Best Privileged Access Management (PAM) Software in 2026: 11 Tools Compared

The best privileged access management (PAM) software depends on what you are protecting. CyberArk, BeyondTrust and Delinea are the full enterprise suites for vaulting, session control and endpoint privilege across large, regulated estates. Teleport and StrongDM suit engineering teams that need just-in-time access to servers, Kubernetes and databases. Keeper, ManageEngine PAM360 and ARCON cover mid-market needs with less infrastructure. If you run mostly on Microsoft cloud, Entra ID Privileged Identity Management handles admin roles there, but not your servers or network gear.

Below we compare 11 PAM tools on deployment model, core strengths and how each one prices, then explain the PAM pricing models, the free and open source options, and a short checklist for choosing. New to the topic? Start with what privileged access management is.

PAM software comparison table

Tool	Best for	Deployment	Standout capability	Pricing model
CyberArk	Large, regulated enterprises	Self-hosted or SaaS	Session isolation, broad connector library, secrets for apps	Quote-based
BeyondTrust	Vendor access and endpoint privilege together	Self-hosted, appliance or SaaS	Privileged remote access plus endpoint privilege management	Quote-based
Delinea (Secret Server)	Mid-market to enterprise wanting faster rollout	Self-hosted or SaaS	Usable vault, server and endpoint elevation	Quote-based
Keeper (KeeperPAM)	Teams already on Keeper or wanting one cloud console	SaaS with gateways	Password manager, secrets and privileged sessions in one product	Per user; check current pricing
StrongDM	Engineering access to databases and infrastructure	SaaS control plane, self-hosted gateways	Protocol-aware proxy with query-level logs	Per user, quote-based
Teleport	Cloud-native infrastructure access	Self-hosted or cloud	Short-lived certificates, session recording across SSH, Kubernetes, databases	Free community edition; paid editions by quote
ManageEngine PAM360	Cost-conscious IT teams	Primarily self-hosted	Broad PAM feature set, ties into ManageEngine IT tools	Per administrator plus add-ons
ARCON PAM	Banks and regulated enterprises	Self-hosted or SaaS	Granular policy and compliance reporting	Quote-based
Segura (senhasegura)	Enterprises wanting a full suite outside the big three	Self-hosted or SaaS	Vault, sessions, DevOps secrets and certificates in one platform	Quote-based
One Identity Safeguard	Organisations pairing PAM with identity governance	Hardware or virtual appliance	Password vault and session recording with behaviour analytics	Quote-based
Microsoft Entra ID PIM	Microsoft 365 and Azure admin roles	Built into Entra ID	Just-in-time activation of admin roles with approval	Per user within a premium Entra ID tier

You can compare more vendors, ratings and deployment options in the privileged access management software category.

Enterprise PAM suites

CyberArk

CyberArk is the reference point most PAM evaluations start from. Its core privileged access product vaults credentials, rotates them through a large library of connectors, and brokers sessions through an isolation layer so the admin’s device never touches the target directly. It is available self-hosted or as a SaaS service. Around that core sit endpoint privilege management for removing local admin rights, Conjur and related tools for application secrets, and workforce identity products.

Choose it if you have a large, mixed estate (mainframe, Windows, Unix, network devices, cloud), strict auditors and a team to run the platform. Watch for implementation effort and total cost; many buyers use a partner for deployment. See how CyberArk pricing works and CyberArk alternatives.

BeyondTrust

BeyondTrust splits PAM into products you can buy separately: Password Safe for vaulting and session management, Privileged Remote Access for VPN-less vendor and admin access, and Endpoint Privilege Management for Windows, macOS, Unix and Linux. Its remote access heritage shows: third-party access is one of its strongest use cases.

Choose it if vendor access and removing local admin rights are your top problems. Watch for licensing across several modules. Our CyberArk vs BeyondTrust comparison goes feature by feature.

Delinea

Delinea is the company formed from Thycotic and Centrify. Secret Server is its vault and session product, available on-premises or in the cloud, with Privilege Manager for endpoint elevation and server PAM for Linux and Windows privilege elevation from the Centrify side. Buyers often evaluate it when they want a faster path to value than the heaviest suites offer.

Choose it if you want enterprise PAM with a gentler learning curve. Watch for which capabilities sit in which product, since the portfolio combines two former vendors.

One Identity Safeguard

Safeguard combines a privileged password vault, session recording and behaviour analytics, traditionally shipped as hardened appliances. One Identity also sells identity governance, so it suits buyers who want PAM and access certification from one vendor.

ARCON PAM

ARCON offers a full PAM suite with granular policy controls and detailed compliance reporting, and has a strong presence in financial services and other regulated sectors. It is worth a look for organisations that want deep configurability and detailed audit reports.

Segura (senhasegura)

Segura covers vaulting, session management, endpoint privilege, DevOps secrets and certificate management in a single platform. It is an option for enterprises that want suite-level coverage from a vendor outside the three largest.

Infrastructure access tools for engineering teams

Teleport

Teleport replaces static SSH keys, shared database passwords and VPNs with short-lived certificates tied to each engineer’s SSO identity. It covers SSH servers, Kubernetes clusters, databases, Windows desktops and internal web apps, with access requests for just-in-time elevation and full session recording. There is a community edition alongside paid self-hosted and cloud editions; check the license terms that apply to your company size.

StrongDM

StrongDM puts a protocol-aware proxy between users and infrastructure. Engineers connect with their normal clients through a local app; StrongDM injects credentials, enforces policy and logs every query or command. It is popular for database access because of its query-level audit trail. Read our Teleport vs StrongDM comparison for the architectural differences.

Mid-market and all-in-one options

Keeper (KeeperPAM)

Keeper extends its business password manager with privileged sessions, remote connections, a secrets manager and endpoint privilege features, all from one cloud console with zero-knowledge encryption. It suits companies that want to grow from password management into PAM without a second vendor.

ManageEngine PAM360

PAM360 bundles vaulting, rotation, session recording, just-in-time elevation, certificate and SSH key management. It is traditionally deployed on your own servers and integrates with other ManageEngine products such as ServiceDesk Plus and ADManager. Mid-market IT teams often evaluate it as a lower-cost alternative to the enterprise suites; see PAM360 pricing details.

Microsoft Entra ID Privileged Identity Management

Entra ID PIM makes Microsoft admin roles eligible instead of permanent: admins activate a role for a set time, with MFA, justification and optional approval. It is effective for Microsoft 365, Entra ID and Azure resources and comes with a premium Entra ID license. It does not vault server passwords, record SSH sessions or broker vendor access, so most enterprises pair it with a dedicated PAM product.

How much does PAM software cost?

Most enterprise PAM vendors do not publish prices, so costs are negotiated. What you can control is which pricing model you are signing up for and what drives the number.

Pricing model	How it is counted	Common with	Watch for
Per privileged user	Named admins or engineers who use the tool	Infrastructure access tools, SaaS PAM	Occasional users and contractors counting as full seats
Per managed target	Servers, databases, network devices or accounts under management	Vault and rotation products	Cost growth as cloud instances scale up and down
Per endpoint	Laptops, desktops and servers with an agent	Endpoint privilege management	Separate pricing for servers versus workstations
Per concurrent session or connection	Simultaneous brokered sessions	Remote access and session products	Peak-time limits for vendors and on-call teams
Module bundles	Vault, remote access, endpoint and secrets packaged together	Enterprise suites	Paying for modules you will not deploy in year one
Platform license	Included in a wider identity or cloud license	Microsoft Entra ID PIM	Coverage limited to that vendor’s resources

Beyond the license, budget for implementation services, connector development for unusual targets, high-availability infrastructure if self-hosted, and admin time to maintain policies. For vendor-specific pricing notes, see BeyondTrust Password Safe pricing, ARCON PAM pricing and Teleport pricing, or check current pricing on StrongDM’s pricing page.

Is there free or open source PAM software?

Yes, with limits. Open source and free options are useful for labs, small teams and specific use cases, but rarely cover the full audit and rotation scope of a commercial suite.

Teleport community edition covers certificate-based access and session recording for infrastructure, subject to its license terms.
JumpServer is an open source bastion host with web-based access to servers and databases, plus session recording.
Apache Guacamole is a clientless remote desktop gateway (RDP, SSH, VNC) that some teams use as a session broker, though it is not a PAM product on its own.
HashiCorp Vault and OpenBao handle secrets and dynamic credentials for machines; see our secrets management tools guide.

Open source shifts cost to your team: patching, high availability, backups of the vault itself and building the reporting auditors want.

Which PAM approach fits a zero trust strategy?

Zero trust assumes no network location is trusted and every access is verified. For privileged access that means three things: access tied to a strong individual identity (SSO plus phishing-resistant MFA), no standing privileges (just-in-time grants that expire), and continuous verification (session monitoring and device posture checks). Certificate-based tools such as Teleport and proxy tools such as StrongDM are built around those ideas for infrastructure. The enterprise suites deliver them through JIT policies, session isolation and endpoint privilege management. Ask each vendor to demonstrate a real just-in-time request from start to revocation.

How to choose PAM software

Map your targets. List what admins actually log in to: Windows and Linux servers, databases, Kubernetes, cloud consoles, network devices, SaaS admin panels, mainframes. Coverage gaps kill PAM projects.
Pick the primary problem. Shared admin passwords, vendor access, local admin on endpoints, and engineer access to production are different buying centres with different best-fit tools.
Decide on hosting. SaaS reduces upkeep; self-hosted may be required for air-gapped or sovereign environments.
Test the admin experience. If connecting through PAM adds friction, engineers will route around it. Pilot with a real on-call team.
Check identity integration. Confirm SSO with your IdP, SCIM or directory sync, and MFA support for every access path.
Review audit output. Look at session recordings, searchable command logs and the reports your auditors will request.
Model three years of cost. Include growth in servers, endpoints and engineers, plus services.

Cheaper alternatives to CyberArk

“CyberArk is too expensive” is a common starting point. The realistic alternatives depend on scope: Delinea, BeyondTrust and ARCON compete across the full suite; ManageEngine PAM360 and Keeper target mid-market budgets; Teleport and StrongDM replace CyberArk for engineering access specifically; Entra ID PIM covers Microsoft admin roles at no extra product cost if you already hold the right license. Browse CyberArk alternatives, BeyondTrust alternatives and StrongDM alternatives for more options.

PAM is one layer of an identity program. For the wider picture, see our guides to IAM tools, SSO software, MFA software, endpoint protection and cybersecurity software.

What is the best PAM software?

For large regulated enterprises, CyberArk, BeyondTrust and Delinea are the usual finalists. For engineering access to servers, Kubernetes and databases, Teleport and StrongDM fit better. Mid-market teams often compare Keeper and ManageEngine PAM360.

How is privileged access management priced?

By privileged user, managed target, endpoint, concurrent session or module bundle. Most enterprise vendors quote on request, so compare the pricing model and the growth drivers, not just the first-year number.

Is there a SaaS PAM option?

Yes. CyberArk, BeyondTrust, Delinea, Keeper, StrongDM and Teleport all offer vendor-hosted control planes, usually with a small gateway or connector you run near your servers.

What is the difference between PAM and endpoint privilege management?

Endpoint privilege management removes local admin rights from laptops and servers and elevates only approved applications. It is one component of PAM; full PAM also vaults credentials, rotates them and records admin sessions.

Can small businesses use PAM tools?

Yes. Keeper, cloud-hosted infrastructure access tools and built-in cloud features scale down well. A small team can start by vaulting admin credentials, enforcing MFA and removing standing admin rights, then add session recording later.

How long does a PAM rollout take?

A focused first phase covering the most critical admin accounts can land in weeks. Full coverage of servers, endpoints, vendors and machine credentials is usually a multi-quarter program.

Do I still need PAM if I have Okta or Entra ID?

Usually yes. Your identity provider authenticates admins, but it does not rotate server passwords, broker SSH or database sessions, or record what admins do. PAM uses your IdP for login and adds those controls.