OpenXPKI vs AWS Private Certificate Authority

OOpenXPKI8.8Visit AWS Private Certificate Authority8.7Visit

Higher score O OpenXPKI #6 in Public Key Infrastructure Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 5 features Visit OpenXPKI

vs

AWS Private Certificate Authority #7 in Public Key Infrastructure Software 8.7/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 5 features Visit AWS Private CA

• OpenXPKI fits best

  Open-source PKI with external CA support

• AWS Private Certificate Authority fits best

  AWS-centric managed private CA

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Side by side

Feature	OOpenXPKI 8.8/10 Visit ↗	AWS Private Certificate Authority 8.7/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.7
Ranking	#6 in Public Key Infrastructure Software	#7 in Public Key Infrastructure Software
Best for	Open-source PKI with external CA support	AWS-centric managed private CA
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	$0.06/unit/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web
Support	Community, Docs	Docs
Compliance	GDPR, SSO/SAML	SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA
Integrations	12 integrations	6 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OpenXPKI 0/5 · AWS Private Certificate Authority 3/5
ACME support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
SCEP support	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
EST support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
HSM integration	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Certificate profiles	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment model	Not checked yet	Cloud
Our review
Pros	Automates certificate request, renewal, revocation, and enrollment workflows Supports multiple PKI realms, issuing CAs, rollover, and HSMs Connects with external CAs, identity systems, CMDB, and ITSM platforms	Root and subordinate CAs with CRL and OCSP revocation HSM-backed CA keys and certificate templates Connectors for Kubernetes, Active Directory, and SCEP
Cons	Enterprise Edition capabilities depend on commercially supported services Its broad PKI scope may exceed simpler certificate-management needs Administration centers on web, Linux, API, and self-hosted environments	No free plan Usage charges make total costs more complex Best fit depends on the AWS ecosystem
Our verdict	OpenXPKI is open-source PKI and trustcenter software for managing X.509v3 certificates. It is aimed at organizations that need structured certificate lifecycle management, automated enrollment, certificate-status alerting, and control over… Read the review →	AWS Private Certificate Authority is a hosted cloud service for creating root and subordinate private certificate authorities and issuing private X.509 certificates. It is designed for organizations managing certificates for internal… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OpenXPKI — where it wins

  • Automates certificate request, renewal, revocation, and enrollment workflows
  • Supports multiple PKI realms, issuing CAs, rollover, and HSMs
  • Connects with external CAs, identity systems, CMDB, and ITSM platforms

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise Edition capabilities depend on commercially supported services
  • Its broad PKI scope may exceed simpler certificate-management needs
  • Administration centers on web, Linux, API, and self-hosted environments

• AWS Private Certificate Authority — where it wins

  • Root and subordinate CAs with CRL and OCSP revocation
  • HSM-backed CA keys and certificate templates
  • Connectors for Kubernetes, Active Directory, and SCEP

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan
  • Usage charges make total costs more complex
  • Best fit depends on the AWS ecosystem

• OOpenXPKI8.8/10 · Free plan

  A broad open-source PKI platform for teams managing certificates, CAs, and enrollment workflows.

  Visit OpenXPKIFull verdict →
• AWS Private Certificate Authority8.7/10 · 30-day trial

  A broad AWS-managed PKI service with clear CA pricing and usage-based certificate costs.

  Visit AWS Private CAFull verdict →