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APIs · head to head

Tyk vs Vault

Tyk logo

Tyk

APIs

Open-source API gateway and API management platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vault logo

Vault

Cloud

Manage Secrets and Protect Sensitive Data

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Tyk professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required; Vault vault 1.15.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1, not an OSI open source licence, with IBM Corporation as licensor
  • They diverge on capability: Tyk covers API Gateway, Vault covers Secrets management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tyk and Vault actually diverge.

Attributes where Tyk and Vault differ
AttributeTykVault
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsLinux, Docker, Kubernetes, CloudLinux, Windows, Mac, Cloud
CategoryAPIsCloud
Founded20132015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Tyk

  • API Gateway
  • Rate Limiting
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • Linux support
  • Docker support
  • Kubernetes support
  • Cloud support

Only in Vault

  • Secrets management
  • Encryption
  • Authorization
  • Audit logging
  • API access
  • High availability
  • Replication
  • Terraform

Both cover

  • Authentication
  • Kubernetes
  • Docker

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Tyk

  • API gateway and API management platformsnot Vault
  • Microservices architecture orchestrationnot Vault
  • High-growth teams standardizing on API platformsnot Vault
  • Enterprises requiring advanced security and governancenot Vault

Vault

  • Centrally storing and rotating secrets, API keys and database credentialsnot Tyk
  • Issuing short-lived dynamic credentials to applications instead of static passwordsnot Tyk
  • Encryption as a service and PKI certificate issuancenot Tyk

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Tyk

  • Professional and Enterprise plan pricing not published; contact required
  • Core plan uses consumption-based model with variable costs
  • No upfront pricing transparency for production deployments

Vault

  • Vault 1.15.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1, not an OSI open source licence, with IBM Corporation as licensor
  • The Additional Use Grant forbids offering Vault to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions of Vault
  • Each version only converts to MPL 2.0 four years after that version is published, and the Change Date is tracked per version
  • Replication, HSM support, namespaces, performance standby nodes, FIPS builds, control group authorisation, multi-factor authentication, secrets sync and lease count quotas all require a Vault Enterprise licence
  • A Vault Enterprise licence must be applied to the cluster before any Enterprise feature can be used

Pricing, plan by plan

Tyk

Free
  • Free TrialFree
    • Fully featured 48-hour trial
    • No credit card required
    • Tyk Cloud access
  • Core Plan$null/month
    • Usage-based flexible pricing
    • Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment
    • Unlimited API gateways
  • Professional Plan$null/month
    • One fixed price with unlimited access
    • All deployment options
    • Unlimited APIs and requests
  • Enterprise Plan$null/month
    • Custom pricing required
    • Advanced governance and security
    • Premium support with custom SLAs

Vault

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Secrets management
    • Encryption as a service
    • Identity management
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Advanced features
    • Premium support
    • Dedicated updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Tyk if

  • You need api gateway.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud.
  • You also want rate limiting.
Tyk review

Choose Vault if

  • You need secrets management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
  • You also want encryption.
Vault review

Questions people ask

Is Tyk or Vault better?
Neither clearly leads. Tyk starts at Free and Vault at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tyk or Vault?
Tyk starts at Free and Vault at Free.
Does Tyk or Vault run on more platforms?
Tyk runs on Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud. Vault runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
Can I use Tyk for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Tyk best used for?
Tyk is most often used for api gateway and api management platforms, microservices architecture orchestration, high-growth teams standardizing on api platforms, enterprises requiring advanced security and governance. Of those, api gateway and api management platforms and microservices architecture orchestration are not what Vault is typically brought in for.
What can Tyk do that Vault cannot?
Tyk covers API Gateway, Rate Limiting, AWS, Azure. Vault covers Secrets management, Encryption, Authorization, Audit logging. Both handle Authentication, Kubernetes, Docker.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tyk: How much does Tyk cost?

Tyk offers a free 48-hour trial with no credit card required. The Core plan uses usage-based pricing on a flexible model. Professional plan offers unlimited access at a fixed price (amount not published). Enterprise plans require custom pricing.

Source
Vault: Is HashiCorp Vault free to use?

Yes, Vault is available as a free, open-source project. The community version includes secrets management, certificate generation and rotation, encryption services, and credential management. Vault Enterprise is a commercial offering with additional features.

Source
Tyk: Is there a free trial of Tyk?

Yes, Tyk provides a fully featured 48-hour free trial of Tyk Cloud that requires no credit card to start.

Source
Vault: What are the differences between open-source Vault and Vault Enterprise?

Open-source Vault is free and self-hosted. Vault Enterprise includes additional features and commercial support. HashiCorp also offers Vault Dedicated on the HashiCorp Cloud Platform as a fully managed cloud option.

Source
Tyk: What deployment options are included in Tyk pricing?

All Tyk plans support Cloud, Hybrid, or Self-managed deployment options without feature restrictions, allowing flexible infrastructure choices across pricing tiers.

Source
Vault: Can I try HashiCorp Cloud Platform Vault without payment?

Yes, HashiCorp offers a free trial option for HCP Vault Dedicated. New users also receive a $500 credit to use across HashiCorp Cloud Platform services.

Source
Vault: What does Vault manage and protect?

Vault provides identity-based secrets management for users, machines, services, and AI agents. It automates authentication and authorization for access to secrets, passwords, certificates, encryption keys, and other sensitive data across your infrastructure.

Source
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