Azure Key Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager

Azure Key Vault and AWS Secrets Manager are both cloud-native solutions. Azure Key Vault microsoft Azure's managed secrets, keys, and certificate service, while AWS Secrets Manager native AWS secrets management service with automatic rotation. The best choice depends on your organization's size, technical requirements, and budget.

Updated Feb 2026
How we compare:This comparison is based on official documentation, public pricing, community discussions, and aggregated user feedback, not hands-on testing by our team. We organize what real users and practitioners are saying across the web.

The Bottom Line

Choose Azure Key Vault if deep Azure and Microsoft 365 integration is your priority and microsoft and Azure-centric organizations. Choose AWS Secrets Manager if seamless AWS integration matters most and teams already on AWS who want native integration.

Choose Azure Key Vault if:

  • You value deep Azure and Microsoft 365 integration
  • You value hSM-backed security
  • You value low cost for secrets operations
  • You want to avoid aWS lock-in
  • You want to avoid limited to AWS ecosystem

Choose AWS Secrets Manager if:

  • You value seamless AWS integration
  • You value fully managed, zero infrastructure
  • You value built-in rotation for RDS, Redshift, DocumentDB
  • You want to avoid azure lock-in
  • You want to avoid complex permission model

Feature Comparison

FeatureAzure Key VaultAWS Secrets Manager
PricingSecrets: $0.03/10k operations / Keys: from $1/key/month$0.40/secret/month + $0.05/10k API calls
Pricing ModelPer-operationPer-secret
Open SourceNoNo
DeploymentCloudCloud
Best ForMicrosoft and Azure-centric organizationsTeams already on AWS who want native integration
HSM-backed key storageSupportedNot available
Certificate lifecycle managementSupportedNot available
Azure AD integrationSupportedNot available

Sources

Related

Azure Key Vault AlternativesAWS Secrets Manager AlternativesAzure Key Vault OverviewAWS Secrets Manager Overview