Technology · head to head
Okta vs ServiceNow
The short version
- Only Okta has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Okta requires $1,500 annual minimum contract; ServiceNow listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow
- They diverge on capability: Okta covers Single sign-on (SSO), ServiceNow covers ITSM.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Okta and ServiceNow actually diverge.
| Attribute | Okta | ServiceNow |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | Unknown | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, SaaS | Web, Ios, Android |
| Category | Technology | Customer Support |
| Founded | 2009 | 2004 |
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 Okta
- Single sign-on (SSO)
- Multi-factor authentication
- Lifecycle management
- Universal directory
- API access management
- B2B integration
- Passwordless authentication
- Adaptive MFA
Only in ServiceNow
- ITSM
- IT Operations
- Customer workflows
- Employee workflows
- App development
- AI/ML capabilities
- Microsoft Teams
- SAP
Both cover
- Salesforce
- Slack
- AWS
- SOC2
- ISO27001
- FedRAMP
- HIPAA
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Okta
- Employee SSOnot ServiceNow
- Customer identitynot ServiceNow
- B2B integrationnot ServiceNow
- Zero Trust securitynot ServiceNow
- Compliancenot ServiceNow
ServiceNow
- Enterprise IT managementnot Okta
- Digital transformationnot Okta
- Workflow automationnot Okta
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Okta
- Requires $1,500 annual minimum contract
- Admin-only MFA can be vulnerable to push notification fatigue attacks
- Implementation requires significant services and integration fees in year one
ServiceNow
- Listed on G-Cloud 14 by reseller UP3 Services Ltd at £81.00 per licence per month for ServiceNow
Pricing, plan by plan
Okta
Free- Starter Suite$6/user/month
- SSO
- MFA
- Universal Directory
- Core Essentials Suite$14/user/month
- Adaptive MFA
- Privileged Access
- Lifecycle Management
- Essentials Suite$17/user/month
- Same as Core Essentials
- Most popular
- Professional Suite$undefined/custom
- Device Access
- Identity Security Posture
- Threat Protection
ServiceNow
On request- IT Service Management$undefined/month
- Incident management
- Problem management
- Change management
- IT Operations Management$undefined/month
- Discovery
- Service mapping
- Event management
- Customer Service Management$undefined/month
- Omnichannel engagement
- Self-service
- Case management
Which should you pick?
Choose Okta if
- You need single sign-on (sso).
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, SaaS.
- You also want multi-factor authentication.
Choose ServiceNow if
- You need itsm.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want it operations.
Questions people ask
- Is Okta or ServiceNow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Okta starts at Free and ServiceNow at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Okta or ServiceNow?
- Okta has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Okta and On request for ServiceNow.
- Does Okta or ServiceNow run on more platforms?
- Okta runs on Web, SaaS. ServiceNow runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Okta for free?
- Yes. Okta has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ServiceNow starts at On request.
- What is Okta best used for?
- Okta is most often used for employee sso, customer identity, b2b integration, zero trust security. Of those, employee sso and customer identity are not what ServiceNow is typically brought in for.
- What can Okta do that ServiceNow cannot?
- Okta covers Single sign-on (SSO), Multi-factor authentication, Lifecycle management, Universal directory. ServiceNow covers ITSM, IT Operations, Customer workflows, Employee workflows. Both handle Salesforce, Slack, AWS, SOC2.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Okta: What is the minimum contract for Okta Workforce Identity?
Okta requires a $1,500 annual minimum contract for Workforce Identity plans. Pricing starts at $6 per user per month (Starter) and ranges to $17 per user per month (Essentials), billed annually.
SourceServiceNow: Does ServiceNow offer a free trial?
ServiceNow provides product trials and demos for prospects. Organizations can request a demo to see the platform capabilities for IT service management, customer service management, and business workflows.
SourceOkta: Does Okta offer a free trial?
Yes, Okta provides a 30-day free trial so customers can explore all product capabilities before committing to a paid plan.
SourceServiceNow: How is ServiceNow priced?
ServiceNow uses subscription-based pricing with custom quotes based on the number of users and modules selected. Organizations must contact ServiceNow directly to receive pricing for their specific deployment needs.
SourceOkta: How many pre-built integrations does Okta support?
Okta offers over 7,000 pre-built integrations with popular enterprise applications including Salesforce, Slack, Workday, Box, Confluence, and Zendesk.
SourceServiceNow: What implementation support does ServiceNow provide?
ServiceNow offers professional services, customer success management, and training programs to help organizations maximize value from the platform. Implementation support is available through direct services teams and certified implementation partners.
SourceOkta: What security features does Okta provide for admins?
Okta provides multi-factor authentication, adaptive MFA, single logout, and identity threat detection and response. However, only 94% of Okta customers have MFA enabled for administrators.
SourceOkta: Can Okta integrate with on-premises directories?
Yes, Okta's Universal Directory and lifecycle management support cloud and on-premises identity sources, including Active Directory and LDAP.
SourceRelated pages
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