Comparison

Ansible vs SaltStack

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
SaltStack57
Score
vioscaleAI score
Ansible64 / 100medium · 65%
SaltStack57 / 100medium · 72%
Pricing
Free tier
Ansible✓
SaltStack✓
Model
Ansiblecommercial
SaltStackopen_source
Price level
Ansiblelow
SaltStackfree
Integrations
Count
Ansible22
SaltStack–
Adoption
Dependent repos
Ansible2,140
SaltStack0
Github stars
Ansible70,980
SaltStack15,715
Package downloads weekly
Ansible1,964,190
SaltStack31,513
Activity
Commits last 30d
Ansible35
SaltStack100
Release
Cadence days
Ansible–
SaltStack6
History
Ansible20 items
SaltStack20 items
License
Spdx
AnsibleGPL-3.0
SaltStackApache-2.0
Language
Primary
AnsiblePython
SaltStackPython
Content
Faq
Ansible6 items
SaltStack–

Capabilities

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

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

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

SaltStack

An event-driven framework for automating the deployment, configuration, and management of IT infrastructure, designed to maintain consistent system state across distributed environments.

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 ↗

SaltStack

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✗
SaltStack✓
Windows
Ansible✗
SaltStack✓
Linux
Ansible✗
SaltStack✓
CLI
Ansible✓
SaltStack✗
Deployment
Self-hosted
Ansible✓
SaltStack✓

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

SaltStack

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

Ansible or SaltStack: 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.