Identity governance is a crucial part of managing security and compliance in modern IT environments. As organizations increasingly adopt cloud solutions, finding the right tool to manage user access and enforce security policies has become a priority.

While Okta Identity Governance (OIG) is a well-known option for governing identities and access, it's not always the optimal choice for every business. Depending on your needs, budget, or technical setup, there are several strong alternatives that might be a better fit for your organization. 

In this article, we'll explore:

• Top reasons IT managers consider Okta alternatives

• How to choose the best identity governance solution for your business

• The 5 top alternatives to Okta IGA

What is identity governance and administration?

Identity governance and administration (IGA) is the combination of two critical functions: identity lifecycle management and access governance. It ensures the right people have the right access to the right resources at the right time.

Typical identity governance functionalities include:

• Employee onboarding and offboarding

• User account provisioning and deprovisioning

• Access request and approval workflows

• User self-service tools for resetting passwords or requesting access

• Regular access reviews

• Analytics and reporting for security monitoring and compliance.

Importance of IG in modern IT environments

Implementing an identity governance and administration (IGA) solution offers multiple benefits to organizations, particularly as IT environments grow more complex.

• Enhanced security: IGA ensures that only authorized individuals can access critical systems and data.

• Improved compliance: For organizations that need to adhere to strict standards like ISO27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and SOX, IGA solutions streamline compliance by automating access controls, enforcing security policies, and providing audit trails.

• Increased efficiency: Automating identity and access management processes saves valuable time and reduces the burden on IT teams. IGA tools often integrate with business systems, such as HRIS, to simplify tasks like employee onboarding and access provisioning and deprovisioning.

• Better user experience: With self-service features for tasks like access requests, IGA improves the overall user experience by reducing dependency on IT support and speeding up workflows.

Understanding Okta IG – and why to consider alternatives

Okta Identity Governance (OIG) is a part of Okta’s suite of products that enables businesses to centrally manage user permissions, automate access requests, and ensure compliance with security standards. It’s a great solution if you're already an Okta customer and you have the budget for it.

If you use Google or Microsoft as your identity provider, you’re better off exploring other alternatives.

Other reasons to consider Okta alternatives include:

• Cost: Okta’s pricing can be prohibitive, especially for startups and SMBs. You’ll face extra costs for SCIM support when connecting your SaaS vendors to Okta for tasks like automations and access provisioning (SSO tax).

• Security concerns: Okta has been breached twice in the recent past, exposing its customers’ authentication information.

• Setup and usability challenges: Setting up Okta IG in your environment is a complex task that usually requires close collaboration with their engineers. Moreover, some IT admins find Okta’s interface and workflows less intuitive than other comparable identity governance solutions.

• Freedom of choice: It’s always great to know what other tools are available in the market, so you can make an informed decision on the one that best addresses your needs.

Factors to consider when choosing the best IGA solution

When evaluating identity governance solutions, make sure to choose one that aligns with your organization’s needs. Here are the key factors to consider:

• Features and functionality: Every identity governance tool is designed to solve specific challenges. Consider the unique features each solution offers — such as access reviews, user provisioning, or automation — and how they address your organization’s pain points.

• Integration capabilities: A strong IGA solution should seamlessly integrate with your critical business systems. Make sure the solution you choose works with everything from  cloud services to HRIS tools, to support all the platforms your business relies on — ensuring smooth workflows across your organization.

• Cost and pricing: Ensure the tool fits your budget — not just upfront, but in the long term. Hidden costs, such as the SSO tax, can significantly impact your total investment.

• Ease of implementation and use: The ease of setting up and using an IGA tool is crucial. Does the solution require additional IT team members or specialized skills for implementation? How intuitive is the interface for non-technical users? A user-friendly tool can reduce onboarding time and increase efficiency.

• Support: When issues arise, accessible and responsive support is critical. A community of users who can share experiences and solutions is a bonus.

Top alternatives to Okta Identity Governance

AccessOwl - for startups and SMBs

AccessOwl is an easy-to-use tool that ticks all the identity governance boxes without the common downsides of similar platforms. For instance, it supports automated user provisioning and deprovisioning. But unlike the other alternatives on this list, it doesn’t rely on SAML and SCIM. This distinction alone will help you save thousands of dollars in extra costs, as most SaaS vendors require you to upgrade to their enterprise plans to access SAML and SCIM APIs (i.e., the SSO tax).

The freedom from SAML/SCIM dependencies also makes AccessOwl very easy to implement. It doesn’t require a dedicated IT team and fits into your business without requiring a major overhaul of your current processes.

Moreover, if you’re a Google Workspace business, AccessOwl is the perfect way to enjoy full identity and access management capabilities without having to switch to your SSO provider — which is expensive and complex to set up. Google takes care of the identity part, while AccessOwl takes care of user account and access management.

Integrations

In addition to integrating with Google Workspace, AccessOwl also integrates with Okta and Microsoft IdPs. You can use it to ensure Okta admin roles are requested by, approved for, and assigned to authorized users only when access is needed. This IG tool is also compatible with over 70 HRIS platforms and integrates directly with hundreds of top SaaS tools like Notion, Jira, Asana, and more.

Access request and approval workflows

AccessOwl allows users to initiate access requests directly from Slack, by choosing the app they need, selecting the required permissions, then waiting for the designated approver to process the request. No need for support tickets or back-and-forth emails that can often be missed.

Access reviews and compliance

The tool keeps a full audit trail of access requests and approvals — which is crucial for compliance with various standards, including SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and SOX.

AccessOwl also acts as your single source of truth, letting you extract user lists and access information for all your SaaS tools — regardless of which API access is available. This significantly trims the time and effort it takes to perform access reviews.

Additional features

AccessOwl also comes with additional functionalities, including shadow IT discovery, SaaS vendor management, and spend management. It helps you save on business costs by identifying unused licenses.

Support

With AccessOwl, you get 24/7 support via a dedicated Slack Connect channel with extremely quick responses. You won’t have to wait days for customer support to process your ticket.

Book a demo today.

Pros

• Self-service access requests

• Doesn’t require a dedicated or specialized IT team

• Includes shadow IT discovery, vendor and spend management

• 200+ Integrations out-of-the-box (without requiring SCIM or SAML)

• Available through Slack, for easy usability

Cons

• Mostly suited for startups and SMBs

• Cloud only

EntraID - for Microsoft-reliant businesses

Microsoft Entra ID is an identity governance solution built to integrate deeply within the Microsoft ecosystem. This makes it a natural choice for organizations already relying on services like Azure Active Directory, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365.

Entra ID extends Microsoft’s identity management capabilities, offering automated user lifecycle management, access reviews, and end-user self-service capabilities.

EntraID is less appealing to organizations that don’t heavily utilize the Microsoft ecosystem. While it supports integration with third-party apps through OpenID, SAML, SCIM, and other standards, it requires an experienced IT admin to set up and maintain these external integrations. 

Even if you’re mostly using Microsoft services, EntraID has its downsides. For example, it supports only group-based access controls and reviews. Also, it lacks advanced governance capabilities designed specifically to help with SOC, SOX, HIPAA, or other compliance — such as request and approval processes. 

On the upside, Microsoft provides extensive support resources for EntraID, including direct customer support, comprehensive documentation, and a large user community.

Pros

• Seamless integration with other Microsoft products

• Great community of users

Cons

• Difficult to set up and maintain

• Extra work when integrating with non-Microsoft products

• Doesn’t support self-service access requests

• Limited compliance reporting

ConductorOne - for Okta IdP customers

ConductorOne is a great IGA solution if you want complete visibility into who has access to which resources, both on the cloud and on-prem. It stands out for its emphasis on automated access reviews, making it a great fit for organizations that need to regularly audit and control access across diverse infrastructures. 

For organizations that already use Okta as their identity provider but haven’t adopted Okta Identity Governance, ConductorOne serves as an excellent alternative. It integrates seamlessly with Okta, allowing businesses to retain their existing SSO and authentication setup while enhancing their identity governance capabilities.

ConductorOne handles just-in-time provisioning, ensuring that users receive access only when necessary, and it supports self-service access requests, enabling users to manage their permissions without burdening IT teams.

It's accessible through Slack, making the process of requesting, approving, and revoking access straightforward and fast.

Pros

• Works great with Okta IdP

• Great access review automation

• Available through Slack

Cons

• Mostly relies on SAML/SCIM, which is complex and costly to set up

Lumos - for Okta IdP customers

Lumos is another great IGA tool you can use for identity governance if you’re already using Okta as an identity provider. It syncs with your organization’s Okta groups to provide you with the controls you need to govern access to them.

The tool also comes with spend management capabilities that allow businesses to view their current software spend, identify unused licenses, and get insight into potential cost savings.

Some notable integrations supported by Lumos include Okta, Google, ServiceNow, and Zendesk.

On the downside, Lumos – like most other tools – relies on SAML and SCIM for provisioning and deprovisioning, which translates to increased costs and implementation complexities.

Pros

• Works great with Okta IdP

• Well integrated with many enterprise tools

• Offers app spend management

Cons

• Mostly relies on Okta for provisioning

Sailpoint - for large enterprises

SailPoint IdentityIQ is one of the most established names in identity governance and administration, and it's known for its high degree of customization. This makes it ideal for organizations with complex requirements, where out-of-the-box solutions may not be adequate.

SailPoint offers extensive flexibility, allowing businesses to tailor workflows and rules to fit unique access needs. For instance, if your company requires a user access request form before assigning a role — or if specific entitlement rules block a user from receiving conflicting permissions — SailPoint can easily handle those intricate setups.

However, this level of customization comes with a trade-off. While SailPoint is powerful, its complexity can make it feel overwhelming, especially for those who don’t need such an advanced tool. As some users have put it, using SailPoint can feel like driving a tank when all you need is a sleek sports car.

The sheer number of options and configurations can be daunting to navigate, especially for businesses with simpler identity governance needs. That said, for organizations that must meet rigorous compliance standards, such as those subject to SOX audits, SailPoint’s robust feature set is a major asset.

The IG tool can be deployed on-premise or in the cloud, and — thanks to its well-established user community — you have a place to ask questions, connect with other professionals, and find solutions to your problems.

Pros

• Established brand

• Supports high levels of customization

• Great community of users

Cons

• Expensive

• Steep learning curve

Conclusion

There you go — five Okta IGA alternatives for you to look at. Which one stood out for you? Did I hear you say AccessOwl?

Any biases aside, it’s the perfect solution if you’re a startup or SMB. AccessOwl offers all the identity governance capabilities you need without the hassle (and costs) associated with other solutions. A while ago, SAML and SCIM were the best available options for automating identity and access management. But these are expensive and complex to set up.

Where does that leave smaller companies that also have security and compliance considerations? That’s where AccessOwl comes in. An inexpensive, lightweight solution that will only continue to get better.

And if AccessOwl isn’t right for you, you still have four other great solutions to choose from.