CipherStash Stash vs Engage Black BlackVault HSMs: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

CipherStash Stash

Startups and SMBs managing TypeScript services need CipherStash Stash because its zero-knowledge architecture means the vendor literally cannot access your secrets, plaintext, or decryption keys, even under compulsion. The cryptographic audit trail creates immutable proof of every access event, addressing both PR.AA and PR.DS in NIST CSF 2.0 simultaneously. Skip this if your team runs primarily Python or Go; the SDK strength is decidedly TypeScript-first, and retrofitting other languages adds friction that larger, language-agnostic competitors don't impose.

Engage Black BlackVault HSMs

Mid-market and enterprise teams that need hardware-backed key generation and storage will find the Engage Black BlackVault HSMs valuable for satisfying FIPS 140-2 Level 3 requirements without cloud dependencies. The tamper-reactive silicon die shield and on-device cryptographic operations directly address NIST PR.DS and PR.AA controls that auditors actually scrutinize. Skip this if your organization has standardized on cloud-native key management or needs integration breadth beyond certificate authorities and legacy CAPI/CNG environments; the four-person vendor and narrow API support mean you're betting on stability over ecosystem expansion.