Duo Mobile vs LinOTP

Duo Mobile provides two-factor and multi-factor authentication for company and personal data on iOS and Android phones and tablets. Users can approve or deny sign-ins with Duo Push, or enter time-based passcodes generated by the app. It also supports third-party TOTP accounts, biometrics, and passcodes. Duo Restore backs up and restores Duo-protected accounts when a user changes devices, and Security Checkup provides a mobile-device security score through app notifications. For organizations, Duo connects with legacy infrastructure, custom apps, VPNs, SaaS tools, and offline devices. Integration methods include RADIUS, SAML/OIDC, Duo Authentication Proxy, and direct API connections. Adaptive policies can consider user role, location, application, network, and device health. Duo says it keeps private keys on users’ devices in a tamper-proof secure element and does not store passwords. The free plan covers 10 users; paid plans start at $3.00 per month, and a 30-day trial is listed. End users needing enrollment or troubleshooting help are directed to their organization’s Duo administrator.

LinOTP is an open-source platform for multi-factor authentication, aimed at protecting digital identities and transactions. It supports factors including HOTP, TOTP, mOTP, OCRA, SMS and email codes, push, QR, YubiKey, FIDO U2F, WebAuthn, and other hardware tokens. Listed protocols include SAML, OIDC, ADFS, and RADIUS; app integration methods also include HTTP/JSON API, PAM, OpenVPN, SSH, Apache, and WordPress. LinOTP connects to Active Directory, LDAP, and SQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and DB2. A self-service portal lets users register, manage, and reset tokens, while hardware tokens can be resynchronized automatically. The maker describes offline authentication for Windows users without a permanent internet connection. Deployment options include a virtual appliance and containers for Kubernetes and other orchestration platforms. The maker says it can serve small installations through enterprises with thousands of users and distributed setups. The open-source software is listed at free under AGPLv3 and GPLv2; a demo license is also listed at free. LinOTP 3 packages are listed for Debian 10 Buster; RPM packages are currently available only for LinOTP 2.