Entrust Certificate Manager vs Smallstep OSS PKI Toolchain (step-ca & step-cli): side-by-side comparison (2026)

Entrust Certificate Manager: Automates discovery, issuance, renewal, and revocation of digital certificates at scale. Built by Entrust.

Smallstep OSS PKI Toolchain (step-ca & step-cli): Open-source private CA toolchain for automated X.509 & SSH cert mgmt. Built by Smallstep.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

Entrust Certificate Manager is made by Entrust. Smallstep OSS PKI Toolchain (step-ca & step-cli) is made by Smallstep. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

Often, yes. Entrust Certificate Manager and Smallstep OSS PKI Toolchain (step-ca & step-cli) are both Certificate Lifecycle Management products, and both cover TLS. Key differences: Entrust Certificate Manager is Commercial while Smallstep OSS PKI Toolchain (step-ca & step-cli) is Free. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.