Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cisco Duo
Score 9.4 out of 10
N/A
Cisco Duo is a two-factor authentication system (2FA), acquired by Cisco in October 2018. It provides single sign-on (SSO) and endpoint visibility, as well as access controls and policy controlled adaptive authentication.
$3
per month per user
Google Authenticator
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
Google Authenticator is a mobile authentication app.N/A
Wondershare PDFelement
Score 5.0 out of 10
N/A
PDFelement is a document management solution from Wondershare Software headquartered in China.
$79.99
per year per user
Pricing
Cisco DuoGoogle AuthenticatorWondershare PDFelement
Editions & Modules
Duo Essentials
$3
per month per user
Duo Advantage
$6
per month per user
Duo Premier
$9
per month per user
No answers on this topic
PDFelement
79.99USD
per year per user
PDFelement
129.99USD
one-time fee per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cisco DuoGoogle AuthenticatorWondershare PDFelement
Free Trial
YesNoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFor Individuals: Yearly Plan: $79.99/user; 2-Year Plan: $109.99/user Perpetual Plan(one-time): $129.99/user For Teams: Yearly plan starts at $109/year for 1 user For Education: Yearly Plan: $47.99/user; Perpetual Plan(one-time): $99.99/user
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cisco DuoGoogle AuthenticatorWondershare PDFelement
Considered Multiple Products
Cisco Duo
Chose Cisco Duo
Google Authenticator generates codes, which is okay for certain sites, but not quite as robust as Duo. Of course, it's cheaper, but it doesn't do as much and the setup is more complicated on the back end. The only realm in which it's really even competitive with Duo is for …
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo Security has the ability to push a notification to your device where a simple Google Authenticator requires a rotating series of numbers. Duo also has the ability to use a yubikey to use biometrics as another form of authentication. The ability to use Duo to protect Windows …
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo / Cisco Secure Access, by Duo, is way better than the one I mentioned aboveI I also used Authenticator but with that software, it always requires me to enter the six-digit passcode all the time, there isn't support for the Apple Watch, and I need my phone handy to access …
Chose Cisco Duo
We were using Google Authenticator but I faced lots of issues with code and Google time sync so I replaced it with Cisco Secure Access. It gives us all the features and I never faced any issues and downtime.
Chose Cisco Duo
Yubico also works with Duo, however, the setup and use of Yubikey's tend to be for advanced users. The lay audience will never be able to successfully deploy the use of these keys. Duo mobile apps simplify life with the bypass code creation or via push notifications. Google …
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo / Cisco Secure Access, by Duo is not a free application and requires a user license, unlike other solutions such as Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator. However, you do get what you pay for. Duo / Cisco Secure Access, by Duo provides great backups of stored …
Chose Cisco Duo
Ultimately we ended up going with Cisco Duo because we are a Cisco shop. All of our networking infrastructure, our phones, our wireless environment is Cisco based. It made logical sense to stay with a product that we already have a line of support with. With a smaller …
Chose Cisco Duo
We use Microsoft O365, and it looks like I can leverage my existing license to save money by moving away from Cisco Secure Access by Duo. I am still in the research phase, so we might or might not stay with Cisco Secure Access by Duo.
Chose Cisco Duo
Cisco is one of our trusted solution vendors and Cisco Duo can be good integrated to our security landscape.
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo is easier than many token-based or code-based methodologies. It allows self-enrollment in ways that Google 2fa does not. Okta costs too much. LastPass is great for passwords, but we didn't want to keep our auth egg in that same basket. Many imitators have shown up since we …
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo is the easiest one to use and definitely has the fastest turn around for sending you a code. I really enjoy using Duo and would recommend that anyone use this for their MFA.
Chose Cisco Duo
We choose Duo as we found the end-user interface much easier and more intuitive than other solutions. The push notification feature also worked very smoothly and was a factor in the decision. From the Administrator and security team side - the features and capabilities of Duo …
Chose Cisco Duo
The duo is highly configurable with multiple ways to authenticate. You can access a 6 digit refreshed code, we use the push feature that is life when your device requests a handshake Duo prompts the user automatically and very quickly, replying then completes the handshake. Duo …
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo is easier to use since it is an app and only needs your phone for authentication. The other products I have used in the past require a separate device. Everyone carries their phone with them so there is no need to remember to carry around another device.
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo Security has everything that we need. Didn’t find any missing feature. Quality of support as I mentioned before, is amazing. Easy to set up and use as compared to others. Pleasurable in terms of doing business with. Provides multi device sync and also backs up data. …
Chose Cisco Duo
It’s good, but not very reliable. Duo is much easier to use and set up.
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo is a simple tool and has a lightweight deployment for MFA use cases. It was selected for our client company due to its ease of use.
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo [Security] has a cleaner interface for 2-factor authentication and more usage in the industry so far.
Chose Cisco Duo
Duo seemed to integrate with the way we were doing things. Having push notifications is a huge plus as it helps with ease of use.
Chose Cisco Duo
Google's authenticator is OK, but I do not believe it integrates with some bigger programs as easily. We've got it integrated with ConnectWise, Continuum, IT Glue, and all of our internal Citrix environments and more. Duo just seems vastly better overall with integrations and …
Google Authenticator
Chose Google Authenticator
Being under the google umbrella gives a level of reassurance to our users. It seems to be cleaner and easier to use for our users. Being able to use a product from an already known vendor helps onboard new users to the software. It is clean and easy to use, all of the users …
Chose Google Authenticator
First, Google Authenticator meets the security requirements which should be considered "table stakes". Second, simplicity is critical. Many users don' understand why they are setting up MFA (or they just don't care), and so adding additional complications to their day-to-day is …
Chose Google Authenticator
Google Authenticator does one thing, and one thing well - it authenticates you are the account owner for the online account you are logging into. There are other alternatives out there such as DUO, and LastPass authenticator but Google Authenticator works for some of the most …
Chose Google Authenticator
Setup was easier and transferring between accounts is simpler in Google Authenticator when compared against Symantec VIP. The other features kind of are the same where both provide keys in offline mode and work seamlessly. Keys are refreshed every 30 seconds in both the …
Chose Google Authenticator
We were using Duo before in our environment for two-factor environment. But when it comes to availability we were always facing issues such as time-sync & app integration. After using Google Authenticator it resolved our synchronization issues as well as the third-party tool …
Chose Google Authenticator
We deploy Google Authenticator in residential and non-managed client scenarios. Google Authenticator can perform the basic functions needed for multi-factor authentication but lacks the more advanced features of solutions like Cisco's Secure Access by Duo. Google …
Chose Google Authenticator
Reputed platform.
Chose Google Authenticator
Google Authenticator is a great alternative to FortiAuthenticator for our vendors to have us use to login securely to their secure portals and FTP sites. Google Authenticator does not require a setup by the Admin in order to use it. Google Authenticator does not require …
Wondershare PDFelement

No answer on this topic

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Score 9.4 out of 10
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User Ratings
Cisco DuoGoogle AuthenticatorWondershare PDFelement
Likelihood to Recommend
9.5
(158 ratings)
9.0
(50 ratings)
9.1
(55 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(9 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(75 ratings)
8.8
(7 ratings)
8.6
(5 ratings)
Availability
9.9
(8 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.8
(3 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
7.5
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
9.9
(89 ratings)
8.6
(8 ratings)
8.4
(8 ratings)
Online Training
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.9
(9 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
10.0
(2 ratings)
4.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.9
(8 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.5
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.8
(3 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
10.0
(2 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cisco DuoGoogle AuthenticatorWondershare PDFelement
Likelihood to Recommend
Cisco
For secure access to apps and business data, I recommend Cisco Duo. It offers SSO, MFA, and Passwordless access, ensuring teams can securely access business data. It is easy to customize and comes with top-tier security features. It protects business data, apps, and users.
Read full review
Google
Logging into my work accounts is where Google Authenticator works best. Also, I had a personal account get hacked. I had an account created to book hotels, but someone was constantly resetting my password. To prevent further hacking attempts, I set up Google Authenticator. I do not believe it would be appropriate for banking accounts.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
It's a wonderful asset to have when you lose your original Word doc, etc. so you can still edit a document (and not have to start from ground zero). That feature alone is why I bought this product and why I will continue to recommend.
Read full review
Pros
Cisco
  • We use Cisco Duo with different type of device and application, but we never face any difficulties to integrate Cisco Duo with any of them.
  • We integrated Cisco Duo with some of our active directory and some of the OS are quite old but Cisco Duo works totally fine with them.
  • The end user application is very easy to use. We never had any complain from non tech team members of having trouble of using Cisco Duo.
  • There are several authentication methods available rather than passcode. I personally like the push notification which is always on time and quite fast.
Read full review
Google
  • One strength is in how it checks identity to stop unwanted people from getting access.
  • Another strength is in cutting down on the frustration of users for the authentication process.
  • With the pandemic and needing to work away from the office it also provided additional security in keeping our network/infrastructure safe.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
  • PDFelement provides the same powerful features as Adobe Acrobat, but the interface is easy to learn and use. The product is extremely intuitive, which saves our clients from becoming frustrated as they learn the product.
  • PDFelement Pro's ability to create fillable forms with the click of one button is one of our clients favorite features. I was impressed at how accurately PDFelement performed this task and the ease with which these fields can be edited, if needed.
  • Security is more important than ever these days and PDFelement provides the encryption and permissions to protect documents quickly and easily. I especially like the batch encrypt feature, this makes it easy to protect multiple files with the same password.
  • PDFelement makes it easy to extract the data from form fields. This is a huge plus for our clients.
Read full review
Cons
Cisco
  • Should have device to device connection ability whereas internet is not met.
  • Changes of device can be sorted and easily made using a second email address or any other identification method.
  • Troubleshooting should be easy to sort out. One time, a Duo admin deleted the authentication group, and some employees were not getting push notifications. It was very hard to find out the cause. Duo should have some troubleshooting finder.
  • Sometimes push notifications are delayed, and the code does not work. At that time, we need to enroll the device again. Not sure why it happens. Duo should give reasons for the error.
Read full review
Google
  • I once performed a factory reset of my smartphone which had Google Authenticator. I didn't have a backup for the device. When I restored my phone with the same google account, I was not able to restore the authenticator app settings. I had to add all the keys back into the app to use it. This is cumbersome, but I understand it is set up this way for security reasons.
  • I don't like the ease with which it lets you delete a key. If I accidentally delete a key, I am doomed to get my 2FA key reset, unless I still have the QR code saved somewhere.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
  • I wish there was a lighter program for just reviewing a document and then to transition seamlessly to an editing mode. It takes a few seconds longer to load than Preview on my Mac, and based on that frustration, I use Preview to view documents.
  • A lower price for upgrades.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Cisco
There are a lot of competing solutions on the market; however, Duo "just works", and there is little to no learning curve for the new members to be acclimated to it. As long as that continues I see it as the preferred option moving forward
Read full review
Google
It works as intended, easy to setup, free and gives you another level of security against any unwanted access or cyber attacks
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
Excellent, easy to use product
Read full review
Usability
Cisco
La interfaz es intuitiva y fácil de navegar, lo que permite a los usuarios administrar sus dispositivos y acceder a las políticas sin problemas. La integración con las aplicaciones SSO y SaaS facilita aún más el proceso de acceso, mejorando la experiencia del usuario.
Read full review
Google
It's as easy as opening the app and what I need it for is there. I don't have to fumble with other accounts or getting something else to open it for me. I have all the access that I need for the use of the app within seconds and I can get access to the info that I need.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
I am a novice and I am using it like a pro because it is so easy to work with
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Cisco
In the last 5+ years we've been using Duo, there may have been 1 outage that impacted us. We do receive periodic notifications of issues but, for the most part, they impact carriers or functionality that we either don't use, or do not care about.
Read full review
Google
In terms of availability, I had not experienced any issues with outages or the product not working when needed
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
No issues. Works perfect
Read full review
Performance
Cisco
We do not see any degradation of performance of the protected applications. There are occasional lags in receiving the push but no show stooppers.
Read full review
Google
The performance of google Authenticator is good and I have not experienced any slow downs
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
There is a lot of learning. Although some of the functions you can probably pick up relatively quickly, some of them, including compressing the size or using a different language, remains a myth to me.
Read full review
Support Rating
Cisco
I have not needed direct support for Cisco Secure Access by Duo as I have not had a problem with it, but I have full confidence that the support is outstanding. It is now a core component of the corporate technology stack - a problem would mean a serious degradation in the ability of the company to function.
Read full review
Google
I have found Google’s support to be hit or miss. There are times when they are very responsive, and I get my issue resolved quickly, and there are times where a response from them takes weeks. There is no in-between. But my support experience with this particular product is nonexistent because I have not had a problem with it yet. Hopefully, we do not have any problems with it either.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
PDFelement is always in contact with me, by email and by giving constant tips and recommendations. But what makes me give you a 10, was the outstanding support service received on July 9th by one of your support professionals Amanda, who helped me with a tariff issue, and makes me [rate] your product.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Cisco
There was no in person training but checking the box was the only way I could complete all of the questions.
Read full review
Google
No answers on this topic
Wondershare Technology
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Cisco
This was not organized training but the videos that Duo provides to teach you how to install a particular integration are top notch.
Read full review
Google
No answers on this topic
Wondershare Technology
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Cisco
Documentation could have been better. I had to piece together different KB/admin guides to make certain things work and I also had to use third-party guides to get bits of information that were missing from Cisco Duo documentation. Support was also engaged multiple times to figure out an issue and after some back and forth it was usually determined that the information I needed was hidden somewhere else and had no direct correlation with the document that was linked from the platform.
Read full review
Google
It was easy to implement and it went very smoothly. No issues
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
Just pay, download, activate and start using it
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Cisco
Ultimately we ended up going with Cisco Duo because we are a Cisco shop. All of our networking infrastructure, our phones, our wireless environment is Cisco based. It made logical sense to stay with a product that we already have a line of support with. With a smaller support / tech group we depend on outside Cisco support. That support is already here for us, so we stayed with a Cisco product.
Read full review
Google
First, Google Authenticator meets the security requirements which should be considered "table stakes". Second, simplicity is critical. Many users don' understand why they are setting up MFA (or they just don't care), and so adding additional complications to their day-to-day is always challenging. When it is simple, it makes life a lot easier. Finally, trust (due to the brand name recognition, primarily) removes any notion of "what is this?" that the user may have from being required to install something on their personal device for work purposes.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
I didn't try or buy other programs, but did a good bit of research on them. I went with PDFelement because of the lower pricing, and because of the rich features I learned it had. I also appreciated the great customer service I received from reps in the community forums, which showed me they have an aim in keeping their customers happy - which is always good to have when using fairly complex technical apps.
Read full review
Scalability
Cisco
So far, the only limits we've encountered were tied to our imagination. Duo's strong list of supported integrations is amazing.
Read full review
Google
The product doesn’t have any features of tools that can help it scale
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
Super easy Word style layout and format.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Cisco
  • It's one of those things that only costs money in the sense of you have to convince a leadership team to spend money to save money, right? Like a compromise is far more expensive than duo paying for duo. So specifically it's really just about trying to prevent problems. And so while it costs money and we don't have a direct return on investment that we can point out immediately, I would still always advocate for it just because it keeps security. Paying for security is cheaper than getting compromised essentially.
Read full review
Google
  • More secure data = less worried about a data breach.
  • Takes longer to log in, and if I don't have my phone then I have to go looking for it, so it really makes it so that you can't be without your phone, which in certain instances is annoying or not possible and can hold up work time.
  • Everyone is willing to use the same program because everyone likes Google—makes it easier to manage.
Read full review
Wondershare Technology
  • For me, it's been very important to me that my business as a pet sitter and dog walker not leave a negative footprint on the environment. To that end, it's been very important that i'm able to do as much paperwork as possible without using paper. PDFelement is wonderful at helping me meet those goals.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Wondershare PDFelement Screenshots

Screenshot of AI-powered support for chatting with PDFs/summaring/proofreading/rewriting/explaining/translating the PDF file content.Screenshot of file conversion to and from PDF format in high quality.Screenshot of PDF generation, which can be done from images, Word documents, and various formats, including batch create.Screenshot of certificate-based legal signatures, and documents can be sent to bulk signers, and signatures collected and tracked from anywhere, on any device.Screenshot of text recognition, from scanned PDFs and images.Screenshot of the PDF text editor, with images, forms, and pages.