Best External Secrets alternatives in 2026
8 direct alternatives to External Secrets, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.
Curated by Louis Corneloup · Updated Cite this list: Toolradar, best External Secrets alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/external-secrets
Why people consider alternatives to External Secrets
External Secrets is a Kubernetes operator that integrates external secret management systems like AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, Google Secret Manager, and others with Kubernetes.
Teams most often switch away when one of these starts to bite:
- •A feature or quota ceiling that a paid specialist covers and this free tool does not.
- •Missing integrations with the rest of your stack.
- •Performance or scale limits as your needs grow.
- •A specific feature gap you have hit in cloud & infrastructure.
The 8 alternatives below cover the same core job (cloud & infrastructure) with different trade-offs. Ranked by real-signal score: G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review.
8 alternatives to External Secrets
Ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review, plus how directly they replace External Secrets.
- 1
HashiCorp Vault
FreemiumSecurely store, manage, and encrypt secrets and credentials
Direct alternative4.3(53)as of Aug 2026Compare External Secrets vs HashiCorp Vault → - 2
AWS Secrets Manager
PaidAWS service for storing and rotating secrets securely
Direct alternative4.5(18)as of Sep 2026Compare External Secrets vs AWS Secrets Manager → - 3
Infisical
FreemiumOpen-source secret management platform for modern teams
Direct alternative4.8(9)as of Aug 2026Compare External Secrets vs Infisical → - 4
Proton VPN
FreemiumBattle-tested at scaleSwiss privacy protection with unlimited bandwidth
Direct alternative4.6(41,014)as of May 2026Compare External Secrets vs Proton VPN → - 5
Proton
FreemiumBattle-tested at scaleEnd-to-end encrypted suite for total digital privacy
Direct alternative4.8(31,996)as of May 2026Compare External Secrets vs Proton → - 6
Dropbox
FreemiumBattle-tested at scaleCloud storage and collaboration
Direct alternative4.4(53,152)as of Sep 2026Compare External Secrets vs Dropbox → - 7
LastPass
FreemiumBattle-tested at scaleSecurely store, autofill, and share passwords across all your devices
Direct alternative4.6(4,877)as of Sep 2026Compare External Secrets vs LastPass → - 8
ServiceNow
PaidBattle-tested at scaleDigitize and automate workflows for IT, HR, and customer service
Direct alternative4.5(2,341)as of Sep 2026Compare External Secrets vs ServiceNow →
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to External Secrets?
Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to External Secrets are HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Infisical. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.
Is there a free alternative to External Secrets?
External Secrets is already 100% free. There is no other fully free alternative in this list. HashiCorp Vault is freemium (free tier plus paid plans), not 100% free.
Why do people look for External Secrets alternatives?
Common reasons teams switch away from External Secrets even though it is free: missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in cloud & infrastructure. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with a different feature set.
Side-by-side comparisons
In-depth comparison pages for External Secrets versus each alternative.
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