# AWS Secrets Manager vs OpenBao

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

| Attribute | AWS Secrets Manager | OpenBao |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 77.6 (73% (medium)) | 56.9 (41% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 0 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 7,176 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"on_prem":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 centralized system for storing and managing sensitive data like API keys and database credentials, with automatic credential generation for external systems, automatic expiration after a set lease period, and identity-based access controls. |
| 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","cncf_project":"none","audit_logging":true,"dynamic_secrets":true,"secret_rotation":true,"open_source_core":true,"kubernetes_native":true,"fine_grained_policy":true,"encryption_as_a_service":true}` |
| integrations.count | 30 | 7 |
| 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":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"PostgreSQL"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"S3"},{"name":"Flux"},{"name":"SOPS"},{"name":"Cosign"}]` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| license.spdx | - | MPL-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"linux":true,"windows":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://openbao.org/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T13:26:33.292Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | - | 26 |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.6.2","date":"2026-08-18T16:21:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.6.1","date":"2026-07-22T14:37:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.6.0","date":"2026-07-14T17:06:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.6.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.6.0-beta20260622","date":"2026-06-22T19:58:29Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.6.0-beta20260622"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.5","date":"2026-06-17T11:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.4","date":"2026-05-20T16:15:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.3","date":"2026-04-20T19:35:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.2","date":"2026-03-25T16:23:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.1","date":"2026-02-23T17:34:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.0","date":"2026-02-04T16:26:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.5.0-beta20251125","date":"2025-11-25T19:36:21Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.5.0-beta20251125"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.4.4","date":"2025-11-24T20:01:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.4.3","date":"2025-10-22T20:27:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.4.1","date":"2025-09-11T20:32:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.4.0","date":"2025-08-28T20:39:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.3.2","date":"2025-08-08T04:11:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.3.1","date":"2025-06-25T19:26:24Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.2.2","date":"2025-05-29T19:43:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.3.0-beta20250528","date":"2025-05-28T21:56:16Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.3.0-beta20250528"},{"url":"https://github.com/openbao/openbao/releases/tag/v2.2.1","date":"2025-04-22T20:39:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.2.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.fedramp | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | - | 8.5 |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fopenbao%2Fopenbao%2Ftools&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Secrets Management Tools)

| Capability | AWS Secrets Manager | OpenBao |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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 | - | None |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:40:07.090Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*