helm-secrets vs SOPS: side-by-side comparison (2026)

helm-secrets: A Helm plugin that decrypts encrypted value files using sops encryption and integrates with cloud secret managers for secure secrets management in Kubernetes deployments.

SOPS: SOPS is an encrypted file editor that supports multiple formats and integrates with various key management services including AWS KMS, GCP KMS, Azure Key Vault, age, and PGP.

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

helm-secrets is open-source with 1,970 GitHub stars. SOPS is open-source with 21,184 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

Often, yes. helm-secrets and SOPS are both Secrets Management products, and both cover Azure, Secrets Management. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.