Top 9 PAM Solutions with Free Alternatives

We spent three days testing and reviewing popular Privileged Access Management (PAM) solutions. We used the free trials and admin consoles of BeyondTrust, Keeper PAM, and ManageEngine PAM360. For solutions that required registration, we relied on official product documentation and verified user experiences to assess their capabilities.

When selecting the best PAM solutions, we considered common buyer needs, such as DevOps & infrastructure integrations, access & automation capabilities. 

Best 9 commercial PAM vendors 

Pricing insights come from AWS Marketplace and official vendor websites.¹

PAM maturity comparison

All reviewed PAM solutions include a common set of core features, explained below. Where they begin to diverge is in the depth of automation, context-aware access control, and full-stack integration capabilities that enable:

• Just-in-Time (JIT) access, which grants temporary, time-bound privileged access only when needed and automatically revokes it afterward.
• Dynamic access, which extends JIT principles by enabling adaptive, context-driven access across users, machines, APIs, and applications.

DevOps and infrastructure integrations

* Supports secrets management usable with Kubernetes (no explicit full orchestration support.

Environments span on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud infrastructures, with privileged access extending to endpoints, servers, SaaS platforms, and containers. A strong PAM solution should discover all privileged identities, not just administrative accounts. This includes managing service accounts, API keys, and machine identities that are integral to CI/CD, containers, APIs, Kubernetes, and Terraform for automation and integration.

Compliance and reporting capabilities 

The vendors we selected offer out-of-the-box reports and mappings to major regulatory frameworks. Regulations such as PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and HIPAA all require strict controls over privileged access to ensure accountability and data protection.

Most leading PAM platforms, including BeyondTrust, CyberArk, Delinea Secret Server, ManageEngine PAM360, Okta, and Keeper Security, provide built-in reporting templates and policy mappings aligned with these frameworks. For example, you can review WALLIX’s compliance-reporting capability here.⁴

For some vendors, such as StrongDM, WALLIX, and SailPoint, we could not find detailed public information confirming predefined compliance reports.

Real-world PAM implementation considerations

Can PAM manage heterogeneous systems (e.g., firewalls, switches, routers, Linux servers, off-domain servers, SQL databases)?

Yes, most PAM systems can manage a wide variety of systems, including firewalls, routers, switches, Linux servers, off-domain servers, SQL databases, and other critical infrastructure. However, the depth of integration can vary:

• Out-of-the-box connectors exist for common enterprise systems (Windows, Linux, AD, network devices, databases), but custom integrations are often needed for niche or legacy systems.
  
• Some PAM platforms, such as CyberArk and BeyondTrust, offer marketplaces with predefined integrations or API connectors to extend their reach to more specialized systems.
  
• If a direct connector isn’t available, API-based integrations can be built, allowing PAM systems to manage and rotate credentials for devices that expose command-line or REST API access.

How well do PAM systems integrate with APIs and services? Can a PAM system replace the use of secrets and certificates in scheduled tasks or scripts?

PAM systems can integrate with APIs and services to manage secrets, certificates, and credentials for scheduled tasks or scripts. Most enterprise-grade PAMs (e.g., CyberArk, Delinea, ManageEngine) support integrations with DevOps tools such as Ansible, Jenkins, and Terraform, as well as API calls to automate credential retrieval for applications, scripts, or services.

• Credential retrieval from a vault: For scheduled tasks, scripts, and automation pipelines, listed PAM systems provide REST APIs and secrets management tools to dynamically retrieve passwords or certificates.
  
• Replacing secrets in scripts: PAM systems can replace hard-coded credentials by storing secrets in a vault and referencing them programmatically as needed.

However, PAM systems often require significant setup and testing to fully replace manual secrets management in scripts or scheduled tasks. Expect some integration work to get everything functioning smoothly.

Do you strip all admin access from in-scope systems once PAM is onboarded?

This varies by organization and the specific PAM deployment strategy. While the goal of any PAM implementation is to remove standing administrative access (to reduce the risk of unauthorized access), many systems still maintain break-glass accounts for emergency access in case of PAM failure or critical incidents.

• Emergency access accounts: Accounts that provide direct access to systems when PAM becomes unavailable. Typically, these accounts should be managed and stored securely (e.g., using smart cards or hardware security modules).
• JIT PAM approaches: Some PAM tools offer Just-in-Time (JIT) access, which means privileges are provisioned only when necessary and revoked once the task is complete, reducing the need for persistent administrative access.
• Recommendations: It’s not recommended to strip all access immediately, as failover mechanisms (like break-glass accounts) should be tested and ready for use if needed.

Free PAM solutions

A few vendors offer free PAM-capable solutions that are a good fit for small-scale deployments. Some, such as Devolutions Password Hub, also offer paid business plans that include enterprise features, such as approval workflows and compliance reporting.

We reviewed these tools based on their level of PAM functionality. Below, we present some key solutions. For more details, see our article on free PAM Solutions.

PAM for secure credential storage (vault-based tools):

• Devolutions Password Hub Free: For leveraging a cloud vault with access tracking, but no session control.
• KeePassXC (with KeeAgent): For managing local-only passwords and SSH keys.

PAM for dynamic secrets management tools:

• Vault by HashiCorp (Community Edition): For DevOps teams managing machine-to-machine secrets, dynamic credentials, and automation workflows.

BeyondTrust

We used the BeyondTrust admin console to test how access approvals and session requests work in practice. Below, we will highlight our experience:

System & interface overview:

List of privileged accounts this user has permission to access

You can initiate a session to these target systems using your existing tools via Direct Connect, or directly from the Password Safe Web Console. 

• Users can launch sessions directly from the vault, with credentials automatically injected.
• It supports cross-platform access (Windows via RDP, Linux via SSH) from a unified interface.
• These sessions can be recorded, monitored, and terminated in accordance with policy.

Based on our experience, two use cases stood out for BeyondTrust: remote access and credential storage & management.

Remote access (privileged remote access):  

BeyondTrust’s privileged remote access is built for giving admins and vendors controlled access to restricted parts of your network. Think of it as a secure remote jumpbox where you can grant access on demand or require approval first, convenient for external contractors. It also includes session recording and playback tools for audit and compliance.

Requesting access to the WS20 system:

In this view, we are requesting access to the WS20 system. The console allows setting the start date, access window, and duration, as well as choosing whether to retrieve a password or launch an RDP session directly. This flexibility is part of BeyondTrust’s granular access control, which lets you define who gets access, when, and for how long.

In this case, the system required manual approval before initiating the RDP session. Earlier sessions on other systems were auto-approved because the user was marked as trusted.

This demonstrates BeyondTrust’s ability to enforce dynamic access policies based on system type, trust level, or risk conditions.

You can also link access requests to a ticketing system (like ServiceNow) and specify a ticket number for tracking. The console allows you to set just-in-time (JIT) access durations, such as 2 hours, ensuring privileged credentials aren’t left active longer than necessary. Once approved, the session can be launched immediately, along with all related actions.

For more, you can see JIT auditing documentation.

Overall, the admin console provides clear visibility and strong policy enforcement, though initial configuration can be complex. Once set up, however, the workflow provides a controlled, auditable process for managing privileged sessions and credential retrieval.

Credential storage & management (Password Safe):  

BeyondTrust’s Password Safe manages credentials for service accounts, local application logins, and admin passwords. The Team Passwords option helps when you need to share credentials without full automation.

This is a more automation-heavy approach compared to other vendors’ approaches (ManageEngine or Delinea), which provide smoother manual onboarding experiences.

Team members can create a folder structure to manage team passwords

Integration and onboarding:

You can integrate BeyondTrust with ticketing and ITSM systems like ServiceNow, but most teams start off doing things manually before automating approvals. The integration is powerful but takes effort to get right. BeyondTrust relies on vendor assistance for setup and expansion.

Automation and password rotation challenges:

BeyondTrust’s password automation is powerful but requires caution early on. Services can get locked out if cached credentials aren’t updated before rotation. Start by onboarding built-in admin accounts and rolling out automation slowly. Also, if your Active Directory has special password age or complexity rules, make sure BeyondTrust’s policies match to avoid rotation failures.

CyberArk, Delinea, and ManageEngine face similar challenges.

Strengths

• Granular access control: Detailed approval workflows for internal admins and third parties.
  
• Strong session auditing: Reliable session recording, monitoring, and playback.
  
• Strong ITSM Integration: Deep integration with ServiceNow and other ticketing systems enables access requests to be made directly from incident or change tickets.
  
• OneClick access: Streamlines password checkouts and session launches without repeating full approval workflows.
  
• Multi-system checkout & scripted jumps: Allows simultaneous session launches and post-login commands across linked systems.
  
• Developer integration: REST API and GitHub Action support extend PAM capabilities into DevOps pipelines.

Weaknesses

• Performance overhead: Session startup and authentication can feel sluggish, adding several minutes to tasks.
  
• Short timeout settings: Frequent reauthentication interrupts workflows.
  
• Manual onboarding friction: Automation-first design makes manual setup more cumbersome.
  
• Vendor dependency: Configuration and scaling often need direct vendor support.
  
• Inconsistent OS performance: Windows deployments run more smoothly than Linux deployments in many cases.

One Identity (Safeguard)

One Identity’s PAM offering is built around the Safeguard product family, which covers credential vaulting, session recording, behavioral analytics, and JIT access.

The platform is available in three deployment models: on-premises hardware appliances, a hybrid SaaS option (Safeguard On Demand), and a fully cloud-native tier (Cloud PAM Essentials).

What the platform covers

Safeguard for Privileged Passwords handles automated credential storage, rotation, and retrieval with role-based approval workflows. Safeguard for Privileged Sessions provides session proxying, recording, and real-time monitoring with indexed session content for searchable audit trails. Safeguard for Privileged Analytics adds behavioral analysis for detecting anomalous activity. The platform also integrates with One Identity Manager for organizations that want unified governance across privileged and non-privileged identities in a single framework.

For organizations already using Active Directory heavily, One Identity’s AD bridge tools which extend AD authentication and authorization to Unix, Linux, and macOS systems are a practical addition that reduces the number of separate identity silos to manage.

Strengths

• Appliance-based architecture requires no third-party components for core functionality, reducing maintenance overhead compared to platforms that depend on external dependencies.
• Session proxying keeps real passwords away from end users throughout the session credentials are never exposed to the connecting admin.

Weaknesses

• The session and password management modules were historically separate products. Their integration can create complexity in clustering and troubleshooting, particularly in larger deployments.
• High availability failover between appliances takes long enough that users describe it as a meaningful operational concern rather than a seamless transition.
• Support quality is inconsistent; basic questions are handled reasonably well, but technical issues and complex integrations get slower, less reliable responses. Web-based asset management is a gap.⁵

CyberArk

CyberArk is a Palo Alto-acquired company. ⁶ It is an enterprise password management system. Any systems that use secrets via configuration management, such as Ansible, should probably store those secrets in that system. You can likely use Ansible modules to interact with CyberArk.

CyberArk provides an enterprise PAM system. It’s for large enterprises with hybrid environments, technical staffing, and compliance requirements that require full management. For smaller or less-regulated teams, it is overly complex compared to lighter PAM or secrets management tools.

Below, we will walk through its strengths/weaknesses based on admin experience shared at Reddit. Also, here is a full CyberArk administrative tutorial.

Control plane for identities across sources:

Many IAM tools that require you to replicate or sync users between systems, CyberArk’s Adaptive Directory functions as a meta-directory. It integrates Active Directory, LDAP, and cloud users into a single management view, without copying external users into the cloud.

You can see and manage all users (from AD, LDAP, federated IdPs, or the native CyberArk directory) in one place:

The admin portal is where you will manage your Identity Service and complete any desired customization for identity management.

Credential management & rotation:

CyberArk’s Privileged Account Security (PAS) suite centers on the Enterprise Password Vault (EPV), which stores and rotates credentials for servers, databases, and network devices. Passwords and SSH keys can be rotated automatically based on policy or usage.

Admins can enforce checkout periods, approval workflows, and automatic reconciliation if credentials fall out of sync. For Linux environments, CyberArk can rotate passwords and integrate with AD accounts through LDAP synchronization, reducing static credential exposure. This functionality is particularly valuable in large estates (500+ servers), where manual password hygiene becomes unmanageable.

Session management & auditing:

CyberArk lets you connect to servers directly from the vault without ever seeing or typing the password. All activities during those sessions can be recorded and logged for auditing and compliance purposes.

However, connecting to systems through CyberArk is slower than using standard SSH or RDP tools, especially in Linux environments. Some admins also note that they can open only one session at a time, which can slow down daily operations. ⁷

Deep, policy-based security and granularity:

Policies can target roles, devices, applications, endpoints, and even authentication flows. Each policy is modular, allowing control over one aspect (such as app access, user self-service, or endpoint restrictions). The policy hierarchy lets you manage conflicting or overlapping rules predictably (top-down precedence).

Integration with DevOps & automation

CyberArk provides APIs and SDKs for integration with configuration management and CI/CD tools such as Ansible, Terraform, and Jenkins. However,:

• Some teams have successfully pulled credentials into Ansible using CyberArk modules.
  
• Others report poor vendor support or difficulty testing integrations, especially in automated pipelines:

Implementation & administration experience:

Deploying CyberArk isn’t plug-and-play. Full implementation can take months and requires dedicated expertise. Misconfiguration is a recurring theme in user feedback; many installations leave key features disabled simply because teams can’t test or validate them.

When built properly, though, CyberArk provides strong control, auditing, and scalability. ⁸

Strengths

• Comprehensive PAM platform: Full lifecycle coverage: credential vaulting, rotation, session control, and audit.
  
• Robust security controls: Credentials never reach endpoints; supports granular access and multi-step approvals.
  
• Enterprise audit trail: Session recording, keystroke logging, and searchable transcripts meet strict compliance standards.
  
• Strong AD integration: Synchronizes with Active Directory and automates password reconciliation.
  
• Scalability: Built for large, complex, multi-domain environments.
  
• Integration Ecosystem: APIs, SDKs, and modules for CI/CD, ITSM, and SIEM systems.
  

Weaknesses

• Complex deployment: Requires specialized expertise; typical rollout can take months.
  
• Performance Lag: Session initiation (especially SSH) can take 15–30 seconds or longer.
  
• Limited Linux experience: PSM client and session control are less smooth than in Windows.
  
• Vendor support variability: Support responsiveness and integration guidance can be inconsistent.
  
• Overkill for small teams: Smaller organizations may find the platform too heavy and costly for their scale.

ManageEngine PAM360

ManageEngine PAM360 is a cost-effective privileged access management (PAM) solution for small to mid-sized organizations that need core PAM features without the steep costs of tools like CyberArk or BeyondTrust. The product is licensed based on the number of administrators, not the number of assets.

It offers PAM features, including password vaulting, session monitoring, and access control, but its interface and integration quality may be less refined than those of more expensive solutions. 

Also, compared to many of the top privileged access management vendors, ManageEngine offers PAM360 only as on-premises software. ManageEngine PAM3602 does not support cloud-native environments, data container systems like Kubernetes, or Linux.

Basic features included:

• Password vaulting & rotation: Secures passwords and integrates with Active Directory and LDAP for credential management.
  
• Session monitoring & recording: Monitors user activity with session shadowing and session recording.
  
• Approval workflows: Use ticketing and approval systems to control access to privileged accounts.
  
• Automated compliance reporting: Provides pre-built reports to assist with regulatory compliance (e.g., PCI DSS, HIPAA).
  
• Integration with ITSM/DevOps: Works with tools such as ServiceNow, Ansible, and Jenkins for automated access.

Missing features compared to competitors like BeyondTrust:

• Session management: While PAM360 supports session recording, it lacks live session monitoring, session playback controls, and real-time threat detection that BeyondTrust offers.
  
• Comprehensive cloud support: BeyondTrust provides robust, cloud-native PAM features, including Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) capabilities, that PAM360 does not.
  
• Enterprise reporting/analytics: BeyondTrust provides more detailed, customizable compliance and activity reports, along with user behavior analytics.

Strengths

• Cost-effective PAM solution: Provides essential PAM features at a lower cost than high-end competitors.
  
• Comprehensive features: Includes credential vaulting, session recording, and approval workflows.
  
• Strong directory integration: Integrates well with Active Directory and LDAP for seamless account management.
  
• DevOps & ITSM support: Works with Ansible, Jenkins, and ServiceNow for integration into automation and incident management workflows.
  
• Licensing flexibility: Licenses are based on admins, not assets, making it cost-effective for smaller teams.
  

Weaknesses

• Clunky interface: outdated and less intuitive than competitors’.
  
• API limitations: The API is poorly documented, making automation and integration challenging.
  
• Slow session playback: Session replay can be slow, especially during peak usage.
  
• Cloud version issues: The cloud-hosted version has performance problems and potential security concerns.
  
• Inconsistent support: Support quality can be slow, especially for technical issues or complex integrations.

StrongDM

Strong DM Architecture⁹

StrongDM is notably more intuitive and easier to onboard compared to CyberArk, with BeyondTrust falling somewhere in between.

Administrative tasks are straightforward, and vendor support typically meets service-level expectations. Communication around updates, new features, and security vulnerabilities is consistent and transparent. 

However, scalability becomes more challenging in larger deployments, especially for organizations managing thousands of endpoints or complex multi-cloud environments where centralized policy enforcement and performance monitoring demand additional configuration and oversight.

Below are some highlighted technologies that StrongDM supports:

Source: StongDM¹⁰

Strengths

• Agentless, proxy-based architecture:  Unlike CyberArk or BeyondTrust, StrongDM doesn’t require agents on target systems. Its proxy model connects users directly through existing tools (CLI, RDP, SSH) while maintaining full audit visibility.
• Developer & DevOps-friendly: StrongDM is designed for automation-first teams, offering APIs, CLI tools, and SDKs to embed access control into CI/CD pipelines without the complexity of legacy PAM deployments.

Weaknesses

• API dependence: Continuous connectivity to the StrongDM API is required for access to managed resources, which can introduce reliability concerns in restricted or offline environments.
• No native machine identity management: Lacks built-in capabilities for handling non-human or service accounts, limiting its automation scope for machine-to-machine authentication.
• Limited decretless architecture: Although it supports ephemeral access, StrongDM still aligns with traditional credential models in some cases, relying on stored passwords, SSH keys, and secrets vaults.
• No native cloud console workflows: Does not yet support direct integration with cloud provider consoles (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) for access workflows; administrators must manually provision and rotate cloud access keys.

WALLIX

Best for organizations looking to secure privileged access across traditional IT and hybrid infrastructures.

While many PAM platforms emphasize DevOps and cloud-native integrations, WALLIX maintains a security-first, infrastructure-centric approach. Its focus is on privileged session management, credential vaulting, and visibility rather than full-stack automation or CI/CD orchestration. 

WALLIX Bastion can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud (AWS, Azure, GCP), but lacks native support for container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes or modern secrets management pipelines. 

Strengths

• Agentless deployment: WALLIX uses an agentless approach, reducing deployment complexity and minimizing maintenance overhead compared to agent-based PAM systems.
• Strong session management: Provides session recording, live monitoring, and playback capabilities. Admins can supervise or terminate sessions in real time to ensure policy compliance.
• Compliance-ready auditing: Designed with compliance standards in mind, including GDPR, ISO 27001, and NIS2.

Weaknesses

• Limited cloud and container support: Lacks native integrations for Kubernetes, Docker, and major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Limited API and DevOps Integration: Compared to tools like CyberArk or StrongDM, WALLIX provides fewer automation and API capabilities.
• Smaller ecosystem support: WALLIX has fewer third-party integrations and a smaller partner ecosystem compared to major vendors such as BeyondTrust, CyberArk, or Okta.

Okta Privileged Access (ASA)

Okta ASA is best for cloud-native organizations that need secure, identity-driven SSH/RDP access across multi-cloud environments. The platform integrates directly with Okta’s identity and access management (IAM) ecosystem, enabling centralized control and visibility. 

However, it lacks full PAM breadth (like credential vaulting, session playback, and database access), so enterprises seeking a complete privileged access platform will likely need to pair it with a traditional PAM tool such as BeyondTrust or CyberArk.

Strengths

• Cloud-Native Architecture: Best for multi-cloud and hybrid infrastructure, supporting AWS, Azure, GCP, and on-premises environments without requiring agents or complex network tunnels.
• Ephemeral credentials: Instead of storing static passwords or SSH keys, it issues short-lived, per-session credentials, reducing credential sprawl and minimizing attack surface.
• Deep Okta integration: Natively integrates with Okta Identity Cloud, inheriting its MFA, SSO, and policies.

Weaknesses

• Limited scope: It does not natively manage privileged access to databases, web applications, Kubernetes clusters, cloud consoles (such as the AWS Management Console or Azure Portal), or network devices.
• No central credential vault: Since it uses ephemeral certificates, it lacks a traditional password or secrets vault.

Keeper PAM (Keeper Security)

Keeper PAM is a cost-effective, easy-to-manage, cloud-based privileged access management solution for small to mid-sized teams that need secure credential storage, session control, and centralized user management without the overhead of complex deployment.

The solution builds on Keeper’s long-standing password manager platform, expanding it with role-based access controls (RBAC), auditing, and secrets management for IT and DevOps teams.

We tested Keeper PAM, focusing primarily on RDP session management. Below, see our experience with Keeper PAM:

Admin console overview:

When you log in to the Admin Console, you’re greeted by a clean dashboard that provides a high-level overview of user activity, security posture, and system health.

The Dashboard provides oversight of the following:

• Top Events and link to Timeline Chart
• Security Audit Overall Score
• BreachWatch Overall Score
• User Status Summary

The Admin tab is where most configuration and user deployment tasks are handled. From here, administrators can manage Nodes, Users, Roles, Teams, and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) settings, providing centralized control over access policies and organizational structure:

Role-based access controls:

Keeper PAM includes Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) that allow administrators to define enforcement policies based on each user’s job responsibilities and to delegate specific administrative permissions when needed.

These enforcement policies cover a wide range of configuration categories, including:

• Login Settings
• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
• Platform Restriction
• Vault Features
• Record Types
• Sharing & Uploading
• KeeperFill
• Account Settings
• Allow IP List
• Keeper Secrets Manager
• Transfer Account

Configuring enforcement policies for roles:

To configure enforcement policies, navigate to Admin, Roles, select a role, and click Enforcement Policies. A configuration dialog will appear, allowing specific rules to be applied. Once policies are defined, click Done to finalize and enforce them across all users assigned to that role.:

Deploying Keeper:

Business customers can add users through manual invitations, bulk imports, or provisioning methods, depending on organizational needs.

For manual user provisioning, you can invite users individually by navigating to Add Users, selecting the desired node, and entering the user’s full name and email address.

Also, for bulk user import: In larger deployments, admins can import users from a CSV file, automatically sending setup invitations to each user. Once users are added, Keeper automatically sends an email invitation prompting them to set up their account and complete onboarding.

Keeper Teams plan

For teams, it offers a Team module that lets users share records and folders within their vaults with logical groupings of individuals. To do that, you need to set Team Restrictions (edit/viewing/sharing of passwords) and add individual users to the team:

To create a team, select the node you want to associate it with, enter the team name, and click Add Team:

Once created, you can configure team-level restrictions, such as:

• Disabling record re-shares
• Preventing record edits
• Applying a privacy screen for sensitive data

It’s important to note that Keeper implements Least-Privilege policies, so when a user is a member of multiple roles or teams, their net policy is the most restrictive or least privileged.

Keeper Enterprise

While our testing focused on Keeper for smaller teams, the Keeper Enterprise edition builds on these capabilities with additional compliance and multi-platform support.

It provides enterprise-grade risk analytics:

It provides Keeper, which is SOC 2 Certified, ISO27001 Certified, and FedRAMP. See its security audit score dashboard:

Keeper Enterprise also provides multi-platform access, offering full functionality across Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and all major web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari). You can enforce platform restrictions, for example, limiting access to specific OS environments or disabling browser-based logins for high-security users.

Strengths

• Seamless deployment and updates: Keeper offers fully cloud-native deployment with automatic vault and client updates, reducing maintenance overhead for administrators.
• Agentless architecture: Requires no local agent installation.
• Extensive plugin and SDK support: Keeper provides plugins and APIs that enable integration with CI/CD tools, DevOps pipelines, and identity platforms.

Weaknesses

• Limited desktop stability: Certain features (e.g., RDP and tunnel connections) perform inconsistently on desktop apps compared to the web interface.
• Restricted coverage: Focuses primarily on credential management and secret storage, but lacks broader PAM capabilities such as dynamic JIT access or full session proxying.

SailPoint (PAM Module)

SailPoint’s Privileged Account Management (PAM) Module extends its core Identity Governance and Administration (IGA) capabilities to cover privileged accounts.

Best for large enterprises already invested in SailPoint’s ecosystem that need centralized identity governance, compliance reporting, and access certifications tied directly to privileged access.

Strengths

• Comprehensive governance integration: Natively connects PAM data to identity governance, enabling full visibility of privileged accounts across systems.
• Access recertification: Automates access reviews and compliance reporting for privileged accounts.

Weaknesses

• Costly licensing: Expensive compared to dedicated PAM vendors, especially for organizations not already using SailPoint IdentityIQ.
• Limited PAM depth: Lacks deep session recording, credential vaulting, or just-in-time (JIT) access capabilities found in platforms like CyberArk.

Core capabilities of PAM vendors

All reviewed PAM solutions include core PAM features. These include:

• Identity-based access controls: Integration with enterprise directories such as Active Directory, LDAP, or SSO platforms to centralize user authentication and access enforcement.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Single Sign-On (SSO): Built-in or integrated support for MFA and SSO to strengthen authentication and simplify user access across systems.
  
• Privileged credential vaulting: Secure, encrypted storage for privileged account passwords, SSH keys, and API secrets.
  
• Session recording and monitoring: Full visibility into privileged activity, with the ability to record, audit, and replay administrative sessions for compliance and forensic review.
• Access request and approval workflows: Request-based access with approval mechanisms.

Recommendations to buyers

PAM pricing scales per user, per managed asset, or through subscription bundles covering credential vaulting, session monitoring, and automation. The most common complaint from buyers is that the license cost is only part of the story. CyberArk and BeyondTrust carry annual per-user costs that exceed Microsoft M365 E5 licenses, and that figure doesn’t include the internal staff time required to configure and maintain the platform.

ManageEngine, Keeper, and StrongDM licenses are available on a per-admin or subscription basis rather than per user, substantially lowering entry costs for smaller environments. The tradeoff is reduced depth in automation, cloud-native support, and session analytics compared to the top-tier vendors.¹¹

Regardless of which platform you choose, factor in ongoing maintenance policy tuning, account onboarding, and integration management as a real operational cost. Basic password vaulting can be live within days. Achieving full value from JIT access or continuous session auditing typically takes months of internal process work.

Key Market Updates

Three significant changes in the PAM market have occurred since most comparison articles were last updated.

Palo Alto Networks completed its $25 billion acquisition of CyberArk on 2026. CyberArk continues as a standalone product, with integration underway into Palo Alto’s Cortex and Strata platforms. Existing customers have been told to expect no disruption.¹²

Delinea announced a definitive agreement to acquire StrongDM, with the deal expected to close in Q1 2026. The combination targets DevOps and AI-driven environments, bringing together Delinea’s PAM depth with StrongDM’s just-in-time runtime authorization.¹³

DevOps and Infrastructure Integrations

Environments span on-premises, hybrid, and multi-cloud infrastructure, with privileged access extending to endpoints, servers, SaaS platforms, and containers. A capable PAM solution should discover all privileged identities not just administrator accounts including service accounts, API keys, and machine identities that are integral to CI/CD pipelines, containers, Kubernetes, and Terraform.

Compliance and Reporting Capabilities

PCI DSS, ISO 27001, and HIPAA all require strict controls on privileged access to ensure accountability and data protection. BeyondTrust, CyberArk, ManageEngine PAM360, Okta, and Keeper Security provide built-in reporting templates and policy mappings aligned with these frameworks. For StrongDM, WALLIX, and SailPoint, detailed public information on predefined compliance reports was not available at the time of writing; verify directly with each vendor.

FAQs

Reference Links

1.

AWS Marketplace: Homepage

2.

https://beekeepers.beyondtrust.com/technology-alliances-integrations-60/ecm-plugin-tutorial-aws-secrets-manager-pra-and-remote-support-6053

3.

https://help.okta.com/en-us/content/topics/privileged-access/pam-configure-kubernetes-access-management.htmL

4.

Audit & Compliance - WALLIX

WALLIX

5.

One Identity Reviews, Ratings & Features 2026 | Gartner Peer Insights

One Identity

6.

https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/company/press/2025/palo-alto-networks-announces-agreement-to-acquire-cyberark–the-identity-security-leader

7.

https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxadmin/comments/l080j8/comment/hxb4v3n/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

8.

Reddit - The heart of the internet

9.

https://discover.strongdm.com/hubfs/ebooks/pam-buyers-guide-updated-v2.pdf

10.

https://discover.strongdm.com/hubfs/ebooks/pam-buyers-guide-updated-v2.pdf

11.

Reddit - The heart of the internet

12.

Palo Alto Networks Completes Acquisition of CyberArk to Secure the AI Era - Palo Alto Networks

13.

Delinea and StrongDM to Unite to Redefine Identity Security

Delinea

Principal Analyst

Cem Dilmegani

Principal Analyst

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Cem has been the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per similarWeb) including 55% of Fortune 500 every month.

Cem's work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.

Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.

He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem's work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch and Business Insider.

Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.

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Researched by

Sena Sezer

Industry Analyst

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Sena is an industry analyst in AIMultiple. She completed her Bachelor's from Bogazici University.

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