# Cisco Duo vs Microsoft Entra ID: which do AI models recommend for MFA, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, Multi-factor authentication. Nine of fourteen models named Cisco Duo first on the direct prompt; five named Microsoft Entra ID. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/identity/multi-factor-authentication/cisco-duo-vs-microsoft-entra-id/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco Duo | 47% | #1 of 11 | 6% | 63 | 14 of 14 |
| Microsoft Entra ID | 30% | #2 of 11 | 0% | 46 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- DeepSeek V4 Flash: both first (first choices: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID) (alternatives: JumpCloud MFA)
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: JumpCloud Protect, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify)
- Perplexity Sonar: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: Okta Verify, OneLogin MFA, WorkOS)
- Grok 4.20: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: JumpCloud Protect, Microsoft Entra ID)
- Mistral Small: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo, Okta Verify) (alternatives: Microsoft Entra ID)
- Kimi K2: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: JumpCloud MFA, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify, OneLogin MFA)
- MiniMax M2.5: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: cisco duo first (first choices: Cisco Duo) (alternatives: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify, PingOne MFA, SafeNet Trusted Access, SecureAuth Arculix)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: microsoft entra id first (first choices: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta Verify)
- GPT-5.4 mini: microsoft entra id first (first choices: Microsoft Entra ID) (alternatives: Cisco Duo, Okta Verify)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: microsoft entra id first (first choices: Microsoft Entra ID) (alternatives: Cisco Duo, Okta Verify, YubiKey)
- GPT-6 Luna: microsoft entra id first (first choices: Microsoft Entra ID) (alternatives: Cisco Duo, Okta Verify)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named

## What the models said about Cisco Duo

- "Duo and Okta are established options, though their pricing is typically quote-based rather than simple low-cost self-serve pricing" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, soft negative)
- "Push notifications (e.g., "Approve login?" on apps like Duo, Microsoft Authenticator push): Susceptible to MFA fatigue/bombing" (Grok 4.20, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Only use push notification systems (like Microsoft Authenticator or Duo) if they are configured to require Number Matching" (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Best overall for mid-market B2B: Cisco Duo – MFA-first product with strong phishing-resistant auth (FIDO2/WebAuthn), device trust, and easy deployment." (MiniMax M2.5, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Duo Security (Cisco) — it offers the best balance of security, ease of deployment, user experience, and pricing for mid-sized B2B companies." (MiniMax M2.5, paraphrase prompt, first choice)
- "Choose Cisco Duo if you want best-in-class ease of deployment and user experience for core MFA with minimal IAM overhead." (Muse Glimmer 30B, direct prompt, first choice)

## What the models said about Microsoft Entra ID

- "If you're a Microsoft shop (most B2B mid-market firms are): Microsoft Entra ID MFA using Conditional Access policies — it's the most cost-effective, deeply integrated solution" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, direct prompt, first choice)
- "Tier 1 (Integrated/Free-ish): Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) or Duo (Cisco). ... sticking with Microsoft's native offering is often the path of least resistance and lowest cost." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, scale prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.