CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Akeyless vs Keyfactor

Akeyless is an Identity Security Platform for securing machine, AI agent, and human identities across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments. Keyfactor sells products that give security teams visibility and control over the identities and cryptography that secure every digital interaction. CISO Tribune files both under Machine identity and PKI. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Akeyless
  • Keyfactor
Akeyless vs Keyfactor: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
AkeylessAkeyless is an Identity Security Platform for securing machine, AI agent, and human identities across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments.akeyless.ioKeyfactorKeyfactor sells products that give security teams visibility and control over the identities and cryptography that secure every digital interaction.keyfactor.com
What it sells
  • SecretlessAI®[4]Brokers just-in-time access without exposing credentials to the agent.
  • Agentic Runtime Authority[4][6][10]Controls and audits runtime agent access to supported Dynamic Secrets.
  • Keyfactor AgileSec[7]Keyfactor AgileSec helps discover cryptography, understand where it is used, and identify hidden vulnerabilities.
  • Keyfactor Command[5][9]Keyfactor Command is a Certificate Lifecycle Management tool.
  • Keyfactor Command for IoT[5]Keyfactor Command for IoT is an IoT Identity Platform for manufacturers.
  • EJBCA Enterprise[10]EJBCA Enterprise is a complete PKI platform.
  • SignServer[10]SignServer is an API-driven signing engine.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesIndependence, United States
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[3]Privately held[2][4][9][14]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 26, 2026Akeyless announced its first inclusion in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management.[11]
  • March 31, 2026Akeyless announced Agentic Runtime Authority, a runtime control capability for AI agents, and Agentic Identity Intelligence, extending its AI Agent Identity Security solution.[10]
  • November 4, 2026Keyfactor appointed Gerald Beuchelt as its Chief Information Security Officer.[12]
  • September 9, 2026Keyfactor said it exceeded 200 million dollars in annual recurring revenue at the beginning of Q3 2026.[11]
  • July 27, 2026Keyfactor announced its intent to acquire Cofide, a UK-based identity platform for software workloads and AI agents.[13]
  • July 6, 2026Keyfactor announced a growth investment of over 1 billion dollars from Summit Partners.[2]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[14]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
Akeyless describes a clientele that ranges from startups to multinational corporations. Akeyless is designed for cloud, multi-cloud, hybrid and on-prem environments, with a SaaS control plane and customer-deployed Gateways. Akeyless provides deployment guidance for organizations that deploy Gateway on cloud-managed compute platforms.Keyfactor addresses manufacturers that need to build high-assurance identity into connected devices across the device lifecycle. Keyfactor describes automotive OEMs and suppliers as needing to ensure that every vehicle and charging component has identity-first security. Keyfactor describes security for smart grids, manufacturing facilities, and energy and utilities infrastructure. Keyfactor offers deployment on-prem, in the cloud, and in a Kubernetes cluster.
Last verified
October 7, 2026November 9, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Akeyless and Keyfactor are both filed under Machine identity and PKI.
  • Both are privately held.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Akeyless's primary category is Non-human identity security; Keyfactor's is Machine identity and PKI.
  • Akeyless is also filed under Privileged access management and Encryption, tokenization and key management.
  • Akeyless lists SecretlessAI® and Agentic Runtime Authority. Keyfactor lists Keyfactor AgileSec, Keyfactor Command, Keyfactor Command for IoT, EJBCA Enterprise and SignServer.
  • Keyfactor is headquartered in Independence, United States.

What it sells: Akeyless

What SecretlessAI® does[4]
SecretlessAI® brokers just-in-time access without exposing credentials to the agent. Akeyless keeps credentials out of AI agents and governs their access to enterprise systems.
What Agentic Runtime Authority does[4][6][10]
Agentic Runtime Authority controls and audits runtime agent access to supported Dynamic Secrets. Agentic Runtime Authority evaluates and enforces what agents are allowed to do at runtime. Akeyless tracks every agent session from prompt to action.

What it sells: Keyfactor

What Keyfactor AgileSec does[7]
Keyfactor AgileSec deploys sensors to scan code, servers, endpoints, cloud workloads, and real-time network traffic. Keyfactor AgileSec is offered as AgileSec SaaS, hosted by Keyfactor, or as a self-hosted deployment. Keyfactor AgileSec integrates with CLM, GRC, ITSM, and CMDB platforms to support workflow-driven remediation.
What Keyfactor Command does[5][9]
Keyfactor Command finds every certificate, including hybrid and PQ certificates, using real-time CA synchronization, network scanning, and agent-based or agentless discovery of key and trust stores. Keyfactor Command uses modular orchestrators to provision certificates directly to network endpoints, load balancers, servers, and cloud workloads. Keyfactor Command can be deployed on-prem, in the cloud, in a Kubernetes cluster, and combined with fully managed PKI.
What Keyfactor Command for IoT does[5]
Keyfactor Command for IoT signs firmware and delivers over-the-air (OTA) software updates to a fleet of devices. Keyfactor Command for IoT manages encryption keys and digital certificates from generation and enrollment to provisioning, renewal, and revocation.
What EJBCA Enterprise does[10]
EJBCA Enterprise is a complete PKI platform. Keyfactor describes EJBCA Enterprise for use in modern manufacturing environments.
What SignServer does[10]
SignServer enables signing in virtually any format. Keyfactor describes SignServer as supporting complex manufacturing environments.

Questions about Akeyless and Keyfactor

What do Akeyless and Keyfactor sell?
Akeyless sells SecretlessAI® and Agentic Runtime Authority. Keyfactor sells Keyfactor AgileSec, Keyfactor Command, Keyfactor Command for IoT, EJBCA Enterprise and SignServer.
Are Akeyless and Keyfactor in the same category?
They share Machine identity and PKI. Akeyless's primary category is Non-human identity security and Keyfactor's is Machine identity and PKI.
Where are Akeyless and Keyfactor headquartered?
Keyfactor is headquartered in Independence, United States.
Who owns Akeyless and Keyfactor?
Akeyless is privately held. Keyfactor is privately held.
Who are Akeyless and Keyfactor sold to?
Akeyless describes a clientele that ranges from startups to multinational corporations. Keyfactor addresses manufacturers that need to build high-assurance identity into connected devices across the device lifecycle.
What have Akeyless and Keyfactor announced recently?
October 26, 2026: Akeyless announced its first inclusion in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Privileged Access Management. November 4, 2026: Keyfactor appointed Gerald Beuchelt as its Chief Information Security Officer.

About Akeyless

Akeyless is an Identity Security Platform for securing machine, AI agent, and human identities across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments. Akeyless combines secrets management, Modern PAM, certificate lifecycle management, encryption and KMS, Multi-Vault Governance, and AI agent security in one platform. Akeyless manages secrets, keys, certificates and machine identities through a single policy engine, operational model and interface.[1][4][5]

Akeyless describes a situation in which AI agents, workloads and services now perform most system access, while security tools still assume a human behind the keyboard. Akeyless states that the result is secrets everywhere, standing privileges, and identities no one can fully track. Akeyless gives applications, workloads, automation and AI agents secure access to the resources they need without relying on long-lived credentials. Akeyless provides short-lived, identity-based access while centrally managing the secrets, certificates and keys that still need to exist across cloud, hybrid and on-prem environments.[4][5]

Akeyless includes enterprise secrets management, and the platform extends beyond storing and rotating secrets. Akeyless supports short-lived, identity-based access, privileged access, certificates, encryption keys, machine identities and AI agent security. Akeyless secures, stores and delivers secrets dynamically. Secretless access in Akeyless lets applications, workloads and other identities authenticate and access resources without storing long-lived credentials. Akeyless can issue short-lived, just-in-time credentials when access is required and automatically expire or revoke them afterward. Akeyless supports authentication and access for applications, workloads, services, automation and other non-human identities using methods including cloud identities, Kubernetes identities, certificates and SPIFFE/SPIRE. Akeyless centralizes and secures credentials, certificates and keys across the CI/CD pipeline.[1][4][5]

Akeyless provides multiple AI-focused capabilities across the identity security platform. Akeyless keeps credentials out of AI agents and governs their access to enterprise systems. SecretlessAI® brokers just-in-time access without exposing credentials to the agent. Agentic Runtime Authority evaluates and enforces what agents are allowed to do at runtime, and Akeyless states that every agent action is validated, scoped and enforced in session. Agentic Runtime Authority controls and audits runtime agent access to supported Dynamic Secrets. Akeyless tracks every agent session from prompt to action. Akeyless AI Insights enables natural-language interaction with Akeyless resources. Identity and Secrets Intelligence provides AI-related visibility and governance surfaces in the Console. Akeyless MCP Server integrates MCP clients and tools with Akeyless services.[4][5][6]

Akeyless automates certificate issuance, renewal and compliance, and offers automated certificate lifecycle monitoring. Akeyless centralizes visibility and policy across all vaults and environments, and provides centralized governance across distributed secrets vaults. Akeyless offers a browser plugin for creating and securing employee passwords. Akeyless centralizes and automates encryption, tokenization and key management, with centralized encryption and key management across cloud platforms. Akeyless offers customers control of their encryption keys and encrypted data.[4][5]

Akeyless uses patented Distributed Fragments Cryptography™ as the foundation of its Zero-Knowledge Architecture. Akeyless includes hybrid post-quantum encryption alongside patented Distributed Fragments Cryptography™. Akeyless is designed for cloud, multi-cloud, hybrid, and on-prem environments, with a SaaS control plane and customer-deployed Gateways for local access, policy enforcement, and cryptographic operations. Akeyless provides deployment guidance for organizations that deploy Gateway on cloud-managed compute platforms. Across EKS, AKS, GKE, and Azure Container Apps, the core Gateway model is consistent. Akeyless provides a command, eventForwarderUpdateServiceNow, that updates a service now event forwarder.[4][5][7][8]

Akeyless describes a clientele that ranges from startups to multinational corporations. Akeyless offers applications, workloads, automation and AI agents secure access to resources without long-lived credentials.[1][2][4][5][9]

Akeyless on the record

Sources

Akeyless full record

  1. [1]akeyless.ioAkeyless · akeyless.io · undated page, accessed October 7, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Press releaseAkeyless · akeyless.io · published September 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Akeyless Identity Security Platform Reviews & Product Details - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 31, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]Akeyless DocumentationAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Identity Security for Machines, AI Agents & Humans | AkeylessAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]AI Security With AkeylessAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cloud-Managed Kubernetes PlatformsAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]/event-forwarder-update-servicenowAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Customer JourneysAkeyless · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Akeyless Launches Runtime Authority for AI Agents, Introducing Intent-Aware Security for Autonomous Systems | AkeylessAkeyless · published March 31, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Akeyless Recognized in the 2026 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Privileged Access ManagementPRNewswire · published October 26, 2026 · Tier A

Keyfactor full record

  1. [1]keyfactor.comKeyfactor · keyfactor.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Keyfactor Announces $1B+ Strategic Growth Investment Led By Summit Partners to Expand Leadership in Securing the AI and Post-Quantum EnterpriseKeyfactor · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Privacy policyKeyfactor · keyfactor.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Trust Infrastructure for AI & Machines - KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]IoT Identity Platform | KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed October 26, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]About KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cryptographic Discovery and Inventory | KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Cryptographic Posture Management (CPM) | KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Keyfactor Command | PKI & Machine Identity AutomationKeyfactor · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Automotive Cybersecurity: Protecting Connected Cars and Driver Safety | KeyfactorKeyfactor · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Keyfactor Exceeds $200 Million in ARR as Global Demand for Digital Trust Infrastructure AcceleratesKeyfactor · published September 9, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Keyfactor Appoints Gerald Beuchelt as Chief Information Security OfficerKeyfactor · published November 4, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Keyfactor Announces Intent to Acquire Cofide to Bring Verified Identity to AI Agents and Cloud WorkloadsKeyfactor · published July 27, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Keyfactor Command Reviews 2026G2 · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier C

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