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Cybersecurity · head to head

Ping Identity vs Yarn

Ping Identity logo

Ping Identity

Cybersecurity

Enterprise identity for workforce and customers, with a 5,000 user floor

From
$3/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Yarn logo

Yarn

Developer Tools

Fast, reliable, and secure dependency management

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Yarn has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Yarn yarn 2+ (Berry) has limited ESM support which can be a constraint for some projects
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ping Identity and Yarn actually diverge.

Attributes where Ping Identity and Yarn differ
AttributePing IdentityYarn
Starting price$3/monthFree
Pricing modelPer user per monthfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Linux, WindowsWeb, Linux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools
FoundedUnknown2016

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 Ping Identity

  • Single sign-on
  • Adaptive MFA
  • Identity orchestration
  • API access management
  • Directory services
  • Flexible deployment
  • ForgeRock capabilities

Only in Yarn

Nothing recorded that Ping Identity does not also cover.

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 Yarn
  • An airline or telco with tens of millions of customer identities needing a directory that holds that scalenot Yarn
  • An enterprise assembling authentication journeys that call several external verification and risk vendorsnot Yarn
  • An existing ForgeRock customer deciding what its upgrade path looks like under Ping ownershipnot Yarn

Yarn

  • Monorepo teams managing dependencies across 50+ interdependent packagesnot Ping Identity
  • Enterprise JavaScript projects ensuring reproducible builds across CI/CDnot Ping Identity
  • Open-source projects with plugin ecosystems coordinating versionsnot Ping Identity
  • Teams requiring consistent package installs regardless of network conditionsnot 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.

Yarn

  • Yarn 2+ (Berry) has limited ESM support which can be a constraint for some projects
  • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to npm, though still substantial

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

Yarn

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Yarn review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Ping Identity if

  • You need single sign-on.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want adaptive mfa.
Ping Identity review

Choose Yarn if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
Yarn review

Questions people ask

Is Ping Identity or Yarn better?
Neither clearly leads. Ping Identity starts at $3/month and Yarn at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ping Identity or Yarn?
Yarn has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $3/month for Ping Identity and Free for Yarn.
Does Ping Identity or Yarn run on more platforms?
Ping Identity runs on Web, Linux, Windows. Yarn runs on Web, Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Yarn for free?
Yes. Yarn has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ping Identity starts at $3/month.
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 Yarn is typically brought in for.
What can Ping Identity do that Yarn cannot?
Ping Identity covers Single sign-on, Adaptive MFA, Identity orchestration, API access management.

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.

Yarn: What is Yarn's main advantage over npm?

Yarn downloads packages in parallel, significantly reducing installation time. It uses a yarn.lock file for deterministic installs, ensuring identical package versions across machines and preventing version conflicts common with npm.

Source
Ping 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.

Yarn: Can I use Yarn in offline environments?

Yes, Yarn supports secure offline environments. The yarn.lock file enables reproducible installs without requiring new downloads.

Source
Ping 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.

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