Federation / SSO · Head-to-head
Okta vs AWS IAM Identity Center — federation comparison
Okta is general-purpose workforce IdP; AWS IAM Identity Center is AWS-native federation.
Verdict
Okta is a general-purpose workforce IdP federating across all SaaS + cloud. AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) is AWS-native federation purpose-built for multi-account AWS access. Most organizations use Okta as the IdP and federate to AWS IAM Identity Center for AWS console + CLI access. The two are complementary, not competitive.
When Okta wins
- General-purpose workforce IdP across all SaaS
- Multi-cloud (AWS + Azure + GCP + SaaS)
- Broad integration catalog needed
- Workforce IdP standardization
When AWS IAM Identity Center wins
- AWS-only environment
- Multi-account AWS console + CLI access
- Bundled with AWS account
- Direct AWS IAM role integration
Capability matrix
| Capability | Okta | AWS IAM Identity Center | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| General workforce IdP | ✓ | ~ | |
| AWS console + CLI access | ~ | ✓ | |
| Multi-account AWS | ~ | ✓ | |
| Non-AWS SaaS integration | ✓ | ~ | |
| Cost | ~ | ✓ | AWS IAM Identity Center free |
Pricing posture
Okta workforce pricing. AWS IAM Identity Center free with AWS.
Frequently asked
- Should we use both?
- Often yes — Okta as the IdP, federating into AWS IAM Identity Center for AWS console + CLI.
- AWS-only environment without Okta?
- AWS IAM Identity Center can be the IdP. Limited if you need non-AWS SaaS integration.
- SCIM provisioning to AWS?
- Okta has native SCIM provisioning to AWS IAM Identity Center for user / group sync.
Vendor profiles