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C1 (formerly ConductorOne) vs Orchid Security: reach beyond the IdP and IGA
The short answer
On our default weights Orchid Security scores higher overall, 8.24 against 6.30 out of 10. C1 scores higher on Executes changes itself; Orchid scores higher on Unmanaged app discovery, Accounts inside the app, Reach into apps without APIs or SCIM, Orchestrates through the existing stack, Machine, service and agent accounts, Audit evidence and Pricing transparency. They sit in different layers (Identity governance (IGA) platform and Discovery and orchestration layer), so many teams run both.
By The Credential Desk · IAM Compared · Published 2026-10-08
Desk research from public vendor pages and documentation read in September 2026, updated 2026-10-13. Editorial assessment; we did not test the products.
How do they score on each criterion?
| Criterion | Weight | C1 | Orchid | Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unmanaged app discovery | 18% | 6.0 Monitors shadow app sign-ups and logins to decide whether to bring an app under governance, and lists Shadow AI Discovery. | 9.5 States it discovers SaaS, cloud, on-prem, legacy and custom-built applications automatically, including unmanaged ones. | Orchid |
| Accounts inside the app | 16% | 6.0 Finds what offboarding missed; mapping of local accounts inside apps is not detailed. | 9.0 Maps how identity works inside each application and surfaces local user activity, orphaned accounts, shadow authentication paths and privilege drift. | Orchid |
| Reach into apps without APIs or SCIM | 14% | 6.5 Open-source Baton connectors and C1 Bridge for on-prem systems; apps with no connector are not described in detail. | 9.0 Describes bringing unmanaged on-prem, legacy and custom-built applications under IAM, IGA, PAM and audit control; the collection method is not detailed on the pages reviewed. | Orchid |
| Orchestrates through the existing stack | 14% | 7.0 Connects to existing IdPs and HR systems rather than replacing them. | 9.5 Feeds identity context into the IAM, IGA, PAM and ITSM tools in place: names Microsoft, SailPoint, Saviynt and CyberArk, ServiceNow and Jira ticketing, a SailPoint partnership since August 2026, and reports privileged accounts to the Discovered Accounts queue in Idira Privilege Cloud. | Orchid |
| Executes changes itself | 12% | 7.8 HR systems and directories trigger join, role change and departure workflows. | 4.5 Does not describe itself as a provisioning engine; provisioning and revocation run in the IGA, IdP or ticketing tool it feeds. | C1 |
| Machine, service and agent accounts | 10% | 6.0 Shadow AI Discovery is listed; service account and credential coverage is not detailed. | 7.5 Detects hardcoded accounts and credentials and lists guardrails for autonomous identity as a use case; dedicated agent identity features are not detailed. | Orchid |
| Audit evidence | 10% | 6.5 Records each offboarding action; a framework evidence export is not described. | 8.5 Continuous, application-level identity evidence mapped to SOX, PCI, HIPAA, GDPR and NIS2; every discovery, policy and action recorded. | Orchid |
| Pricing transparency | 6% | 3.0 Publishes the pricing structure but no prices. | 6.0 Lists one package on AWS Marketplace (Orchid Fundamental, 30 applications, $250,000.00 per 12 months); other terms by private offer; no pricing page on its own site. | Orchid |
| Total | 100% | 6.30 | 8.24 | Orchid |
What shape is each tool's reach?
- DISC
- Unmanaged app discovery
- 6.0
- INAPP
- Accounts inside the app
- 6.0
- NOAPI
- Reach into apps without APIs or SCIM
- 6.5
- ORCH
- Orchestrates through the existing stack
- 7.0
- EXEC
- Executes changes itself
- 7.8
- NHI
- Machine, service and agent accounts
- 6.0
- EVID
- Audit evidence
- 6.5
- PRICE
- Pricing transparency
- 3.0
Each sector is one criterion. The longer the engraved sector, the higher the editorial score. Sectors are equal width, so the picture shows the shape of a tool's reach, not its weighted total.
- DISC
- Unmanaged app discovery
- 9.5
- INAPP
- Accounts inside the app
- 9.0
- NOAPI
- Reach into apps without APIs or SCIM
- 9.0
- ORCH
- Orchestrates through the existing stack
- 9.5
- EXEC
- Executes changes itself
- 4.5
- NHI
- Machine, service and agent accounts
- 7.5
- EVID
- Audit evidence
- 8.5
- PRICE
- Pricing transparency
- 6.0
Each sector is one criterion. The longer the engraved sector, the higher the editorial score. Sectors are equal width, so the picture shows the shape of a tool's reach, not its weighted total.
Which parts of the estate does each document?
| Zone | C1 | Orchid |
|---|---|---|
| Unsanctioned SaaS | Partial Shadow app sign-up and login monitoring | Documented Discovers SaaS and cloud applications, including unmanaged ones |
| On-prem and legacy apps | Documented C1 Bridge for on-prem systems | Documented Discovers on-prem and legacy applications |
| Custom-built apps | Partial Open-source Baton connectors you can extend | Documented Discovers custom-built applications |
| Local accounts in apps | Partial Find what offboarding missed | Documented Local user activity and orphaned accounts inside apps; publishes an Orphan and Local Accounts report |
| Service accounts and hardcoded credentials | Not documented Not described on the pages reviewed | Documented Hardcoded accounts and credentials detected |
| AI agents | Partial Shadow AI Discovery listed | Partial Guardrails for autonomous identity listed as a use case; detail not reviewed |
What do they cost?
C1 (formerly ConductorOne)
Pricing
Pricing structure published (Platform or Flex; Pro or Advanced; 100 to 20,000 managed identities) without prices.
Source: C1 pricing · Read 12 Oct 2026
Deployment
SaaS with hosted or on-prem connectors (C1 Bridge). EU instance with tenant data held in the EU since September 2026.
Orchid Security
Pricing
AWS Marketplace, 12-month contract: Orchid Fundamental (Continuous IAM Assurance, Discovery & Readiness, 30 applications) $250,000.00 per 12 months; 24- and 36-month options are also listed. The listing offers custom pricing by private offer. No pricing page on orchid.security.
Source: AWS Marketplace: Orchid Security · Read 11 Oct 2026 · Source: orchid.security/pricing (returns 404) · Read 11 Oct 2026
Deployment
SaaS, per its AWS Marketplace listing. Whether the platform itself can run on-prem is not stated on the pages reviewed.
Which should you choose?
Frequently asked questions
Which scores higher overall, C1 (formerly ConductorOne) or Orchid Security?
On our default weights Orchid Security scores higher overall, 8.24 against 6.30 out of 10.
Where does C1 (formerly ConductorOne) score higher than Orchid Security?
C1 scores higher on Executes changes itself (7.8 against 4.5).
Can C1 (formerly ConductorOne) and Orchid Security be used together?
Often, yes. They sit in different layers (Identity governance (IGA) platform; Discovery and orchestration layer), and each one's pages describe working with existing identity tools.