Summary: The best privileged access management tools replace standing admin rights with access that is vaulted, time-limited, and recorded. CyberArk remains the benchmark for large regulated enterprises, BeyondTrust is strongest for remote and vendor access, Delinea offers the quickest time to value, Microsoft Entra PIM covers Microsoft cloud roles at low cost, and Teleport suits engineering teams that run cloud-native infrastructure.
Administrator accounts are the shortest route to a serious breach. The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report has for years ranked stolen credentials among the most common ways attackers gain initial access, and a single compromised admin account can turn an intrusion into a company-wide incident. Privileged access management (PAM) limits that damage by controlling who can use powerful accounts, for how long, and with what oversight.
This article ranks the best privileged access management tools, compares them side by side, and sets out how to choose. For the fundamentals, read our primer on privileged access management first.
Best privileged access management tools compared
| Tool | Best for | Key strength |
|---|---|---|
| CyberArk | Large, regulated enterprises | Deep vaulting, session isolation, and audit controls |
| BeyondTrust | Remote and third-party access | Secure vendor sessions plus endpoint privilege management |
| Delinea | Mid-market teams wanting fast rollout | Secret Server vault with a simpler deployment model |
| Microsoft Entra PIM | Microsoft 365 and Azure estates | Just-in-time activation of Entra and Azure roles |
| Teleport | DevOps and cloud-native infrastructure | Short-lived certificates instead of stored passwords |
The comparison shows two distinct approaches. CyberArk, BeyondTrust, and Delinea protect credentials by vaulting and rotating them, while Entra PIM and Teleport reduce the number of standing credentials that exist at all. Most organizations end up needing both models, so judge each tool by the systems it must cover rather than by the length of its feature list.
The top 5 PAM tools reviewed
1. CyberArk
CyberArk is the long-standing market reference for PAM, and Palo Alto Networks agreed to acquire the company in 2025. It combines a hardened credential vault, automatic rotation, isolated and recorded sessions, and controls for machine identities. Its depth satisfies demanding auditors in banking, healthcare, and government. The cost is complexity: plan for specialist skills and a phased rollout.
2. BeyondTrust
BeyondTrust covers password vaulting, privileged remote access, and endpoint privilege management. It is particularly effective at giving vendors and contractors controlled access without a VPN, and at removing local admin rights from workstations without disrupting users.
3. Delinea
Delinea, formed from the merger of Thycotic and Centrify, is known for Secret Server. Teams typically get a working vault with discovery and rotation in weeks rather than quarters. It is a practical choice for mid-sized organizations that need solid controls without a large PAM team.
4. Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management
Microsoft Entra PIM makes administrator roles eligible rather than permanent. Users activate a role for a limited time, with approval, justification, and multifactor authentication. It requires Entra ID P2 or Entra ID Governance licensing and focuses on Microsoft cloud roles, so it complements rather than replaces a full vault.
5. Teleport
Teleport gives engineers access to servers, Kubernetes clusters, databases, and cloud consoles through short-lived certificates tied to their identity. There are no shared SSH keys or database passwords to steal. It fits engineering-led companies better than organizations with large legacy Windows estates.
How to choose a PAM tool
- Map your privileged accounts. Include service accounts, cloud roles, API keys, and vendor logins, not only domain admins.
- Prefer just-in-time access. Our comparison of just-in-time access vs always-on privileges explains why standing rights are the larger risk.
- Check the access model. PAM enforces policy, so decide between the approaches in RBAC vs ABAC before you configure it.
- Plan for secrets. Application credentials may belong in a dedicated secrets manager, as discussed in HashiCorp Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager.
- Align with zero trust. NIST SP 800-207 treats every access request as untrusted until verified, which is exactly what PAM enforces for administrators.
Actionable recommendations
- Run a discovery scan to count privileged accounts. The number is usually several times higher than expected.
- Vault and rotate domain admin, root, and break-glass credentials first.
- Remove local administrator rights from user workstations.
- Require approval and session recording for third-party access.
- Feed PAM logs into your monitoring stack so that unusual admin activity triggers insider threat detection.
Good PAM also depends on basic hygiene, so review your password management best practices and your defenses against local privilege escalation at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
What is a privileged access management tool?
A PAM tool secures accounts with elevated permissions. It stores their credentials in a vault, grants access only when needed, records what administrators do, and rotates passwords automatically.
What is the difference between PAM and IAM?
Identity and access management (IAM) governs every user’s login and entitlements. PAM is a specialized layer for the small set of accounts that can change systems, read sensitive data, or alter security settings.
Do small businesses need PAM?
Yes, in a proportionate form. A small firm can start with a password vault, multifactor authentication on all admin accounts, and just-in-time roles in Microsoft Entra or its cloud provider.
How long does a PAM deployment take?
A focused rollout covering core admin accounts can take a few weeks. Extending coverage to service accounts, applications, and legacy systems is usually a multi-quarter program.
Conclusion
Identity is now the main attack surface, and privileged accounts are its most valuable target in 2026. CyberArk leads on depth, BeyondTrust on remote access, Delinea on speed, Entra PIM on value for Microsoft estates, and Teleport on cloud-native infrastructure. Choose the tool that covers your riskiest accounts soonest, because every standing privilege you remove is one fewer path an attacker can use.
