# AWS Secrets Manager vs HashiCorp Vault

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** AWS Secrets Manager

| Attribute | AWS Secrets Manager | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 77.6 (72% (medium)) | 69.9 (73% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 8,444 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 36,339 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A cloud-based service that stores and manages sensitive credentials, API keys, and other secrets for applications and services. It provides encryption at rest and in transit, fine-grained access control through IAM policies, automatic secret rotation, multi-region replication, and comprehensive audit logging. It is indexed under Secrets Management Tools.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What is AWS Secrets Manager?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Secrets Manager offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/secrets-manager/","question":"Is AWS Secrets Manager free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS Secrets Manager supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What platforms does AWS Secrets Manager support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS Secrets Manager, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Can AWS Secrets Manager be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 30 integrations for AWS Secrets Manager, including Alexa for Business, AWS App2Container, Amazon AppFlow, AWS AppSync, Amazon Athena, AWS CodeBuild, AWS Direct Connect and AWS Directory Service, plus 22 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"What does AWS Secrets Manager integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for AWS Secrets Manager. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS Secrets Manager not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/trust-center/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS Secrets Manager have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"AWS Secrets Manager is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/sagemaker/pricing/?nc2=h_pr_sgm","question":"Where is AWS Secrets Manager available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"Provides secure secret storage, dynamic credential generation, encryption services, and fine-grained access control with detailed audit logging for applications and infrastructure. It is indexed under Secrets Management Tools.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","question":"What is HashiCorp Vault?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"HashiCorp Vault is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","question":"Is HashiCorp Vault free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"HashiCorp Vault supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","question":"What platforms does HashiCorp Vault support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. HashiCorp Vault can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","question":"Can HashiCorp Vault be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 5 integrations for HashiCorp Vault, including AWS, SQL databases, Consul, OCI and Okta. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","question":"What does HashiCorp Vault integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, ISO 27001 and GDPR for HashiCorp Vault. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as HashiCorp Vault not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.vaultproject.io/security","question":"What security certifications does HashiCorp Vault have?","confidence":0.6}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A cloud-based service that stores and manages sensitive credentials, API keys, and other secrets for applications and services. It provides encryption at rest and in transit, fine-grained access control through IAM policies, automatic secret rotation, multi-region replication, and comprehensive audit logging. | A system for securely storing and controlling access to secrets like credentials, API keys, and certificates. It generates temporary credentials on-demand, automatically revokes expired secrets, and provides encryption without persistent storage, enabling applications to access secrets through a unified interface with comprehensive audit logging. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"cloud","tool_type":"store","audit_logging":true,"fips_validated":true,"secret_rotation":true,"fine_grained_policy":true}` | `{"pki_ca":true,"hosting":"both","tool_type":"store","hsm_support":true,"audit_logging":true,"dynamic_secrets":true,"secret_rotation":true,"open_source_core":true,"fine_grained_policy":true,"encryption_as_a_service":true}` |
| integrations.count | 30 | 9 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Alexa for Business"},{"name":"AWS App2Container"},{"name":"Amazon AppFlow"},{"name":"AWS AppSync"},{"name":"Amazon Athena"},{"name":"AWS CodeBuild"},{"name":"AWS Direct Connect"},{"name":"AWS Directory Service"},{"name":"Amazon DocumentDB"},{"name":"Amazon RDS"},{"name":"Amazon Redshift"},{"name":"Salesforce"},{"name":"Snowflake"},{"name":"AWS Elemental MediaLive"},{"name":"AWS Elemental MediaConnect"},{"name":"AWS Elemental MediaConvert"},{"name":"Amazon CodeGuru Reviewer"},{"name":"AWS Elemental MediaPackage"},{"name":"AWS Elemental MediaTailor"},{"name":"Amazon EMR"},{"name":"Amazon EventBridge"},{"name":"Amazon FSx"},{"name":"AWS Glue DataBrew"},{"name":"AWS Glue Studio"},{"name":"AWS IoT SiteWise"},{"name":"Amazon Kendra"},{"name":"AWS Launch Wizard"},{"name":"Amazon Lookout for Metrics"},{"name":"Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka"},{"name":"Amazon Managed Workflows for Apache Airflow"},{"name":"AWS KMS","native":true},{"name":"AWS IAM","native":true},{"name":"AWS CloudTrail","native":true},{"name":"Amazon CloudWatch","native":true},{"name":"Amazon SNS","native":true},{"name":"AWS Lambda","native":true}]` | `[{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"SQL databases"},{"name":"Consul"},{"name":"OCI"},{"name":"Okta"},{"name":"Azure","native":true,"category":"cloud"},{"name":"GCP","native":true,"category":"cloud"},{"name":"Oracle Cloud","native":true,"category":"cloud"},{"name":"Nomad","native":true,"category":"orchestration"},{"name":"LDAP","native":true,"category":"directory"},{"name":"OpenLDAP","native":true,"category":"directory"},{"name":"Duo","native":true,"category":"mfa"},{"name":"GCP Secret Manager","native":true,"category":"cloud"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pay-as-you-go","summary":"Pay per secret stored per month and per 10,000 API calls","features":["Rotate secrets automatically","Replicate secrets for disaster recovery","Fine-grained IAM access control","Audit and monitor secret usage","Integration with AWS logging and monitoring services"],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"Usage-based pricing. Free tier available for 6 months with $200 credits for new customers. No upfront costs or contracts.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/secrets-manager/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-01T09:07:13.027Z","billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.vaultproject.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T15:24:58.948Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 22 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.1.1","date":"2026-09-16T21:04:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.1.0","date":"2026-09-01T14:37:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.4","date":"2026-08-04T18:34:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.3","date":"2026-06-17T20:23:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.2","date":"2026-06-05T16:26:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.1","date":"2026-05-19T20:57:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.0","date":"2026-04-14T20:07:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v2.0.0-rc1","date":"2026-04-03T03:01:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.0.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.4","date":"2026-03-05T06:37:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.21.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.3","date":"2026-03-04T22:47:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.21.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.2","date":"2026-01-07T18:09:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.21.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.1","date":"2025-11-19T17:36:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.21.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.0","date":"2025-10-22T20:29:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.21.0-rc1","date":"2025-10-10T00:53:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.21.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.4","date":"2025-09-24T20:43:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.20.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.3","date":"2025-08-28T18:21:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.20.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.2","date":"2025-08-06T04:09:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.20.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.1","date":"2025-07-24T20:10:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.20.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.0","date":"2025-06-25T13:57:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.0-rc2","date":"2025-06-17T20:20:54Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.20.0-rc2"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 6.5 |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/ | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fhashicorp%2Fvault%2Fapi&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Secrets Management Tools)

| Capability | AWS Secrets Manager | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Tool type | Secret store / engine | Secret store / engine |
| Dynamic (short-lived) secrets | - | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Lifecycle** |  |  |
| Automatic secret rotation | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Crypto** |  |  |
| Encryption as a service (transit) | - | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| FIPS 140-2/3 validated crypto | ✓ | - |
| HSM support | - | ✓ |
| **Access** |  |  |
| Fine-grained / identity-based policy | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Audit logging | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Integration** |  |  |
| Kubernetes native (CRD / CSI / K8s auth) | - | - |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| PKI / certificate authority | - | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source core | - | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| CNCF maturity | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T22:41:53.224Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*