Akeyless vs HashiCorp Vault -- Secrets Management Compared
HashiCorp Vault is the most established alternative to Akeyless, offering unmatched flexibility and the largest ecosystem. While Akeyless provides a zero-knowledge SaaS experience, Vault gives you complete control with self-hosting and 300+ plugins.
Choose HashiCorp Vault if you want the industry standard with maximum flexibility and your team can manage the infrastructure. Choose Akeyless if you want a managed SaaS experience with minimal operations overhead.
| Feature | HashiCorp Vault | Akeyless |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Secrets | 300+ secret engines | Limited dynamic secrets |
| Deployment | Self-hosted or HCP Cloud | SaaS-only with gateway |
| Encryption | Transit engine, seal wrapping | Zero-knowledge DFC |
| Open Source | Yes (BSL license) | No |
| Plugin Ecosystem | 300+ plugins | Limited integrations |
| Secure Remote Access | Via Boundary (separate) | Built-in SSH/RDP/K8s |
| Setup Complexity | High — requires infrastructure | Low — SaaS onboarding |
| Pricing | Free OSS / Enterprise from $0.03/hr | Custom pricing |
Common questions about choosing between Akeyless and HashiCorp Vault.
HashiCorp Vault is the most established alternative to Akeyless, offering unmatched flexibility and the largest ecosystem. While Akeyless provides a zero-knowledge SaaS experience, Vault gives you complete control with self-hosting and 300+ plugins.
Choose HashiCorp Vault if you want the industry standard with maximum flexibility and your team can manage the infrastructure. Choose Akeyless if you want a managed SaaS experience with minimal operations overhead.
HashiCorp Vault pricing: Free (OSS) / Enterprise from $0.03/hr. Akeyless pricing: Custom pricing / Free community tier. HashiCorp Vault's pricing model is open source + enterprise, while Akeyless uses custom enterprise pricing.
Yes, you can migrate from Akeyless to HashiCorp Vault. The migration process depends on your specific setup and the features you use. Both platforms offer APIs that can facilitate automated migration. Consider running both tools in parallel during the transition to ensure zero downtime.
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