Google Cloud Secret Manager review

Google Cloud Secret Manager is the lowest-cost option on this list for small secret counts. Its Always Free tier covers 6 active secret versions, 10,000 access operations and 3 rotation notifications per month, and those limits apply after the free trial ends. Beyond that, Google's own billing example prices 144 active secret versions at $0.06 each, or $8.64, and access operations cost $0.03 per 10,000. Management operations and destroyed versions are free. Secrets are versioned and controlled with Cloud IAM, you choose a replication policy for where data lives, and you can set expiration dates and rotation schedules. The main caveat is that rotation schedules publish notifications rather than changing credentials for you, so you need your own function to rotate the value. Because billing counts active versions, teams should disable or destroy old versions they no longer need.

Who it is for

teams building on Google Cloud

Price

$0.06 per active secret version per month after the free tier; access operations $0.03 per 10,000.

144 active secret versions at $0.06: $8.64
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Versioned secrets with access control through Cloud IAM
• Replication policies to choose where secret data is stored
• Rotation schedules that send rotation notifications
• Secret expiration dates
• Always Free tier of 6 active secret versions, 10,000 access operations and 3 rotation notifications per month

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Always Free limits cover 6 active secret versions and 10,000 access operations each month
• Strength: Google's example prices 144 billable secret versions at $8.64 per month
• Strength: Management operations and destroyed secret versions are free
• Weakness: Billing counts each active version, so keeping old versions enabled adds cost
• Weakness: Rotation notifications beyond 3 per month cost $0.05 each
• Weakness: Rotation schedules send notifications; you still write the code that changes the credential

Key facts

• Free tier: 6 active versions, 10,000 access operations, 3 rotation notifications per month
• Secret version price: $0.06 per active version per month
• Access operations: $0.03 per 10,000 after the free tier
• Access control: Cloud IAM

Where it ranks

Google Cloud Secret Manager is No. 4 in our Best Secrets Management Tools verdict.