AWS Secrets Manager vs HashiCorp Vault comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and HashiCorp are both solutions in the Enterprise Password Managers category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.9, while HashiCorp is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.4. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 17.2% mindshare in EPM, compared to HashiCorp’s 11.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of HashiCorp users who would recommend it.

AWS Secrets Manager

Read 15 AWS Secrets Manager reviews

8,112 Views
8,112 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HashiCorp Vault

Read 18 HashiCorp Vault reviews

6,497 Views
6,497 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

AWS Secrets Manager

HashiCorp Vault

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

HashiCorp Vault and AWS Secrets Manager are major contenders in the secrets management category. AWS Secrets Manager has the upper hand, mainly due to its seamless integration with other AWS services, justifying its cost for those heavily invested in AWS.

Features: HashiCorp Vault offers a customizable access control system, supports multi-cloud environments, and provides dynamic secrets management. AWS Secrets Manager is noted for its seamless AWS ecosystem integration, automation of secret rotation, and simple access management.

Room for Improvement: HashiCorp Vault could improve by simplifying deployment and enhancing user interface intuitiveness. AWS Secrets Manager might focus on improving non-AWS service integration, adding more flexible pricing options, and supporting additional compliance frameworks.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HashiCorp Vault's deployment is complex, requiring detailed setup and configuration, while AWS Secrets Manager, benefiting from AWS service integration, offers a smoother deployment experience with extensive AWS support.

Pricing and ROI: HashiCorp Vault requires a higher initial investment due to its extensive setup but offers strong ROI with its security features. AWS Secrets Manager features a straightforward pricing model, often cost-effective for AWS-centric businesses, with its integration capabilities providing significant value.

To learn more, read our detailed AWS Secrets Manager vs. HashiCorp Vault Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

AWS Secrets Manager vs. HashiCorp Vault

July 2025

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Helped 865,164 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

AWS Secrets Manager

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

HashiCorp Vault

Ranking in Enterprise Password Managers

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Enterprise Password Managers category, the mindshare of AWS Secrets Manager is 17.2%, down from 21.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HashiCorp Vault is 11.3%, down from 13.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Password Managers

Q&A Highlights

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot

Dec 12, 2021

Which is better - HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager?

yet to learn both

See all answers

Featured Reviews

Mahadev Metre

DevOps Engineer at Paydoh

Consistent security and efficiency improvements optimize IT infrastructure with effective management

When creating AWS Secrets Manager, it should be automated using tools such as Terraform, Puppet, or Ansible. With Terraform code, you specify the encryption key, secret name, rotation policy, and secret replication. Human error occurs when feeding secret values manually, especially with large amounts of secrets to input. Secrets should never be protected only by IAM. They should be protected by multiple layers, such as IAM and one or two KMS keys. Additional security measures could be beneficial if necessary. The rotation policy is crucial because some secrets may become obsolete, require updates, or get compromised. With a weekly rotation policy, if unauthorized access occurs, the exposure is limited to seven days. The rotation policy can be customized according to needs.

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Anand-Awasthi

Cloud Solutions Architect at IBM

Offers dynamic secrets and certificate management for proactive security measures

The best features in HashiCorp Vault are its dynamic certificate management and dynamic secret management, which are the key features that use data effectively. These are very targeted use cases that cut across multiple solutions. I have utilized Vault's encryption capabilities for securing data in transit and at rest, especially for dynamically consuming database encryption, which covers the requirements of various scenarios where databases do not have encryption capability. HashiCorp Vault provides security by rotating the keys and taking all the burden of securing the data from the database. These are key core features that many users employ in this solution. Vault's audit logs provide insights into access patterns and help ensure compliance. These facilities are configurable, and the logs are encrypted, ensuring that anything recorded in the logs is secure. We could use systems that comply with specific standards for audit logging and scanning, especially when working with them. The benefits from HashiCorp Vault include significant advantages in security lifecycle management itself. The value becomes apparent when security incidents occur. It has substantial value in proactively protecting from adverse situations, providing resilience and appreciation by customers in complete security lifecycle management solutions for core infrastructure applications.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It's highly scalable, so I'd rate it a ten out of ten."

"The most valuable feature is usability, as it is quite user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature of AWS Secrets Manager is its seamless integration with various AWS services."

"The most valuable feature is the management of credentials."

"The most valuable feature is security."

"All our workloads are running on AWS, so integration with our workload is much easier on AWS Secrets Manager than going with another solution such as Thycotic."

"Integrating with other services was straightforward, especially within the AWS environment."

"The solution is very scalable."

More AWS Secrets Manager pros

"The tool's dynamic rotation of the password credentials is good."

"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is the management of tickets in the pipeline."

"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is version control."

"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is that it's an open source solution. Second, it's cloud agnostic, so it's very easy to maintain and control, which is why we prefer HashiCorp."

"The benefits from HashiCorp Vault include significant advantages in security lifecycle management itself."

"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is version control."

"This solution is easy to use and to integrate."

"For me, the most valuable features include that it's easy to manage and maintain the password API for retrieving passwords and other things."

More HashiCorp Vault pros

Cons

"If you don't have enterprise support, then you will not be able to get through to them to get the help. It is not only applicable to AWS Secrets Manager. It is also applicable to any service on AWS."

"The solution's initial setup process is complicated."

"There is room for improvement in the pricing model."

"The sidecar feature has room for improvement."

"The price of the solution could improve."

"There is room for improvement in terms of integrating with certain other platforms."

"There is a potential improvement in connecting AWS Secrets Manager to Jenkins CI/CD pipeline to automatically reflect changes in production."

"There is a need for better environmental implementation, such as having a security fund as a solution."

More AWS Secrets Manager cons

"In terms of features, the only thing that I found a little bit hinky was that there was no revocation or deletion on the model we were using. Once in a financial year, a client interacts, and you pay for that client for the year. So, there are just little things like that in the pricing. There should be more clarity around the end of the key. I know there is no system like this. They all are the same. I tested Microsoft, Google, and some others, and none of them really want you to delete a key, which makes sense. You delete a key, and you lose everything that it has wrapped or encrypted, but it's actually just a language. Deletion isn't really deletion. It's really revocation, but overall, HashiCorp Vault ticked all the boxes for us, and I couldn't fault it."

"I would rate the stability a six out of ten. There are some bugs and glitches. We are in touch with the vendor to resolve them."

"The solution could be much easier to implement."

"The technical support was hard to get a hold of and lacking in service."

"In my opinion, HashiCorp Vault could improve its user interface. Right now, they don't offer much in terms of a graphical interface, which means you usually have to manage things manually through API calls. I think CyberArk has a better approach because it provides a UI that integrates features across all its components, making it easier, especially for new users or those from organizations with strict licensing policies."

"HashiCorp Vault can be improved from the security perspective, as it focuses on security lifecycle management. It requires other solutions for monitoring as users need to rely on tools that constantly monitor the system, especially database activity."

"A drawback for some clients who have to be PCI compliant is that they still need to use and subscribe to an HSM (Hardware Security Module) solution."

"The onboarding is a challenge. It should be more self-service, but it involves reviews and approvals."

More HashiCorp Vault cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We purchase a monthly license for the product."

"I don't believe there is a license cost for the solution."

"The cost is somewhat high."

"We've observed that AWS Secrets Manager pricing is based on a per-secret-per-month model. As a result, we prefer to divide our secrets into individual pieces to increase security and grant specific access permissions to certain secrets, systems, or individuals. However, this approach results in higher costs. Therefore, we have been exploring ways to combine our secrets into groups to reduce expenses and simplify management. Nonetheless, we acknowledge that this issue may not be related to the secret manager's functionality."

"The solution is expensive."

"I am using the open-source version of Vault and I would have to buy a license if I want to get support."

"The product is expensive."

"It could do everything we wanted it to do and it is brilliant, but it is super pricey. To be fair to HashiCorp, we drove the price up with our requirements around resiliency. Because of the nature of our company, we don't really operate in the cloud."

"The AWS version is much cheaper than HashiCorp Vault."

"The solution's cost is reasonable."

"In my case, the open-source version works well. It's advisable for small to medium-scale organizations, but for large-scale organizations, you should go with the enterprise version."

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Answers from the Community

Netanya Carmi

Content Manager at PeerSpot

Dec 12, 2021

Which is better - HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager?

See 2 answers

Kmk Kan

Works at Zerto

Nov 23, 2021

yet to learn both

Read full answer

Dovid Gelber

Tech blogger

Dec 12, 2021

HashiCorp Vault was designed with your needs in mind. One of the features that makes this evident is its ability to work as both a cloud-agnostic and a multi-cloud solution. As a cloud-agnostic solution, HashiCorp Vault allows you to be flexible in the cloud infrastructure that you choose to use. It is completely compatible and integratable with a myriad of different platforms. You can determine what you want to use and HashiCorp Vault will function without issue, regardless of what you choose. If you are using HashiCorp Vault as a multi-cloud solution, then you have an even greater number of platform options. You will be able to mix and match which cloud platforms you like to use to customize your data protection. The only limits on your customization will end up being your imagination. HashiCorp Vault’s user interface is simple for you to both use and navigate. The UI was designed to be basic enough for users to manage without forcing an organization to spend a great deal of time and resources having to train employees in its use. It might be a little confusing for employees when they start using it. However, once they have used it for a little while they will be proficient in its use. Should an organization choose to invest in training employees in the use of this UI, the required investment will be minimal. AWS Secrets Manager is an extremely user-friendly solution. It is intuitive in its design, which makes it a valuable product. However, AWS Secrets Manager lacks the level of cloud flexibility that HashiCorp Vault offers. Conclusion: While AWS Secrets Manager is a fairly competent product, we found HashiCorp Vault to be superior. HashiCorp Vault‘s greater flexibility and integration capabilities make it the more robust solution.

Read full answer

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

Which is better - Azure Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager?

Azure Key Vault is a SaaS solution. You can easily store passwords and secrets securely and encrypt them. Azure Key Vault is a great solution to ensure you are compliant with security and governanc...

See all answers

Which is better - HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager?

See all answers

What do you like most about AWS Secrets Manager?

The most valuable feature of AWS Secrets Manager is its seamless integration with various AWS services.

See all answers

What do you like most about HashiCorp Vault?

The feature I find most beneficial in HashiCorp Vault is the secret engine. It integrates smoothly with many applications, making it easy to set up and implement quickly. This allows you to test it...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HashiCorp Vault?

If I were to set it up in AWS Secret Management, I would have to manage it, pay, and create secrets without being cloud agnostic. The advantage with Vault is that it is cloud agnostic. I can deploy...

See all answers

What needs improvement with HashiCorp Vault?

The UI could be improved to better handle complex operations like policy management, dynamic secret creation, and audit log analysis

See all answers

Comparisons

Azure Key Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager

Compared 75% of the time

1Password Business vs AWS Secrets Manager

Compared 6% of the time

Delinea Secret Server vs AWS Secrets Manager

Compared 4% of the time

Bitwarden vs AWS Secrets Manager

Compared 3% of the time

CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs AWS Secrets Manager

Compared 2% of the time

More AWS Secrets Manager Competitors

Bitwarden vs HashiCorp Vault

Compared 27% of the time

Delinea Secret Server vs HashiCorp Vault

Compared 11% of the time

Keeper Enterprise Password Manager vs HashiCorp Vault

Compared 11% of the time

Azure Key Vault vs HashiCorp Vault

Compared 9% of the time

1Password Business vs HashiCorp Vault

Compared 8% of the time

More HashiCorp Vault Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise Password Managers

July 2025

Download AWS Secrets Manager product report

Buyer's Guide

HashiCorp Vault

August 2025

Download HashiCorp Vault product report

Overview

AWS Secrets Manager helps you protect secrets needed to access your applications, services, and IT resources. The service enables you to easily rotate, manage, and retrieve database credentials, API keys, and other secrets throughout their lifecycle.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

HashiCorp Vault is a cloud-agnostic solution used for security and secret management. Its valuable features include integration with other HashiCorp tools, token sharing, open source nature, cloud agnosticism, and on-the-fly encryption management.

The solution provides encryption of data at rest, in use, in transit, on the fly, and linked with applications. It is free to use, and the interface is simple to navigate. HashiCorp Vault has helped organizations with its multiple authentication methods and RESTful API.

HashiCorp Vault Features

Data encryption: The solution is capable of encrypting and decrypting data, and will not store it. Organizations’ security personnel define their own encryption protocols; developers can store the encrypted data where they choose and are not obligated to design specific encryption processes.
Robust secrets: For systems such as AWS or SQL databases, Vault is able to generate secrets automatically. HashiCorp Vault is able to generate AWS keypairs with all the appropriate permissions when necessary, and when the approved time expires, will nullify them.
Secure secret storage: Any type of value or key secrets can be stored in the Vault. The Vault automatically encrypts the desired secrets before recording them into persistent storage, keeping them safe and secure. Users can record data using HCP Vault’s Consul service or disk, or choose from other options.
Nullification: Vault is able to nullify single secrets or all secrets from a particular group or specific user. This process is integral in securing systems in the event of an attack or inappropriate access.

Reviews from Real Users

“The greatest benefit of HashiCorp is its ability to manage encryption on the fly. It provides encryption of data at rest, in use, in transit, on the fly, and linked with applications, which was really attractive. The lifecycle of a key is so easy to manage in terms of rotating, revoking, and issuing. They have different auth methods, and I tried all different auth methods. It is seamless.”- Project Manager at a comms service provider.

“The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is that it's an open source solution. Second, it's cloud-agnostic, so it's very easy to maintain and control, which is why we prefer HashiCorp. “ - Mohamed A., Lead DevOps Engineer at Etisalat.

HashiCorp

Sample Customers

Autodesk, Clevy, Stackery

Adobe, SAP Ariba, Citadel, Spaceflight, Cruise

Buyer's Guide

AWS Secrets Manager vs. HashiCorp Vault

July 2025

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