HashiCorp Vault vs Infisical (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HashiCorp Vault and Infisical share a 2.0 GPA, and only Infisical has a free plan.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
HashiCorp Vault grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Infisical grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
HashiCorp Vault
Secrets and encryption management for infrastructure teams
Infisical
Secrets, certificate and privileged access platform for developers
Which one is for you
Pick HashiCorp Vault if
- Fits if you are a platform or security team handing secrets to software
- Works for teams that mix on-premises and cloud and can run their own service
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want browser autofill for personal logins
- Skip it if nobody on your team can run and secure a server
- Watch out: Enterprise features need a licence and no prices could be read
- Too light for phones, as no mobile apps are listed
Pick Infisical if
- Fits if you are a developer team moving off shared .env files
- Makes sense if you sync secrets to CI and cloud services
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have many pipelines, since every machine identity is billed like a person
- Tight if you outgrow 5 identities, 3 environments or 10 syncs on the free plan
- Watch out: dynamic secrets and custom roles start at Advanced, $40 per identity
- Watch out: SCIM, LDAP, approvals and self-hosting sit under Enterprise, quoted by sales
- Skip it if you want phone apps, as none are listed
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAHashiCorp VaultFair | 2.0GPAInfisicalFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe community edition is a download, but it is only useful if you host it, so it sits at C. Paid prices could not be read as the pricing pages sit behind a bot check. | DPro is $20 per identity a month billed yearly, against $5 where the category's dearest tenth begins, and machines count as identities. The free plan is the cheap way in. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe community edition is free and uncapped, though you run and secure it. The install docs now call it IBM Vault Community Edition. | CFree covers 5 identities, 3 environments and 10 secret syncs, and there is a 14-day trial of Pro and Advanced. You will hit those caps with a small team. |
| Features | CStatic secrets, database credentials, encryption as a service, certificates and audit logging. Enterprise features need a licence. | CEnvironments, syncs, rotation, access control and certificates. Dynamic secrets, custom roles and SOC 2 start at Advanced; SCIM, LDAP and approvals need Enterprise. |
| Ease of use | DIt is infrastructure software run from a command line and config files, with no consumer onboarding. No store rating on record. | CYou set up projects, environments and syncs, with a command line in the mix. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CInstalls on macOS, Windows and Linux with a web interface. No phone apps and no integrations list on the pages read. | BWeb, Mac, Windows and Linux, with GitHub, Vercel, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform and more. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | machine secrets for platform teams | developer teams replacing .env files |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: HashiCorp Vault and Infisical. How we grade
Where they differ
- Infisical is open source, according to its own site.
- Infisical also covers reports.
At a glance
| HashiCorp Vault | Infisical | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per identity / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | Up to 5 identities, unlimited projects, 3 environments, 10 secret syncs, secret sharing and 2FA. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial on Pro and Advanced |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | HashiCorp | Infisical |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | infisical.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
HashiCorp Vault
- No prices could be read: the vendor's pricing pages sit behind a bot check.
- It is infrastructure software for operators, not a personal password manager with browser autofill.
- Enterprise features need a license; the install docs now call the free edition IBM Vault Community Edition.
- A Community edition is installable on macOS, Windows and Linux, but is run and secured by you.
Infisical
- Pricing counts every human and machine identity, so CI pipelines and services add to the bill.
- Free is limited to 5 identities, 3 environments and 10 secret syncs.
- Dynamic secrets, custom roles and SOC 2 Type II start at Advanced; SCIM, LDAP and approvals need Enterprise.
- Self-hosting is listed under Enterprise, with pricing quoted by sales.
Key features
HashiCorp Vault
- Static secrets
- Stores and controls access to credentials, tokens and other sensitive data, reachable through a UI, CLI or HTTP API.
- Database credentials
- A database secrets engine handles the credential lifecycle for database access.
- Encryption as a service
- Encrypts data in transit and at rest so applications need not hold raw keys or handle encryption themselves.
- Certificates and identities
- The docs list certificate management and identity and authentication management among the things Vault handles.
- Audit logging
- Audit logging is part of the platform, supporting the compliance use cases listed in the docs.
- Enterprise features
- Enterprise adds items such as HSM support, namespaces, Sentinel policies and disaster recovery replication.
Infisical
- Secrets by environment
- Secrets live in projects with folders and environments; Free allows 3 environments, Pro 6 per project and Advanced 12.
- Secret syncs and integrations
- Pushes secrets to GitHub, Vercel, AWS and Kubernetes, with 100+ integrations listed; syncs are capped at 10, 25 or 50 by plan.
- Rotation and dynamic secrets
- Rotates credentials on a schedule from Pro, and issues short-lived on-demand secrets from Advanced.
- Access control and SSO
- Role-based permissions from Pro, SAML single sign-on from Pro, custom roles and SSO enforcement from Advanced.
- Certificates and privileged access
- Separate products cover private certificate authorities and session-recorded privileged access; each has its own plans on the pricing page.
- Secret sharing
- Share a secret by an expiring link limited by time or views instead of pasting it into chat or email.
Plans
HashiCorp Vault
Pricing could not be confirmed. See developer.hashicorp.com.
Infisical
Free$0
Up to 5 identities with unlimited projects, 100+ integrations, secret sharing, secret references and 2FA.
Pro$20
per identity / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly)
Adds access controls, secret rotation, SAML SSO, secret versioning, point-in-time recovery and 30-day audit logs.
Advanced$40
per identity / month, billed annually ($46 billed monthly)
Adds dynamic secrets, custom roles, SSO and MFA enforcement, SOC 2 Type II and 90-day audit logs.
EnterpriseCustom
Adds approval workflows, LDAP, SCIM, a 99.99% SLA, SIEM log streaming, and self-hosting or dedicated infrastructure.
Ways to pay less
HashiCorp Vault
No public discounts listed.
Infisical
- Annual discount
Save 13% with annual billing
The pricing page shows $20 per identity per month billed annually against $23 billed monthly on Pro, and $40 against $46 on Advanced.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, HashiCorp Vault or Infisical?
As of Nov 13, 2026, HashiCorp Vault has no price we could confirm, and Infisical starts at $20 per identity / month, billed annually ($23 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, HashiCorp Vault or Infisical?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Infisical has a free plan. HashiCorp Vault does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.