HashiCorp Vault Reviews

Name: HashiCorp Vault
Brand: HashiCorp
Rating: 4.1 (17 reviews)

4.1 out of 5

17 reviews
89% willing to recommend

544 followers

What is HashiCorp Vault?

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.

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HashiCorp Vault is the #4 ranked solution in top Enterprise Password Managers. PeerSpot users give HashiCorp Vault an average rating of 8.2 out of 10. HashiCorp Vault is most commonly compared to CyberArk Privileged Access Manager: HashiCorp Vault vs CyberArk Privileged Access Manager. HashiCorp Vault is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 66% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 20% of all views.

Helped 839,422 peers since 2012

Featured HashiCorp Vault reviews

AKASHGUPTA3

Credit Analyst at Standard Chartered Bank

I would advise doing a Proof of Concept first and then deciding accordingly because your use case might be simple. You can try out AWS Key Management or Azure Key Vault. They are different products. Do the POC and then decide what you need. Overall, I would rate the solution a six out of ten. No solution is a ten in my opinion.

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KishoreKumar1

Architect at Accenture

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 easily and see good results rapidly. When you integrate an internal API or application, it quickly manages that application's secrets. The access management feature in HashiCorp is great, especially if you are considering situations where users are getting onboarded. They can manage their passwords themselves, and it integrates well with Active Directory or any other directory services. This is particularly useful for user management and applications that communicate with each other without human intervention.

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Joble John

Vice President - Global Head of Privilege Access Management, Data Services and Certification at Barclays Capital

We use the solution for secret management. The product needs to improve its customization. It should be also more like easy to plug and play. I have been working with the product for three years. I would rate the product an eight out of ten. On-premises

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HashiCorp Vault mindshare

As of March 2025, the mindshare of HashiCorp Vault in the Enterprise Password Managers category stands at 12.9%, down from 14.4% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Password Managers

PeerAnalyst reports based on HashiCorp Vault reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	Enterprise Password Managers	Mar 4, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Mar 4, 2025	Download
Comparison	HashiCorp Vault vs Azure Key Vault	Mar 4, 2025	Download
Comparison	HashiCorp Vault vs CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	Mar 4, 2025	Download
Comparison	HashiCorp Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager	Mar 4, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
CyberArk Privileged Access Manager	4.3	7.5%	94%	210 interviews Add to research
Azure Key Vault	4.3	22.8%	98%	49 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Dynamic secrets and key revocation, integration with CI/CD, seamless encryption capabilities, and compatibility with cloud platforms and Kubernetes are highly valued. Open-source nature and strong API features enhance easy integration and user-friendly navigation. Secret engine and access management excel in handling complex requirements, while the version control prevents secret editing, ensuring security. Free usage, secure secret storage, password management, and smooth integration with Consul boost effectiveness, aiding compliance and user onboarding.

"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is version control."
"The most valuable feature of HashiCorp Vault is version control."
"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 easily and see good results rapidly. When you integrate an internal API or application, it quickly manages that application's secrets."

Room for Improvement

HashiCorp Vault requires better integrations with public clouds like AWS and Azure. Its documentation and technical support lack depth. The user interface is too manual and could benefit from automation. The complexity of initial setup and HSM compliance is challenging. Pricing is high, and there are issues with stability and customization. Users seek more advanced features, improved error handling, and easier deployment. An intuitive graphical interface is needed to simplify management.

"An improvement needed is the ability for auto-initialization. There should be an inbuilt option for automatic initialization rather than running it manually."
"An improvement needed is the ability for auto-initialization."
"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."

Pricing

Enterprise buyers often find HashiCorp Vault's open-source version cost-effective, suitable primarily for small to medium-scale needs. Pricing becomes significant when opting for premium services, especially with high resiliency and redundancy requirements. Some users report surprise at costs exceeding a quarter million annually, mainly driven by specific, demanding requirements. The enterprise version necessitates evaluating support levels, data, and replication needs. Though some find pricing competitive, the cost structure and definitions, especially around clients, can be unclear.

"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."
"The product is expensive."
"The solution's cost is reasonable."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use HashiCorp Vault for secrets management, storing and encrypting keys, certificates, and passwords across various platforms like Kubernetes, Rancher, and OpenShift. It's favored for its security, cloud-agnostic capabilities, and integration with tools like Terraform. It serves as central storage, helps manage static and dynamic credentials, and supports secure machine-to-machine communication in hybrid environments. Companies integrate it for compliance, backup, logging, and key lifecycle management to meet specific enterprise requirements.

Service and Support

HashiCorp Vault's customer service and support receive mixed feedback. Users praise the support for prompt responses and exceeding expectations during initial discussions. However, others report challenges in accessing assistance, difficulty in creating support tickets, and a preference for self-research due to delayed help. Open-source users often rely on online documentation and self-troubleshooting. Satisfaction varies, but some users find technical support effective, while others feel improvement is needed, especially in response times.

Deployment

Initial impressions of HashiCorp Vault's setup range from simple to complex. Some find installation quick, taking 15-30 minutes, aided by clear documentation and automated processes. Others encounter complexities, particularly with cloud integration and manual intervention. Support varies; enterprise clients receive significant help. Familiarity and automation ease the process for some, while others need security team involvement. Manual onboarding is time-consuming, and a more self-service approach is suggested. Difficulty ratings vary, reflecting varied experiences.

Scalability

HashiCorp Vault scales effectively and is described as stable and flexible. Organizations with varying user counts from a dozen to over a thousand successfully utilize it, highlighting its robust scalability. Some leverage Consul integrations and Kubernetes deployments for enhanced scalability. The extent of scalability often depends on the user's infrastructure and usage volume, making it suitable for diverse needs. Users indicate satisfaction with its scalability, some rating it prominently on a ten-point scale.

Stability

Users find HashiCorp Vault stable, mentioning it runs well under intensive workloads. Although some experience minor bugs and glitches, many report it consistently runs without issues, rating stability between six and nine out of ten. Occasional problems might arise from network latency, especially with mixed cloud environments. Generally, its performance is satisfactory, particularly in machine-to-machine communication, though some encounter challenges when scaling across regions.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our HashiCorp Vault Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

20%

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Retailer

Insurance Company

Healthcare Company

Comms Service Provider

University

Media Company

Educational Organization

Energy/Utilities Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Real Estate/Law Firm

Construction Company

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Legal Firm

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Logistics Company

Transportation Company

Outsourcing Company

Performing Arts

Pharma/Biotech Company

Consumer Goods Company

Leisure / Travel Company

Compare HashiCorp Vault with alternative products

Learn more about HashiCorp Vault

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.