# AWS Secrets Manager vs HashiCorp Vault

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

| Attribute | AWS Secrets Manager | HashiCorp Vault |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 77.6 (73% (medium)) | 67.9 (75% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 8,444 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 36,179 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"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. | Provides secure secret storage, dynamic credential generation, encryption services, and fine-grained access control with detailed audit logging for applications and infrastructure. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"cloud","tool_type":"store","audit_logging":true,"fips_validated":true,"secret_rotation":true,"fine_grained_policy":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 | 5 |
| 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"},{"name":"SQL databases"},{"name":"Consul"},{"name":"OCI"},{"name":"Okta"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":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 | - | 16 |
| release.history | - | `[{"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"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.20.0-rc1","date":"2025-06-12T00:00:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.20.0-rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/hashicorp/vault/releases/tag/v1.19.5","date":"2025-05-29T22:59:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.19.5"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 6.5 |
| security.soc2 | yes | yes |
| 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:32:06.649Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*