AWS Secrets Manager Free Plan 2026: What's Included & What's Not
Honest breakdown of the free tier limits and features
AWS Secrets Manager costs Free to $0.40 per secret/month as of June 2026, with 2 plans available including a free tier. Plans: Free Plan (free), and Per-Secret Pricing at $0.4/secret/month. Pricing depends on your chosen tier, contract length, and negotiated discounts.
Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.
- Free tier: Yes
AWS Secrets Manager offers 2 pricing tiers: Free Plan, Per-Secret Pricing. A free plan is available. Paid plans include Per-Secret Pricing at $0.4/user/month. The Per-Secret Pricing plan is all secrets management needs.
Yes, AWS Secrets Manager offers a forever free plan as of June 2026. The free tier includes 3 features with limits on usage. Paid plans start at $0.4/user/month (Per-Secret Pricing). Pricing verified from 2 sources by CostBench.
AWS Secrets Manager's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit.
What's Included in the Free Plan
- Up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits for new customers
- Free plan available for 6 months after account creation
- Credits apply to eligible AWS services including Secrets Manager
What's NOT Included (Paid Only)
- $0.40 per secret per month
- $0.05 per 10,000 API calls
- Automatic rotation (no charge for new secret versions)
You'll Need to Upgrade When...
- You exceed the user limit
- You need features like $0.40 per secret per month or $0.05 per 10,000 API calls
- You require premium support or SLA guarantees
- You need to remove branding or watermarks
- You need advanced integrations or API access
Hidden Restrictions on Free Plan
- AWS Secrets Manager branding may appear on your content or communications
- Support is limited to community forums or email with longer response times
- Export options may be restricted or include watermarks
- API access is typically limited or not available
- Advanced reporting and analytics require paid plans
Free vs Paid: Which Do You Need?
Free Plan is Enough If...
- You're an individual or very small team
- You need only basic features
- You don't mind usage limits
- Branding on output is acceptable
- Community support is sufficient
You Need Paid If...
- Your team is growing beyond limits
- You need advanced features
- Professional branding is required
- You need priority support
- Integrations/API access is critical
Free vs Per-Secret Pricing Plan Comparison
| Free Plan $0 | Per-Secret Pricing $0.4/user/month | |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 3 included | 3+ included |
| Support | Community/Email | Priority Support |
| Branding | AWS Secrets Manager branding | Your branding |
| Best For | New AWS customers evaluating Secrets Manager | All secrets management needs |
Frequently Asked Questions
01 Is AWS Secrets Manager free?
Yes, AWS Secrets Manager offers a forever free plan with 3 core features included. However, there are limits on users and features that may require upgrading.
02 What's included in AWS Secrets Manager's free plan?
AWS Secrets Manager's free plan includes: Up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits for new customers, Free plan available for 6 months after account creation, Credits apply to eligible AWS services including Secrets Manager. Key limits include basic usage caps.
03 What's NOT included in AWS Secrets Manager's free plan?
The free plan excludes: $0.40 per secret per month, $0.05 per 10,000 API calls, Automatic rotation (no charge for new secret versions). You'll also have AWS Secrets Manager branding and limited support options.
04 When should I upgrade from AWS Secrets Manager's free plan?
Consider upgrading when: you hit user or storage limits, need features like $0.40 per secret per month or $0.05 per 10,000 API calls, require premium support, or want to remove branding. The cheapest paid plan starts at $0.4/user/month.
05 Is AWS Secrets Manager's free plan really free forever?
Yes, AWS Secrets Manager's free plan is available indefinitely with no time limit. However, feature and usage limits may restrict what you can do without upgrading to a paid plan.