request- Identity Manager$undefined/year
- Priced per managed identity
- On premises or hosted
- Access certification and provisioning
- Safeguard$undefined/year
- Priced per privileged user or per appliance
- Hardened appliance option for session management
- Licensed separately from Identity Manager
- Active Roles$undefined/year
- Priced per managed Active Directory account
- Delegated administration and automated provisioning
- Licensed separately
Which should you pick?
Choose One Identity if
- You need identity manager.
- You work on Web, Windows, Linux.
- You also want safeguard.
Questions people ask
- Is Descope or One Identity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Descope starts at Free and One Identity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Descope or One Identity?
- Descope has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Descope and On request for One Identity.
- Does Descope or One Identity run on more platforms?
- Descope runs on Web, iOS, Android, API. One Identity runs on Web, Windows, Linux.
- Can I use Descope for free?
- Yes. Descope has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. One Identity starts at On request.
- What is Descope best used for?
- Descope is most often used for organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom development, companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, ai agents) in single platform, multi-tenant b2b2c saas applications requiring per-organisation identity policies, teams building passwordless-first authentication experiences. Of those, organisations seeking rapid identity implementation without custom development and companies supporting multiple user types (consumers, partners, ai agents) in single platform are not what One Identity is typically brought in for.
- What can Descope do that One Identity cannot?
- One Identity covers Identity Manager, Safeguard, Active Roles, OneLogin.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Descope: Can I build custom authentication flows without code?
Yes. Descope's drag-and-drop workflow interface allows you to construct and modify signup, login, MFA and SSO flows without code changes.
SourceOne Identity: Is One Identity the same company as Quest?
Yes. One Identity is Quest Software's identity and access management business unit, not a separate vendor.
Descope: Does Descope support AI agent authentication?
Yes. Descope supports building identity journeys for AI agents and MCP servers, including scoped OAuth tokens and delegation chains.
SourceOne Identity: Does it include privileged access?
Safeguard provides it, but it is licensed separately from Identity Manager. Neither includes the other.
Descope: Is Descope HIPAA compliant?
HIPAA compliance is available in Growth tier and above, starting at $799/month.
SourceOne Identity: Why choose this over SailPoint or Saviynt?
Almost always because of Active Directory depth via Active Roles or an appliance requirement for privileged sessions. For cloud-first estates the specialists are the stronger choice.
Related pages
More on One Identity
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