# Multi-factor authentication: what AI models recommend, September 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition. Asked as "MFA solution" and as "multi-factor authentication tool", six framings each, to twelve models with search on, on behalf of a mid-market B2B company. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/identity/multi-factor-authentication/

**Standing:** Cisco Duo leads with 42% of first choices; verdict clear leader. 53 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| # | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco Duo | 42% | 2% | 60 |
| 2 | Microsoft Entra ID | 30% | 2% | 49 |
| 3 | Okta | 9% | 12% | 49 |
| 4 | Microsoft Authenticator | 6% | 6% | 18 |
| 5 | Google Authenticator | 4% | 32% | 22 |
| 6 | Ping Identity | 2% | 13% | 15 |
| 7 | Authy | 2% | 25% | 16 |
| 8 | YubiKey | 0% | 0% | 29 |
| 9 | RSA SecurID | 0% | 17% | 12 |

## Each model's first choice on the direct prompt

- Claude Haiku 4.5: no first choice
- GPT-5.4 mini: Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives Cisco Duo
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Cisco Duo; alternatives Clerk, Datawiza, Descope, Kinde
- Perplexity Sonar: Cisco Duo; alternatives Descope, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta, WorkOS
- Grok 4.1 Fast: Cisco Duo; alternatives Microsoft Entra ID, Okta
- Mistral Small: Okta; alternatives Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Cisco Duo; alternatives Microsoft Entra ID, Okta
- Llama 4 Maverick: Cisco Duo, Okta; alternatives Microsoft Entra ID
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: Microsoft Entra ID, Okta; alternatives Cisco Duo
- Kimi K2: Cisco Duo; alternatives JumpCloud, Microsoft Entra ID, Okta
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID
- MiniMax M2.5: Okta; alternatives Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID, Rippling

## Sources the answers cite

61 of 72 answers came back with a source list, from 12 of 12 models. Sites named in the most answers:

- rippling.com: 29 answers, 32 citations
- expertinsights.com: 25 answers, 25 citations
- techrepublic.com: 23 answers, 24 citations
- encomputers.com: 19 answers, 19 citations
- miniorange.com: 18 answers, 19 citations
- plivo.com: 15 answers, 15 citations
- startwithidentity.com: 14 answers, 22 citations
- g2.com: 14 answers, 17 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://rippling.com/blog/mfa-providers (26 answers)
- https://expertinsights.com/identity-and-access-management/the-top-multi-factor-authentication-mfa-solutions-for-business (25 answers)
- https://techrepublic.com/article/best-multi-factor-authentication-solutions (23 answers)
- https://encomputers.com/2024/05/best-multi-factor-authentication-small-businesses (19 answers)
- https://plivo.com/blog/best-multi-factor-authentication-solutions-for-business (15 answers)
- https://miniorange.com/blog/mfa-providers (12 answers)
- https://decryptiondigest.com/blog/enterprise-mfa-platform-comparison-2026-duo-okta-microsoft-ping-rsa (11 answers)
- https://startwithidentity.com/rankings/best-mfa-for-enterprises (10 answers)
- https://authx.com/blog/best-mfa-solutions (9 answers)
- https://g2.com/discussions/what-is-the-most-affordable-mfa-solution-for-smbs (9 answers)

## Warned against

- Google Authenticator: 7 of 22 labels negative. "Applications like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator generate 6-digit codes ... they are vulnerable to Adversary-in-the-Middle (AiTM) phishing." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, negative prompt)
- Okta: 6 of 49 labels negative. "Cons: It is expensive, and sales negotiations/licensing can feel heavy for companies on the smaller end of the mid-market spectrum." (Gemini 3.5 Flash, direct prompt)
- Authy: 4 of 16 labels negative. "Be Cautious With: Authy (and similar Cloud-Backed Apps)... Authy’s master encryption key had been compromised." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt)
- 1Password: 2 of 2 labels negative. "Use With Caution: Built-in MFA in Password Managers ... (Bitwarden, 1Password, Dashlane)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt)

## Record

- Method: https://it-ai-index.com/methodology/
- Raw judge labels and full responses: https://it-ai-index.com/data/
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as IT AI Recommendation Index, September 2026 Edition, it-ai-index.com.