HashiCorp Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager
HashiCorp Vault and AWS Secrets Manager are both secrets management solutions. Vault is the open-source, cloud-agnostic standard that supports dynamic secrets, PKI, encryption as a service, and many auth methods. AWS Secrets Manager is the managed, AWS-native option with deep integration into RDS, Lambda, and other AWS services. Vault wins on flexibility; AWS Secrets Manager wins on AWS integration simplicity.
Build a custom alternative freeSide-by-side
Secrets management and data encryption platform vs Managed secrets storage for AWS workloads.
| Feature | HashiCorp Vault | AWS Secrets Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing from | Free OSS / HCP Vault from $0.03/hour | $0.40/secret/month |
| Cloud agnostic | Yes - works with any cloud | AWS-only |
| Dynamic secrets | Yes - database creds generated on-demand | Limited |
| Self-hosted | Yes - open source | No |
| AWS service integration | Via Vault AWS auth | Native - RDS, Lambda, ECS |
| Secret rotation | Configurable | Built-in for AWS services |
| Pricing | Free OSS or $0.03-0.06/hour HCP | $0.40/secret + $0.05/10k API calls |
The third option most teams miss
Picking between HashiCorp Vault and AWS Secrets Manager isn't the only choice.
For platform engineering teams that need custom access request and credential lifecycle management tools, Appaca builds the internal access ops system.
- No code, no deployment, no devops
- Built-in database, dashboards, team access
- Refine with chat as your needs change
- Free to start, no per-seat pricing surprises
Common questions
Use AWS Secrets Manager if you are AWS-only and want a fully managed solution with minimal operational overhead. Use HashiCorp Vault if you have multi-cloud, on-premises, or complex secret management needs, or if you want dynamic secrets and fine-grained access policies.
Appaca is a third option for teams that don't want to choose between two existing tools. Instead of forcing your workflow into someone else's product, Appaca builds a custom app from a description - with built-in database, hosting, and team access. Try it free at appaca.ai.