Comparison

Ansible vs Salt

On the evidence we track, Ansible leads this comparison with a composite score of 64/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★Ansible64
Salt53
Score
vioscaleAI score
Ansible64 / 100medium · 65%
Salt53 / 100high · 76%
Pricing
Free tier
Ansible✓
Salt✓
Model
Price level
Ansiblelow
Saltfree
Transparent
Ansible–
Salt✓
Integrations
Count
Ansible22
Salt1
Reliability
Status page
Ansible–
Salt✓
Adoption
Dependent repos
Ansible2,140
Salt0
Github stars
Ansible70,980
Salt15,714
Package downloads weekly
Ansible1,964,190
Salt29,742
Activity
Commits last 30d
Ansible35
Salt100
Release
Cadence days
Ansible–
Salt6
History
Ansible20 items
License
Spdx
Language
Primary
AnsiblePython
SaltPython
Content
Faq
Ansible6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for configuration management tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Core
Architecture
AnsibleAgentless / SSH-push
SaltAgent-based
Push / pull model
Ansible-
SaltPull
Config language
Ansible-
Salt-
Deployment
Masterless mode
Ansible✓
Salt-
Hosting
AnsibleSelf-hosted only
SaltSelf-hosted only
Correctness
Idempotent
Ansible-
Salt-
Model
Desired-state declarative
Ansible✓
Salt✓
Ecosystem
Content registry
Ansible-
Salt-
Platform
Windows support
Ansible-
Salt✓
Scope
Cloud provisioning
Ansible✓
Salt✓
Governance
Policy / compliance
Ansible-
Salt-
Commercial
Enterprise edition
Ansible-
Salt✗
Licensing
Open-source core
Ansible✓
Salt✓

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Ansible

Leader

A system for automating infrastructure provisioning, configuration management, and application deployment across multiple machines via standard SSH without requiring agent installation on remote systems.

Independently observed

Salt

A Python-based automation tool and framework designed to deploy, configure, and manage complex IT infrastructure systems, supporting multiple operating systems and maintaining consistent desired state across infrastructure components.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Ansible

Leader
HybridFree tier

Free open-source version or paid enterprise platform

  • Ansible (Open Source)Free
  • Red Hat Ansible Automation PlatformContact sales
as of verify ↗

Salt

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
macOS
Ansible✗
Salt✓
Windows
Ansible✗
Salt✓
Linux
Ansible✗
Salt✓
CLI
Ansible✓
Salt✓
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Ansible✗
Salt✓
Self-hosted
Ansible✓
Salt✓

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Ansible

Leader
22 total
  • Terraform
  • VMware
  • ServiceNow
  • AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Google Cloud Platform
  • Cisco
  • Juniper
  • F5
  • HPE
  • Dell Technologies
  • NetApp
  • SAP
  • Pure
  • Palo Alto Networks
  • CyberArk
  • HashiCorp Vault
  • Splunk
  • Dynatrace
  • Infoblox
  • Aruba
  • Windows
Independently observed

Salt

1 total
  • Bitnami
Independently observed
Still deciding?

Ansible or Salt: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.