How Much Does a YubiKey Cost in 2026? Every Model Priced

A YubiKey costs $29 to $115 on Yubico's US store. The FIDO-only Security Key is the floor, the YubiKey 5 Series runs from $58 (5C NFC and 5 NFC) to $85 (5Ci), the fingerprint Bio keys are $98, and FIPS-validated keys start at $88. Prices are one-time, read on Yubico's US store on 19 October 2026.

Our take: the right budget is never one key. Every account you lock with a hardware key needs a second key registered as a backup, so the real price of a YubiKey is the price of two. For most people that is $116 for a pair of 5C NFC keys, and the pair also clears Yubico's free-shipping threshold of $100 for US and Canadian orders.

Toolradar data: Toolradar, the software directory we run, tracks 103 identity and access tools as of 19 October 2026, and the median cheapest paid plan among the 22 that publish a price is $17.50 a month, per its identity and access ranking. A hardware key is a different kind of spend: you pay once, with no seat fee, and the key keeps working whichever login service you pick.

Every YubiKey price at a glance

Yubico's store groups these into four series. Every model above except the FIPS line runs firmware 5.8. Each price is per key, before sales tax and before shipping on small orders.

What each price step buys

The entry tier: the Security Key Series. These two keys do one job: phishing-resistant passkeys and two-factor sign-in through FIDO2 and U2F. Yubico lists Google and Microsoft accounts, GitHub, Dropbox, Dashlane and Keeper among the services they protect. Yubico's store notes one exception that matters to many readers: LastPass needs a YubiKey 5 Series key, so a LastPass user should skip this tier.

Double the entry price: the YubiKey 5 Series with NFC. For twice the price, the 5C NFC and 5 NFC add a smart card (PIV) applet, OpenPGP, Yubico OTP and time-based one-time codes through Yubico Authenticator. The 5C NFC holds 100 passkeys, 64 code accounts and 24 PIV certificates, per its product page. Choose this tier if the key must also open a VPN, sign Git commits or hold codes for services that do not support passkeys.

The 5 Series without NFC. The 5C, the Nano keys and the 5Ci cost more than the NFC keys while dropping the phone tap. You pay for a form factor: a leave-in Nano for a desktop or a Lightning connector for older iPhones. For a person who signs in on a modern phone, these are a worse deal than the 5C NFC.

The Bio Series. A fingerprint replaces the touch-plus-PIN step, which is the main appeal on a shared desk computer. Both Bio keys are FIDO only, like the Security Keys, so the fingerprint is what the extra money buys.

The FIPS Series. Each FIPS model costs $30 more than its standard twin, up to the 5Ci FIPS at $115. Yubico still sells FIPS 140-2 keys on firmware 5.4 at the same prices as the newer FIPS 140-3 keys on firmware 5.7. A US agency or contractor whose control names FIPS should buy the 140-3 version; everyone else gets more for less on the standard 5 Series.

How much do two keys cost?

Because the backup key is part of the plan, here is what a pair costs per person, by our arithmetic from the store prices.

The mixed pair is the clever budget option. A 5C NFC as the daily key and a Security Key as the backup covers every passkey account for $87, and only the codes and certificates stay on the main key. If that main key is lost, the backup still opens every passkey account while a replacement ships.

For a household of four with two keys each, eight Security Keys cost $232 and eight 5C NFC keys cost $464. Both orders ship free.

If you are setting up keys for staff, the Cyberpresso newsletter covers phishing-resistant login and the tools behind it. Subscribe at cyberpresso.com.

What a company pays: bulk discounts and trays

Yubico prints two bulk options on its product pages. Single keys get 4% off at 50 to 199 products and 6% off at 200 or more, and trays of 50 keys are sold at a fixed price for faster distribution. The two cannot be combined: trays do not count toward the single-key discount.

That rule creates an odd result. A tray of 50 YubiKey 5C NFC keys costs $2,900, exactly 50 times the single price. Fifty single keys with the 4% discount cost $2,784, by our arithmetic, so the tray costs $116 more than the same 50 keys bought one by one. The tray is worth it only if the packaging saves IT real time at a distribution desk.

At 100 staff, the 5 Series rollout works out to about $109 per person, once, by our arithmetic. Spread over five years of use, that is under $2 per person a month, well below the median login-tool subscription in the Toolradar figure above. The keys add to that subscription rather than replace it, since you still need a login service such as Duo or Okta to enforce them; our Duo review covers that side of the stack.

Larger companies can also look at YubiKey as a Service, Yubico's subscription for workforce keys. It comes in Base, Advanced and Compliance tiers, lets users choose their form factor and upgrade within a tier, and adds discounted replacement keys. Yubico describes the cost as "less than a cup of coffee per user per month" but publishes no per-user price, so it needs a quote.

Hidden costs to budget for

Shipping under $100. A single key of any model, or a pair of Security Keys, falls below the free-shipping threshold for US and Canadian orders. Adding a second key often costs little more than the freight you would otherwise pay.

Lost keys. Replacing a lost key means buying another at the store price. The backup key is what turns a lost key into an inconvenience instead of a lockout.

Accessories. Yubico sells YubiStyle covers from $5, a Keyport lanyard at $3 and a Keyport Pivot organizer at $25. None are required.

Returns. Consumer orders have a 45-day return window, which covers a wrong connector choice but not a key that was lost or damaged later.

Resellers. Yubico lists authorized resellers alongside its own store and offers a genuineness check on its support pages. A deal on an unknown marketplace listing saves a few dollars on a device whose whole job is trust, which is a poor trade.

Which YubiKey should you buy?

For most people, a pair of YubiKey 5C NFC keys is the default: USB-C covers current laptops and phones, NFC covers phones without a port match, and the multi-protocol features cover the odd service that still wants one-time codes.

Buy two Security Keys instead if every account you protect supports passkeys or FIDO security keys and you do not use LastPass. Buy the Bio key only for a desk machine where fingerprints beat typing a PIN, and buy FIPS only when a written requirement says so.

For a full review of the 5 Series, read our YubiKey review. To compare YubiKey with Google Titan, Token2 and other keys, see the best hardware security keys guide. The 2FA setup guide for small businesses covers the rollout, and the best 2FA authenticator apps list covers the software option. If the keys will sit in front of a password vault, our 1Password pricing and Bitwarden pricing pages price that side.

How we checked these prices

Louis Corneloup, founder of Dupple and Toolradar, prepared this breakdown for people and teams budgeting for hardware keys. We read every model's price on Yubico's US store, the bulk-discount and tray terms on the YubiKey 5C NFC page and the Security Key C NFC page, and the service tiers on Yubico's YubiKey as a Service page, all on 19 October 2026. Pair prices, household and company totals, and per-person figures are our arithmetic from those list prices, before tax and shipping.

FAQ

How much does a YubiKey cost in 2026?

A YubiKey costs $29 to $115 on Yubico's US store. The FIDO-only Security Key is the cheapest model, the YubiKey 5C NFC and 5 NFC cost twice as much, the Bio keys are $98 and the 5Ci FIPS is the most expensive. Prices are one-time, with no subscription, as of October 2026.

What is the cheapest YubiKey?

The Security Key NFC (USB-A) and Security Key C NFC (USB-C) are the cheapest YubiKeys, at the same price in either connector. They handle passkeys and FIDO two-factor sign-in, but not one-time codes, smart card certificates or LastPass, which need a YubiKey 5 Series key.

Why are YubiKey 5 keys twice the price of Security Keys?

The 5 Series adds smart card (PIV), OpenPGP, Yubico OTP and authenticator codes on top of passkeys. Those features matter for VPN certificates, code signing and services without passkey support. If every account you protect supports passkeys, the cheaper Security Key does the same core job.

Do I need two YubiKeys?

Yes, plan on two. A backup key registered on every account is what keeps you from being locked out when one key is lost. A pair of 5C NFC keys costs $116, while a 5C NFC plus a Security Key as the backup costs $87.

Does Yubico offer bulk discounts?

Yes. Single-key orders get 4% off at 50 to 199 products and 6% off at 200 or more. Trays of 50 keys are sold at 50 times the single price and do not get the discount, so 50 single 5C NFC keys cost less than a tray, by our arithmetic.

Is YubiKey as a Service worth it?

It suits larger companies that want keys replaced and upgraded under one subscription, with Base, Advanced and Compliance tiers and discounted replacements. Yubico publishes no per-user price for it, so compare a quote against buying keys outright with the bulk discount.

Cite this: Cyberpresso, "How Much Does a YubiKey Cost in 2026? Every Model Priced", November 2026.

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