CyberArk vs BeyondTrust: Which PAM Platform Fits Your Team

Short answer: Choose CyberArk if you are building a vault-first privileged access program in a large, regulated enterprise and you are comfortable that CyberArk is now a Palo Alto Networks product. Choose BeyondTrust if you need vendor remote access, remote support and endpoint least privilege in one suite, or you need an on-premises appliance. The deciding factor is where your privileged risk sits: the vault or the remote session.

CyberArk vs BeyondTrust at a glance

The table above compares CyberArk and BeyondTrust on the capabilities most PAM buyers shortlist on, using each vendor's own pages and marketplace listings checked September 22, 2026. Both vendors sell a full platform, so most capability rows read "Yes"; the differences sit in delivery model, ownership, price transparency and security record, which the sections below cover.

Neither vendor publishes feature-by-plan tables, so plan gating is not shown. Ask each vendor which capabilities your quote actually includes before comparing totals.

Choose CyberArk if

• Your PAM program starts with vaulting, rotating and recording access to shared admin accounts across servers, databases and network devices.
• You want session isolation, monitoring and recording plus just-in-time access in a SaaS service, as listed for Privilege Cloud on AWS Marketplace.
• You already run Palo Alto Networks firewalls or Prisma products and want identity security from the same vendor.
• Your budget can absorb a list price near $1,788 per privileged user per year at small scale.
• You plan to govern machine and AI agent identities, which Palo Alto lists as core Idira capabilities.

Choose BeyondTrust if

• Third-party vendors and contractors need brokered remote access to internal systems, and your help desk also needs a remote support tool.
• You want endpoint privilege management for Windows, Mac and Linux from the same vendor as your vault.
• You need to self-host the vault on a virtual or physical appliance rather than use SaaS.
• You would rather stay with an independent PAM vendor than one inside a larger security platform.
• Your security team can commit to fast patching of internet-facing remote access appliances (see the security record below).

Vaulting, session management and just-in-time access

This criterion is a reasoned tie, with CyberArk ahead on published detail. CyberArk's Privilege Cloud listing on AWS Marketplace names credential management and password vaulting, session isolation, monitoring and recording, just-in-time access with zero standing privileges workflows, misuse detection and compliance reporting. That is the vault-first core CyberArk has been known for.

BeyondTrust covers the same ground through Password Safe, which its AWS Marketplace listing describes as managing privileged credentials and secrets, plus session management across its platform. BeyondTrust's own comparison page argues its difference is breadth rather than vault depth: it also looks for escalation paths that give low-level accounts indirect privilege.

Both claims come from the vendors. Neither publishes an independent test of vault or session features, so run a proof of concept on your own target systems before deciding.

Endpoint privilege and remote access

BeyondTrust wins this criterion. Its AWS Marketplace listing bundles Privileged Remote Access for vendor and developer access, Remote Support for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS devices, and Endpoint Privilege Management for Windows, Mac and Linux. For a team that has to remove local admin rights and broker contractor access, that puts both jobs in one platform.

CyberArk lists Endpoint Privilege Manager among the Idira platform capabilities, and its Privilege Cloud listing covers access for third-party vendors. CyberArk does not sell a help desk remote support tool comparable to BeyondTrust Remote Support, so an organization replacing its remote support product has one less purchase with BeyondTrust.

Deployment options: SaaS, connectors and appliances

BeyondTrust wins on choice of delivery model. Its Password Safe documentation covers both Password Safe Cloud, which reaches internal systems through a resource broker you install, and the self-hosted U-Series appliance for on-premises use.

CyberArk's current marketplace listing is SaaS only: Privilege Cloud, with the listing noting that "additional AWS infrastructure costs may apply." CyberArk also sells self-hosted editions of some products, such as Secrets Manager Self-Hosted named in the SecurityWeek report on Conjur flaws. Confirm the current self-hosted PAM option directly with Palo Alto Networks if on-premises delivery is a requirement.

Admin tip: whichever you pick, the SaaS model still leaves components on your network (connectors or a resource broker) that need patching, monitoring and outbound firewall rules.

Ownership and roadmap after the Palo Alto Networks deal

This criterion is a judgment call, not a winner. Palo Alto Networks completed its acquisition of CyberArk on February 11, 2026, paying $45.00 in cash plus 2.2005 Palo Alto shares per CyberArk share. The press release says the CyberArk platform continues as a standalone offering while integration progresses.

The Idira page describes Idira as "built on CyberArk's legacy and powered by Palo Alto Networks" and says existing customers keep using the platform with a new logo and design, with cross-platform capabilities coming over time. For buyers, that means naming, bundling and contract terms may change during a multi-year term. BeyondTrust remains an independent PAM vendor.

Pricing compared

CyberArk vs BeyondTrust published prices, checked September 22, 2026. Figures are list prices before discounts, private offers or tax.

CyberArk is the only vendor of the two with a public figure, and only for one 25-user bundle. At 50 or 250 users the real price depends on a private offer, so seat math beyond 25 users is not published by either vendor. BeyondTrust's listing states that "pricing is based on your specific requirements and eligibility." Get quotes for the same user count, the same modules (vault, sessions, endpoint, remote access) and the same term before comparing.

The fine print compared

Both vendors route buyers to sales or a demo request. Neither publishes a support response-time SLA on the pages checked for this comparison.

Security record compared

BeyondTrust's incidents centered on its remote access products, which are internet-facing by design, so patch cadence for self-hosted Remote Support and Privileged Remote Access appliances belongs in any BeyondTrust rollout plan. SecurityWeek names only Secrets Manager Self-Hosted and Conjur open source as affected by the CyberArk flaws; it does not mention Privilege Cloud. Neither vendor publishes an uptime figure on the pages checked.

Switching between CyberArk and BeyondTrust

Neither CyberArk nor BeyondTrust publishes a direct migration tool from the other product on the pages checked for this comparison. In practice a move means onboarding accounts again on the new platform: discovering privileged accounts, importing them, and setting rotation policies.

What does not migrate: session recordings and audit history (keep the old platform read-only or export recordings for your retention period), access policies and approval workflows, connector or broker configuration, and integrations with your SIEM and ticketing system. Plan a parallel run by system tier, starting with low-risk servers, and budget for professional services on either side.

Which to pick for your scenario

When neither fits

If both are more platform than you need, or you want open-source or just-in-time infrastructure access tools, start from the privileged access management category hub, which lists challengers and open-source options. If you are leaving CyberArk and BeyondTrust is not the destination, the CyberArk alternatives roundup compares Delinea, KeeperPAM, ManageEngine PAM360 and StrongDM.

Bottom line

If your auditors and your PAM roadmap are built around a central vault and recorded admin sessions, shortlist CyberArk and ask Palo Alto Networks for a written statement on how Idira changes your contract. If contractors, help desk remote control and local admin removal are the bigger risks, BeyondTrust covers more of that in one suite, provided you can patch its remote access appliances quickly. The verdict flips toward BeyondTrust the moment an on-premises appliance is a hard requirement.

Turn your requirements into a scored checklist with the PAM shortlist builder before your proof of concept.