# Multi-factor authentication for small business buyers: 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 small B2B company. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/identity/multi-factor-authentication/smb/

**Standing:** Cisco Duo leads with 45% of first choices; verdict clear leader. 60 first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts.

## First-choice share

| # | Product | Share | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco Duo | 45% | 5% | 61 |
| 2 | Microsoft Entra ID | 28% | 2% | 44 |
| 3 | Microsoft Authenticator | 7% | 22% | 18 |
| 4 | Google Authenticator | 5% | 16% | 25 |
| 5 | Google Workspace 2-Step Verification | 3% | 8% | 13 |
| 6 | Okta | 2% | 28% | 32 |
| 7 | Authy | 2% | 19% | 16 |
| 8 | YubiKey | 0% | 9% | 22 |
| 9 | JumpCloud Protect | 0% | 0% | 10 |
| 10 | JumpCloud | 0% | 0% | 10 |
| 11 | Auth0 | 0% | 23% | 13 |

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

- Claude Haiku 4.5: Cisco Duo; alternatives Google Workspace 2-Step Verification, Microsoft Entra ID
- GPT-5.4 mini: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives FIDO2 security keys, Windows Hello
- Gemini 3.5 Flash: Cisco Duo; alternatives Clerk, Google Workspace 2-Step Verification, Microsoft Entra ID, WorkOS
- Perplexity Sonar: Cisco Duo; alternatives JumpCloud Protect, Microsoft Entra ID
- Grok 4.1 Fast: Cisco Duo; alternatives Microsoft Entra ID, Okta
- Mistral Small: Cisco Duo; alternatives JumpCloud Protect, LastPass MFA
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives Okta
- Llama 4 Maverick: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives Auth0, Google Cloud Identity
- Kimi K2: Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives Cisco Duo, JumpCloud Protect, Okta
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives LastPass, Okta, Rippling
- MiniMax M2.5: Cisco Duo, Microsoft Entra ID; alternatives Okta

## 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:

- encomputers.com: 32 answers, 32 citations
- techrepublic.com: 31 answers, 34 citations
- rippling.com: 28 answers, 28 citations
- duo.com: 27 answers, 30 citations
- okta.com: 22 answers, 33 citations
- miniorange.com: 20 answers, 24 citations
- g2.com: 18 answers, 22 citations
- cofes.com: 17 answers, 17 citations

Pages named in the most answers:

- https://encomputers.com/2024/05/best-multi-factor-authentication-small-businesses (32 answers)
- https://techrepublic.com/article/best-multi-factor-authentication-solutions (30 answers)
- https://rippling.com/blog/mfa-providers (25 answers)
- https://okta.com/blog/identity-security/how-to-choose-the-right-mfa-for-your-small-business-0 (18 answers)
- https://cofes.com/mfa-solutions (17 answers)
- https://expertinsights.com/identity-and-access-management/the-top-multi-factor-authentication-mfa-solutions-for-business (17 answers)
- https://plivo.com/blog/best-multi-factor-authentication-solutions-for-business (15 answers)
- https://securityboulevard.com/2025/12/10-best-multi-factor-authentication-tools-2025 (14 answers)
- https://miniorange.com/blog/cost-effective-mfa-for-small-business (12 answers)
- https://duo.com/solutions/small-to-medium-business (10 answers)

## Warned against

- Okta: 9 of 32 labels negative. "No free tier for small businesses; Minimum commitment is 1,500 users for the lowest tier; Overkill for most small companies" (GLM 4.7 FlashX, budget prompt)
- Cisco Duo: 3 of 61 labels negative. "Third-party Identity Providers (like Okta, Duo, or Azure AD P1/P2) can carry "punishing licensing fees"" (Kimi K2, negative prompt)
- Google Authenticator: 4 of 25 labels negative. "Be Cautious With: Standard Authenticator Apps (TOTP) for Admins Using apps like Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator (in standard mode)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt)
- Microsoft Authenticator: 4 of 18 labels negative. "Push Notifications (e.g., simple "Approve/Deny" prompts from apps like Microsoft Authenticator) (Use cautiously; prefer enhanced versions)" (Grok 4.1 Fast, 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.