Cybersecurity · head to head
Ping Identity vs Splunk Enterprise Security
Ping Identity
Cybersecurity
Enterprise identity for workforce and customers, with a 5,000 user floor
- From
- $3/month
- Rated
- -
Splunk Enterprise Security
Cybersecurity
The platform for operational intelligence
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Ping Identity workforce pricing carries a 5,000 user annual minimum, so an organisation with 800 staff pays for 5,000 and the effective per user cost is over six times the list rate.; Splunk Enterprise Security splunk Enterprise Security is licensed separately from the Splunk platform, so a SIEM deployment needs both
- They diverge on capability: Ping Identity covers Single sign-on, Splunk Enterprise Security covers Security monitoring.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Ping Identity and Splunk Enterprise Security actually diverge.
| Attribute | Ping Identity | Splunk Enterprise Security |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $3/month | On request |
| Pricing model | Per user per month | subscription |
| Platforms | Web, Linux, Windows | Web, Api |
| Founded | Unknown | 2003 |
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Ping Identity
- Single sign-on
- Adaptive MFA
- Identity orchestration
- API access management
- Directory services
- Flexible deployment
- ForgeRock capabilities
Only in Splunk Enterprise Security
- Security monitoring
- Incident review
- Risk-based alerting
- Threat intelligence
- Investigation workbench
- MITRE ATT&CK mapping
- Automated response
- Compliance reporting
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Ping Identity
- A bank that must keep identity data on premises in one country while running SaaS identity elsewherenot Splunk Enterprise Security
- An airline or telco with tens of millions of customer identities needing a directory that holds that scalenot Splunk Enterprise Security
- An enterprise assembling authentication journeys that call several external verification and risk vendorsnot Splunk Enterprise Security
- An existing ForgeRock customer deciding what its upgrade path looks like under Ping ownershipnot Splunk Enterprise Security
Splunk Enterprise Security
- Running a security operations centre on Splunk indexed log datanot Ping Identity
- Correlation searches, risk based alerting and incident investigationnot Ping Identity
- Compliance reporting from pooled security telemetrynot Ping Identity
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Ping Identity
- Workforce pricing carries a 5,000 user annual minimum, so an organisation with 800 staff pays for 5,000 and the effective per user cost is over six times the list rate.
- Adaptive multi-factor authentication is in the Plus tier only, doubling the per user price for a capability many buyers assume is standard in a modern identity platform.
- ForgeRock no longer exists as an independent product, so customers who chose it specifically to avoid Ping now face a roadmap set by the vendor they did not pick.
- Thoma Bravo ownership across both merged companies means the commercial priority is margin, and buyers report firmer renewal negotiations than they saw before 2022.
- The portfolio has overlapping components from three product lineages, so scoping a deployment requires vendor architects and the licensing conversation is more complicated than the price list implies.
Splunk Enterprise Security
- Splunk Enterprise Security is licensed separately from the Splunk platform, so a SIEM deployment needs both
- Splunk publishes no rate for Enterprise Security and directs buyers to contact a pricing expert
- UEBA, SOAR and automated threat analysis require the Premier edition rather than Essentials
- The platform underneath can be billed by ingest volume, workload or activity, so the total cost depends on a pricing model chosen at contract time rather than a list price
Pricing, plan by plan
Ping Identity
$3/month- PingOne for Workforce Essential$3/month
- Minimum 5,000 users billed annually
- Single sign-on and directory services
- OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML and SCIM
- PingOne for Workforce Plus$6/month
- Minimum 5,000 users billed annually
- Everything in Essential
- Adaptive multi-factor authentication
- PingOne for Customers Essential$35000/year
- Flat annual fee
- No-code identity orchestration
- Unified customer profiles
- PingOne for Customers Plus$50000/year
- Flat annual fee
- Everything in Essential
- Adaptive MFA and device management
Splunk Enterprise Security
On request- Workload PricingFree
- Pay per compute
- Flexible scaling
- All features
- Ingest PricingFree
- Pay per GB ingested
- Predictable costs
- All features
- Entity PricingFree
- Pay per monitored entity
- Security focused
- All features
Which should you pick?
Choose Ping Identity if
- You need single sign-on.
- You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
- You also want adaptive mfa.
Choose Splunk Enterprise Security if
- You need security monitoring.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want incident review.
Questions people ask
- Is Ping Identity or Splunk Enterprise Security better?
- Neither clearly leads. Ping Identity starts at $3/month and Splunk Enterprise Security at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Ping Identity or Splunk Enterprise Security?
- Ping Identity starts at $3/month and Splunk Enterprise Security at On request.
- Does Ping Identity or Splunk Enterprise Security run on more platforms?
- Ping Identity runs on Web, Linux, Windows. Splunk Enterprise Security runs on Web, Api.
- What is Ping Identity best used for?
- Ping Identity is most often used for a bank that must keep identity data on premises in one country while running saas identity elsewhere, an airline or telco with tens of millions of customer identities needing a directory that holds that scale, an enterprise assembling authentication journeys that call several external verification and risk vendors, an existing forgerock customer deciding what its upgrade path looks like under ping ownership. Of those, a bank that must keep identity data on premises in one country while running saas identity elsewhere and an airline or telco with tens of millions of customer identities needing a directory that holds that scale are not what Splunk Enterprise Security is typically brought in for.
- What can Ping Identity do that Splunk Enterprise Security cannot?
- Ping Identity covers Single sign-on, Adaptive MFA, Identity orchestration, API access management. Splunk Enterprise Security covers Security monitoring, Incident review, Risk-based alerting, Threat intelligence.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Ping Identity: Can I still buy ForgeRock?
Not as a separate product. Ping acquired ForgeRock in 2023 and the capabilities are sold within the Ping portfolio. Existing customers should ask about the specific migration path for their components.
Splunk Enterprise Security: How much does Splunk Enterprise Security cost?
Splunk Enterprise Security pricing is not published. The product is available in Essentials Edition with threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities, and Premier Edition with UEBA, SOAR, and Automated Threat Analysis. Customers must contact Splunk sales for pricing quotes on either edition.
SourcePing Identity: What is the real minimum spend?
PingOne for Workforce Essential is 3 USD per user per month with a 5,000 user annual minimum, so roughly 180,000 USD a year before anything else.
Splunk Enterprise Security: What editions of Splunk Enterprise Security are available?
Splunk Enterprise Security offers Essentials Edition with threat detection, investigation, and response capabilities, and Premier Edition which adds UEBA (User and Entity Behavior Analytics), SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation and Response), and Automated Threat Analysis.
SourcePing Identity: Is MFA included?
Basic authentication policies are in Essential. Adaptive MFA and passwordless require the Plus tier at 6 USD per user per month.
Related pages
More on Ping Identity
More on Splunk Enterprise Security
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