AWS Private Certificate Authority

Paid#7 of 26 in Public Key Infrastructure Software

AWS Private Certificate Authority: A broad AWS-managed PKI service with clear CA pricing and usage-based certificate costs. Ranked #7 of 26 in Public Key Infrastructure Software by our editors (8.7/10); pricing: 30-day trial; best for AWS-centric managed private CA.

8.7/10★★★★☆Editor score

Visit AWS Private CA

At a glance

• Editor score
  8.7 / 10
• Pricing
  30-day trial
• Best for
  AWS-centric managed private CA
• Free plan
  No
• Paid from
  $0.06/unit/mo
• Deployment model
  Cloud
• Facts checked
  21 Sep 2026

• 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

Our verdict on AWS Private Certificate Authority

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 servers, applications, users, devices, containers, IoT resources, Kubernetes clusters, and private networks. Administration is available through the AWS Management Console, API, CLI, and SDKs, with CA keys stored in AWS-managed hardware security modules. It is a particularly natural fit for teams already operating workloads and identity systems in AWS.

Pricing is divided between CA operation and certificate usage. General-purpose private CA operation costs $400 per private CA per month and supports certificates with any validity period. Short-lived certificate CA operation costs $50 per private CA per month and issues certificates valid for up to 7 days. General-purpose certificates cost $0.75 per certificate for 1–1,000, $0.35 for 1,001–10,000, and $0.001 for 10,001+. Short-lived certificates cost $0.058 per certificate. OCSP response generation costs $0.06 per certificate per month, while OCSP queries cost $0.2 per 100,000 queries. The first private CA in an AWS account and Region has a 30-day operation-charge waiver, although certificates issued during the trial are billed.

Its strongest case is breadth across common private PKI workflows: certificate profiles cover end-entity, CA, client-authentication, server-authentication, and code-signing certificates, while revocation works through CRLs and OCSP. Integrations include AWS Certificate Manager, Amazon EKS, Kubernetes cert-manager, Microsoft Intune, Jamf Pro, and Active Directory; connectors also support Kubernetes, Active Directory, and SCEP enrollment. Choose AWS Private CA when managed HSM-backed keys, API access, and AWS ecosystem integration matter. Teams seeking a free plan or a simpler, single-purpose certificate tool should look elsewhere.

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AWS Private Certificate Authority pricing

All 8 AWS Private Certificate Authority plans and prices →

AWS Private Certificate Authority fact sheet

AWS Private Certificate Authority integrations

AWS Private Certificate Authority lists 6 integrations on its own site.

• AWS Certificate Manager
• Amazon EKS
• Kubernetes cert-manager
• Microsoft Intune
• Jamf Pro
• Active Directory

Alternatives to AWS Private Certificate Authority

• EJBCAA broad, self-hosted PKI platform with deep certificate and deployment support.9.4
• DigiCert Private CAA flexible private CA for enterprises managing certificates across hybrid and air-gapped environments.9.2
• SSL.com Private Enterprise PKIManaged private PKI with broad enrollment protocols, lifecycle controls, and published plan pricing.9.1

See all AWS Private Certificate Authority alternatives →

AWS Private Certificate Authority vs the competition

• AWS Private Certificate Authority vs EJBCA
• AWS Private Certificate Authority vs DigiCert Private CA
• AWS Private Certificate Authority vs SSL.com Private Enterprise PKI
• AWS Private Certificate Authority vs AppViewX PKIaaS
• XAWS Private Certificate Authority vs XiPKI
• OAWS Private Certificate Authority vs OpenXPKI

Compare AWS Private Certificate Authority with any tool side by side →

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Featured on iTechGuides

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update