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CyberArk Privileged Access Manager vs Delinea Secret Server vs ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise Password Managers category, the mindshare of CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is 7.5%, down from 9.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Delinea Secret Server is 6.5%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus is 0.2%, down from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Password Managers
 

Featured Reviews

Lasantha Wijesinghe - PeerSpot reviewer
We have visibility and control through real-time user behavior analytics
It took us some time to realize its benefits because there was a learning curve for us. It took us about a year to get our heads around this product and start effectively using it. It is a journey. It takes at least five years for any company to make this product very useful and reach maturity. It is not only the product's fault. The company needs to have a vision, and the company culture needs to go with it. Senior leadership needs to support the vision. You need to have lots of ingredients for success. If everything is in place, you will see success after one year. In the first year, it is a struggle for everybody. My company was bought by a bigger company, and they were very new to privileged access management. Everybody was struggling. The advice I would give is to have a good vision for privileged access management. You need dedicated teams, senior management support, and proper company policies and standards before implementing the solution. Start building knowledge slowly and avoid jumping into the deep end without preparation. I would rate CyberArk Privileged Access Manager a nine out of ten.
Avinash Gopu. - PeerSpot reviewer
Effective for password rotation policies triggered by audit requirements, it helps maintain compliance standards and seamless integration with third-party tools
The "App to App" feature has been most impactful. It allows secure communication between applications without requiring direct user access, which is crucial for several applications. Additionally, working in the finance department, we are heavily focused on enhancing audit reporting and compliance. So, the GRC (Governance, Risk & Compliance) capabilities of Delinea Secret Server have also been crucial for us. We implemented a custom reporting system that can automatically send reports to auditors daily, weekly, or according to your organization's needs. We also upgraded the audit role within Secret Server, allowing auditors to access and analyze the reports directly. Additionally, Secret Server provides comprehensive logging capabilities. Auditors can see what data users access, their access levels, and their activities, including check-in and check-out times. Furthermore, Secret Server helped us manage privileged, elevated access, which we call "K2K." As the lead for this project, I could identify users with the highest access levels and implement specific policies to monitor their activity on servers.
Kimberly Brock - PeerSpot reviewer
Efficiently keeps track and monitors
When I look at something like a server or a user who has an unsuccessful login, all they're giving me is what is from the domain controllers. When I click on the analytics portion that says give me information, it doesn't tell me what application is errored out. It doesn't tell me; it just tells me what is the same information from the domain controller. I'd like a little bit more robust information on actually giving me some useful information instead of some links that send me out to the Internet that says research here, and then I have to do additional research. It's kind of generic. And, basically, it's just a quick, I don't have to search through the domain controller logs, but once I pull those out, the logs are still very generic like you get from Microsoft. Area code four three one one. Okay. I had to go look that up. It doesn't take it any further than just a copy based on the domain controller.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Identity and access management are fundamental in cybersecurity."
"The module called PTA, Privileged Threat Analytics, is very useful. When you give access to a user, it monitors and detects if the user's behavior is unusual. After giving access, it continually checks if the user is the same user."
"We are able to rotate privileged user passwords to eliminate fraudulent use."
"The whole concept of Zero Trust and implementing it with CyberArk, which somewhat adheres to the 'never trust, always verify' principle, is very valuable. I really appreciate this aspect. Moreover, the just-in-time access is impressive, allowing access for a specific time."
"Performance-wise, it is excellent."
"Technical support has been very responsive in navigating challenges. It is very easy to open a ticket."
"It is an extremely scalable solution."
"I appreciate the ease of use for support analysts."
"Number one is the password vault; it's very good. Number two, they have a feature for remote desktops that are created on a per session basis, which is very good for security."
"It is able to manage storage and use of personal passwords."
"The privileged access management module is the most reliable feature."
"The solution is good."
"The GUI interface is well-designed and user-friendly."
"Its most valuable feature is its main purpose - the password changing and the Heartbeat so the user has access to only their SVN and does not have access to any other. Thycotic's access privileged management tool allows you to grant access to users for a specific period of time and with specific attributes and privileges."
"The ease of granting access to a secret without having to share the actual password and the password rotation were the main features I found effective for password management."
"The discovery engine is really robust and flexible. It had some session management features that are better compared to some other vendors. Overall the GUI is very good and straightforward to operate compared to other solutions. For example, CyberArk and Hitachi tend to be hard to navigate."
"The most valuable feature is the ability for remote users to change their login credentials using their mobile devices."
"The solution enables agents to reset their passwords."
"Due to ransomware and novel threats, we can no longer allow people to gain domain admin access to our servers with only a username and password. With MFA, they must supply a one-time password sent to them via some authenticator, like Microsoft or Google Authenticator. It could be a text message."
"Monitoring is one of the most valuable features for us."
"The solution provides wide options for multifactor authentication."
"It's very simple to manage and implement. Its functions are straightforward. You get all the basic features, such as you get the option to unlock the user account if it is locked. You can enforce password policies, and you also have the option to allow them to reset their passwords if they forget it. These were the basic requirements of my company that we could achieve through this product."
"One of the most valuable features is the self-service capability. I"
"Having multifactor authentication in Windows machines."
 

Cons

"Online help needs to be looked into with live agent support."
"I would like to see a simplification of the product."
"Response time is not ideal, and reaching someone knowledgeable can take time."
"When we are implementing it, it is quite tricky. It could be less complex for new users. The learning curve could be a little better."
"I find it hard to mention a point of improvement because I'm happy with the platform. The only thing I would say is that they can improve their price."
"They can do a better job in the PSM space."
"I would like to see better automation in granting access, better tools, more efficient tools, to be able to customize the solution that CyberArk provides."
"They are sometimes not flexible with things. For instance, from one day to another, there might be something that had been done years ago by CyberArk, then they say, "We do not support that." You then have to initiate a complaint and start working with them. Things might become complicated and months pass while you are working with them. Usually, they are good and fast, but sometimes they seem to be blocked with problems, e.g., you will suddenly be working with another team instead of the team that you were working with the day before."
"We always ask for partner enablement, which is more like a soft requirement rather than a product requirement. It would be great if they can provide us deeper knowledge of their products for integration."
"We find the documentation hard to understand."
"One of the things that we want is to be able to do some of the management of it using APIs."
"This product is excellent in every way except minor details in handling extremely large environments."
"When Delinea upgrades the tool, it rejects our password, saying that it is not compliant and strong."
"Its remote support feature needs improvement."
"One thing that I wish they would do is to have a Kubernetes or container-based deployment supported, but they're not quite there yet. Containerization or support for containerization would be fantastic."
"Installation can sometimes be difficult, depending on the environment."
"The price must be reduced."
"Could be simplified, not user-friendly."
"We need more reports for visualization."
"The worst part is that the solution can only be installed or updated on a device if it is physically connected to the local network."
"There is a lack of specific information provided by the analytics portion of the software."
"They could improve their security of the products to prevent vulnerabilities."
"The registration process could be improved. It should be easier for users to register for the service."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is perceived to be somewhat overpriced compared to similar market products. It is a little bit overvalued. It could come down a little bit for my liking. However, the industry-leading reputation and the quality of service justify the high price point to some extent."
"The solution is very expensive and requires a license. We pay for an enterprise license."
"The main problem for the tool is its licensing. I work for a really big company. When you try to develop this as a service, usually you work with leverage teams who are formed with dozens of members. You might dedicate one FTE, or less, for something, e.g., an antivirus administrator. You might have half an FTE's effort dedicated to administering the antivirus, but then you have a team of about 30 users who might access that ticket. The problem is that CyberArk eliminated the possibility of concurrent users years ago. This is a big problem for companies who work with leverage teams. You need to pay for everyone. 40 licenses are used by 20 or 30 people. This is a big problem because licenses are not precisely cheap."
"CyberArk Privileged Access Manager is on the expensive side. It is very expensive."
"It is not a cheap solution. It is expensive as compared with other solutions. However, it is one of the best solutions in their domain."
"In comparison to other products on the market, CyberArk is a more costly product."
"The price of CyberArk support could be a little bit less. Otherwise, pricing is fine."
"It can be an expensive product."
"It is very expensive, and its price should be lower."
"Most customers opt for a yearly license."
"They are priced quite well."
"Pricing is comparable to competing products."
"Its price is okay. We don't compete on pricing. We seldom use price to win over our competitors. We prefer it this way because if we can sustain the price, we make more margin as well. We don't want the price to go down to the bottom where despite the win, there's no margin at all."
"In the Nigerian market, the adoption of Delinea depends largely on an organization's budget. If they have the financial capacity, they might consider Delinea as a viable option."
"The tool's pricing is expensive."
"There is an annual license needed to use Delinea Secret Server."
"You purchase the license for one time, and you can use it for a lifetime. The only thing is that in order to get support, you need to upgrade your product to the latest solution. You need to keep a support contract with them for which you have to pay some amount. It's a very small amount for renewing their support contract. Overall, it's very cost-effective."
"Using this solution costs us about $1,200 USD per year."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
34%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Educational Organization
37%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
6%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
11%
Wholesaler/Distributor
9%
Retailer
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

How does Sailpoint IdentityIQ compare with CyberArk PAM?
We evaluated Sailpoint IdentityIQ before ultimately choosing CyberArk. Sailpoint Identity Platform is a solution to m...
What do you like most about CyberArk Privileged Access Manager?
The most valuable features of the solution are control and analytics.
Looking for recommendations and a pros/cons template for software to detect insider threats
This is an inside-out --- outside-in --- inside-in question, as an insider can be an outsider as well. There is no sh...
What do you like most about Delinea Secret Server?
The privileged access management module is the most reliable feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Delinea Secret Server?
If you're requesting licenses or pricing, then you have to fill out a questionnaire that they try to gain insight int...
What do you like most about ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus?
Monitoring is one of the most valuable features for us.
What needs improvement with ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus?
The price must be reduced. The cost must depend on the number of nodes.
What is your primary use case for ManageEngine ADSelfService Plus?
We use the solution to reset passwords automatically. It is useful for companies that have many employees.
 

Also Known As

CyberArk Privileged Access Security, CyberArk Enterprise Password Vault
Thycotic Secret Server, Delinea Password Reset Server
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Rockwell Automation
Secure-24, University of San Diego, International Rescue Committee, San Francisco Ballet, Perkins Coie, University of San Diego, D.S.S. Limited, Turbo's Hoet, Eclipse Computing, Cathay Bank, Stellarise, J&R Consulting
TEL U.S. Holdings Inc, Henson Group, CAMH, HPE, HubSpot, Hitachi, IBM, Accenture, Capgemini, Apogee, Symantec
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, CyberArk, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and others in Enterprise Password Managers. Updated: April 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.