Corma versus Okta
Looking for a more holistic alternative to Okta? Okta is the identity provider. Corma governs what happens after login — which apps exist, who has access and what they cost — and plugs into Okta, Google or Microsoft rather than replacing them.
SaaS and license governance on top of your identity provider. Access, compliance, and spend.
The enterprise identity provider. Single sign-on, adaptive MFA, and lifecycle at scale.
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Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management provider headquartered in San Francisco, offering single sign-on, adaptive multi-factor authentication and more than 7,400 integrations for a global customer base.
Mid-size and large enterprises
2009 by Todd McKinnon and Frederic Kerrest in San Francisco
Looking for an Okta alternative, or wondering whether Corma and Okta solve the same problem at all? This comparison breaks down where the two overlap and where they do not, across single sign-on, user lifecycle management, access reviews, SaaS discovery, shadow IT, license optimization, contract management and total cost.
Okta is the identity provider. It authenticates your workforce, enforces multi-factor authentication and provisions accounts through SCIM, and it is built for enterprises with the budget and the staff to run it. Corma works one layer above: it connects to the identity provider you already have, whether that is Okta, Google Workspace or Microsoft Entra, and governs what happens after login. Which applications exist, who holds access to them, which licenses nobody uses, when contracts renew and what evidence an auditor gets to see.
The comparison also covers the part of an Okta deployment that does not appear on Okta's invoice: the SSO tax that application vendors charge for SCIM and automated provisioning on their enterprise plans, and what it means for a mid-market IT budget.
Read the full Corma versus Okta comparison to see which platform fits your team, and where running both together makes more sense than choosing one.
The Comparison
If your organization has the budget and the IT resources, Okta is a strong choice for managing identity at scale. If you want most of the same outcome without that overhead, pairing the SSO you already have with Corma gets you there for a fraction of the cost. And Corma integrates with Okta, so the two can also run side by side.
Sits on top of your identity provider and governs what comes after login: apps, access, licenses and cost.
The identity provider itself: single sign-on, adaptive MFA and a directory for the whole workforce.
No SSO of its own — connects natively to Google, Microsoft and Okta, whichever you already run.
Robust single sign-on with adaptive MFA across more than 7,400 integrations.
Automated onboarding and offboarding across connected apps, included in every plan.
Advanced lifecycle management, sold as a separate module on top of the base suite.
Built-in review campaigns with exportable evidence for ISO 27001, SOC 2 and NIS2.
Access certifications through Okta Identity Governance, priced as a separate add-on.
Identity provider, finance data and browser extension — including apps that never touch SSO or a card.
Identity Security Posture Management discovers SaaS use and accounts outside Okta, agentless, as a separately licensed product.
Ungoverned tools surface together with the accounts behind them, so you can revoke access, not just report it.
Agent Discovery in ISPM surfaces shadow AI from OAuth consents and browser signals; no spend-side discovery.
Unused licenses surface from access data and can be revoked or canceled in one click.
Not part of the solution; left to SaaS management platforms that integrate with Okta.
Renewal dates, notice periods and spend forecasts in one view.
Not part of the solution.
Connected in minutes and productive within days, without a dedicated identity engineer.
Built for scale, and it takes an IT team or a dedicated IT manager to run it.
Free tier, then per-user plans — you can start without talking to sales.
Workforce suites from $6 to $17 per user per month, billed annually, with a $1,500 annual minimum.
Agent-driven connectors reach apps whose SCIM sits behind the vendor's enterprise tier.
SCIM provisioning depends on each vendor's plan, so the SSO tax lands on top of the Okta bill.
Growing IT teams and mid-market organizations, roughly 50 to 5,000 employees.
Mid-size and large enterprises.
IT, Security and Compliance.
IT and Security at enterprise scale.
Which platform fits your team?
Corma is best for
Teams already running Google or Microsoft SSO that want governance on top
IT, security and compliance teams that have to prove who has access to what
Estates with apps whose SCIM sits behind the vendor's enterprise tier
Mid-market companies without a dedicated identity engineer
Okta is best for
Organizations that need an identity provider with adaptive MFA at scale
Complex access policies across many directories and thousands of integrations
Enterprises with the budget and a dedicated identity owner to run it
Stacks where privileged access and identity threat protection belong in one layer
The hidden cost of Okta
Okta supports automated SCIM provisioning across a wide range of applications, so accounts are created and deactivated without manual work. The catch sits with the application vendors rather than with Okta: many of them put SCIM and other automated features behind their own enterprise plan. That surcharge is known as the SSO tax, and it never appears on Okta's invoice.
For a mid-sized company that surcharge can run into thousands of euros a month, on top of an Okta subscription that starts at $6 per user per month for the Starter suite and $17 for Essentials, billed annually with a $1,500 annual minimum, with identity governance priced as a further add-on. Corma reaches those same applications through agent-driven connectors that operate the vendor's own admin interface when no affordable API exists. Your stack does not have to be upgraded in order to be automated.
Setup at a glance
Live in minutes, productive within days to weeks
Rollout measured in weeks to months, often with an implementation partner
Connects to your existing identity provider and HR system
Directory integration, app assignments and MFA factors configured
RBAC policies and approval workflows configured
SCIM connectors enabled per app, where the vendor's plan includes them
Ongoing maintenance mostly automated by the platform
Lifecycle management and identity governance licensed as separate modules
User training focused on self-service access requests
Ongoing administration by a dedicated identity owner
Why IT teams rely on Corma
Automation
employees onboarded and offboarded automatically
Time spent
spent less with Corma per week for management
Cost Efficiency
saved monthly by optimizing SaaS licenses
Shadow IT
to detect Shadow IT applications
What IT teams say about Corma
“Corma is very useful and user friendly. It helps us save money and prevent potential security threats.”
Chief Operating Officer, Media
“I like how it’s very easy to see all the apps that have been accessed by our employees.”
Chief Engineering Officer, Healthcare and Biotech
“I think Corma is a really great app that has lots to offer and working with them has been great.”
IT & Security Administrator, Software
Okta or Corma, or both?
Okta is the identity layer. Corma is the governance layer on top of it: which apps exist, who has access, what they cost and what an auditor gets to see. If you already run Okta, Corma plugs into it. If you run Google or Microsoft SSO, Corma gets you most of the same outcome without the enterprise overhead. A demo on your own stack settles it fastest.
Book a demoCan Corma integrate with identity providers like Okta, Google Workspace, and Active Directory?
Yes. Corma integrates seamlessly with major identity and access management platforms like Okta, Google Workspace, Azure AD, and more to enforce role-based access controls and automate provisioning.
How does Corma handle user access requests?
Corma turns access requests into automated self-service workflows. Employees request access in one click, approvals are routed and tracked, access is provisioned automatically, and every step is logged for security and compliance.
How does Corma's SaaS management platform work?
Corma discovers every SaaS app through integrations, browser signals and financial data, then centralizes licenses, costs and access. From one dashboard you can reclaim unused licenses, prevent Shadow IT and automate access management.
What is the difference between SaaS management and SaaS spend management?
SaaS management is the broad discipline of governing all your apps, access and usage, while SaaS spend management focuses specifically on the financial side, tracking and reducing software costs. Corma covers both in one platform.
