NewCore vs Descope
| Criterion | NewCore | Descope | Diff | NewCore reason | Descope reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 8.70 | 7.60 | +1.10 | Position 1 | Position 3= |
| Agent identity and ownership (20) | 10 | 8 | +2 | Every agent is linked to an accountable owner in an identity graph that resolves a person's accounts across identity providers, directories and HR systems. nc-discover | Agents are requested, justified and approved with a documented purpose and an accountable owner. ds-hub3 |
| Credential model (20) | 9 | 9 | 0 | Access is short-lived and task-scoped, and the agent never holds the tool's own credential. nc-secure | It issues short-lived scoped tokens and supports SPIFFE SVIDs, private_key_jwt, mTLS and DPoP. ds-hub |
| Delegation and on-behalf-of (15) | 9 | 9 | 0 | The gateway shows the agent acting on behalf of a person and keeps it within that person's permissions. nc-secure | ID-JAG tokens preserve the link between agent, user and tenant. ds-xaa |
| Runtime authorization and human approval (20) | 10 | 6 | +4 | Every tool call is checked by one policy engine that allows, asks or denies, and an agent can never approve its own action. nc-secure, nc-govern | Per-tool authorization works at any enforcement point, but Descope is the authorization server and per-call human approval was not found. ds-hub, ds-hub3 |
| Discovery of unregistered agents (10) | 8 | 3 | +5 | Read-only integrations find agents without registration and trace access paths outside SSO. nc-discover | Onboarding is by request, and automatic discovery was not found. ds-hub3 |
| Standards (10) | 5 | 10 | -5 | Public material names SAML, OIDC and an MCP server registry, but not OAuth 2.1, SPIFFE or Cross App Access. nc-foundation, nc-secure | It names OAuth 2.1, PKCE, MCP authorization, DCR, CIMD, XAA or ID-JAG and SPIFFE. ds-hub, ds-xaa |
| Buying clarity (5) | 5 | 7 | -2 | There is no list price, though an AWS Marketplace listing with custom units gives a procurement path. nc-aws | The Free Forever tier includes the hub, while the governance suite is Enterprise only. ds-hub3 |
In short:NewCore scores 8.70 against 7.60 for Descope, a gap of 1.10. NewCore is ahead on ownership, runtime control and discovery. Descope is ahead on standards and buying clarity. They are level on credentials and delegation. The right pick depends on which of those criteria matters most to you.
Which should I pick?
Pick NewCore if your first job is finding agents nobody registered. Read-only integrations find agents without registration and trace access paths outside SSO.
Pick Descope if you build on open protocols such as OAuth 2.1 and SPIFFE. It names OAuth 2.1, PKCE, MCP authorization, DCR, CIMD, XAA or ID-JAG and SPIFFE.
How do their prices compare?
| Platform | Pricing as published |
|---|---|
| NewCore | No list price. NewCore sells through an AWS Marketplace listing with custom units and an upfront commitment. nc-aws |
| Descope | The Free Forever tier includes the Agentic Identity Hub. The Agentic Governance Suite is on Enterprise only. ds-hub3 |
Common questions
- Which is better, NewCore or Descope?
- On our rubric NewCore scores higher, 8.70 to 7.60. Descope still leads on standards and buying clarity.
- How are NewCore and Descope priced?
- NewCore: No list price. NewCore sells through an AWS Marketplace listing with custom units and an upfront commitment. Descope: The Free Forever tier includes the Agentic Identity Hub. The Agentic Governance Suite is on Enterprise only.
- Do NewCore and Descope work alongside Okta or Entra?
- NewCore: Yes. NewCore states that your current identity platform keeps handling employee sign-in. Its first deployment path is called "Start alongside your identity platform", and it also works alongside an existing AI gateway. Descope: Partly stated. Descope acts as the authorization server for agents, and its Cross App Access support uses ID-JAG tokens that keep the agent, user and tenant linked.
Sources
- [nc-discover] NewCore: Discover. https://newcore.com/platform/discover. Read .
- [nc-secure] NewCore: Secure. https://newcore.com/platform/secure. Read .
- [nc-govern] NewCore: Govern. https://newcore.com/platform/govern. Read .
- [nc-foundation] NewCore: Identity foundation. https://newcore.com/platform/identity-foundation. Read .
- [nc-aws] NewCore on AWS Marketplace. https://aws.amazon.com/marketplace/seller-profile?id=seller-tgpd3ujnoiz3w. Read .
- [ds-hub3] Descope Agentic Identity Hub 3.0. https://www.descope.com/blog/post/agentic-identity-hub-3. Read .
- [ds-hub] Descope Agentic Identity Hub. https://www.descope.com/blog/post/agentic-identity-hub. Read .
- [ds-xaa] Descope: Cross App Access. https://www.descope.com/blog/post/xaa. Read .