# AWS CloudFormation vs Spacelift

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** AWS CloudFormation

| Attribute | AWS CloudFormation | Spacelift |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 52.6 (73% (medium)) | 46.9 (74% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A cloud service that lets you provision and manage AWS resources by defining them in template files, supporting both AWS-native and third-party resources through a pluggable ecosystem. It is indexed under Infrastructure as Code Tools.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"What is AWS CloudFormation?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS CloudFormation offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $0.00. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"Is AWS CloudFormation free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"AWS CloudFormation supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"What platforms does AWS CloudFormation support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for AWS CloudFormation, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"Can AWS CloudFormation be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 23 integrations for AWS CloudFormation, including MongoDB, Datadog, Atlassian Opsgenie, JFrog, Trend Micro, Splunk, Aqua Security and FireEye, plus 15 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"What does AWS CloudFormation integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed HIPAA and GDPR for AWS CloudFormation. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as AWS CloudFormation not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/security/?nc1=f_cc","question":"What security certifications does AWS CloudFormation have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"AWS CloudFormation is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","question":"Where is AWS CloudFormation available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A platform that combines infrastructure-as-code tools with GitOps workflows and AI capabilities, enabling teams to automate infrastructure provisioning and deployment while maintaining governance and compliance controls. It is indexed under Infrastructure as Code Tools.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"What is Spacelift?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Spacelift offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $20000 per year. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"Is Spacelift free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Spacelift supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"What platforms does Spacelift support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Spacelift can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise, air-gapped and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"Can Spacelift be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 19 integrations for Spacelift, including Terraform, OpenTofu, CloudFormation, Pulumi, Kubernetes, Ansible, GitHub and GitLab, plus 11 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"What does Spacelift integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 for Spacelift. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Spacelift not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://spacelift.io/security","question":"What security certifications does Spacelift have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Spacelift is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","question":"Where is Spacelift available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A service for defining and deploying AWS cloud infrastructure using declarative code templates, enabling automated provisioning, updates, and management of resources at scale across multiple accounts and regions. | Spacelift is an orchestration platform for managing infrastructure-as-code workflows. It supports multiple IaC tools including Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and Kubernetes, with policy enforcement, drift detection, and multiple deployment models ranging from cloud-hosted SaaS to on-premises installations. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"cloud","language":"JSON, YAML, TypeScript, Python, Java, .NET","paradigm":"declarative_dsl","multicloud":false,"policy_as_code":true,"drift_detection":true,"import_existing":true,"state_management":"vendor_managed","open_source_engine":true,"provider_ecosystem":true,"gitops_reconciliation":true,"managed_saas_offering":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","language":"Terraform HCL, Kubernetes YAML, CloudFormation JSON, Pulumi Python, Ansible","paradigm":"declarative_dsl","multicloud":true,"policy_as_code":true,"drift_detection":true,"import_existing":true,"state_management":"vendor_managed","open_source_engine":false,"provider_ecosystem":true,"gitops_reconciliation":true,"managed_saas_offering":true}` |
| integrations.count | 9 | 22 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"MongoDB"},{"name":"Datadog"},{"name":"Atlassian Opsgenie"},{"name":"JFrog"},{"name":"Trend Micro"},{"name":"Splunk"},{"name":"Aqua Security"},{"name":"FireEye"},{"name":"Sysdig"},{"name":"Snyk"},{"name":"Check Point"},{"name":"Spot by NetApp"},{"name":"Gremlin"},{"name":"Stackery"},{"name":"Iridium"},{"name":"AWS CDK"},{"name":"AWS SAM (Serverless Application Model)"},{"name":"Visual Studio"},{"name":"Kiro"},{"name":"AWS CloudFormation Registry"},{"name":"AWS Partner Network (APN)"},{"name":"Serverless Application Model (SAM)","native":true,"category":"framework"},{"name":"Git repositories","native":true,"direction":"inbound"}]` | `[{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"OpenTofu"},{"name":"CloudFormation"},{"name":"Pulumi"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"Ansible"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Bitbucket"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud"},{"name":"Slack"},{"name":"Infracost"},{"name":"Checkov"},{"name":"Wiz"},{"name":"OPA"},{"name":"ServiceNow","native":true,"category":"itsm","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Terragrunt","native":true,"category":"iac","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"AWS CDK","native":true,"category":"iac","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Serverless Framework","native":true,"category":"iac","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Bitbucket Cloud","native":true,"category":"vcs","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Bitbucket Datacenter","native":true,"category":"vcs","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Azure DevOps","native":true,"category":"vcs","direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Microsoft Teams","native":true,"category":"chat","direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Datadog","native":true,"category":"monitoring","direction":"outbound"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Third-party Resources & Custom Hooks","summary":"$0.0009/handler operation after 1,000 free ops/month","features":["Unlimited AWS::* and Alexa::* resource operations (no handler charges)","Third-party resource provisioning","Custom hook support","Handler operation billing after free tier","Duration overage billing"],"components":[{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"handler operation"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.0009,"currency":"USD"},{"per":{"qty":1,"unit":"second"},"kind":"metered","amount":0.00008,"currency":"USD","description":"Duration overage beyond 30 seconds per operation"}],"description":"Pay-per-operation model for third-party resource providers and custom hooks","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"free_handler_operations":"1,000/month","free_duration_per_operation":"30 seconds"}}],"summary":"Usage-based: $0.0009/handler operation + $0.00008/sec overage. 1,000 free operations/month. Data transfer at AWS rates.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T16:36:19.015Z","startingPrice":{"amount":0.00008,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"Free tier for small teams","features":["IaC support","VCS integration","Resource visualization","1 public worker"],"minSeats":2,"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For small teams to get started","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"2","public_workers":"1"}},{"free":false,"name":"Starter+","summary":"$20,000/year, includes 2 public workers and 1-2 private workers","features":["IaC support","Workflow customization","VCS integration","Resource visualization","Cloud cost estimation","Spacelift Terraform provider","Cloud integrations","Drift detection","Policy as Code engine"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For growing teams looking to optimize team workflows with infrastructure automation","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"users":"unlimited","public_workers":"2","private_workers":"1-2"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"Annual subscription, custom pricing","features":["All Starter+ features","Private provider registry","Targeted replans","Dedicated Slack support channel","Dedicated Customer Success Manager","Silver Support + CSM"],"commitment":"annual","description":"For teams looking to orchestrate infrastructure provisioning, configuration, and collaboration","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"unlimited","private_workers":"3"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Annual subscription, custom pricing","features":["All Business features","Audit trail","SSO integration with SAML 2.0","OIDC API Keys","Internal source control system","Enhanced Onboarding Support","Silver Support + CSM"],"commitment":"annual","description":"For companies that need enterprise-level infrastructure orchestration and governance","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"unlimited","private_workers":"5-30"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise+","summary":"Annual subscription, custom pricing","features":["All Enterprise features","MFA","Self-hosted option","FedRAMP authorization","On-premises/air-gapped environments","Gold Support + CSM + Executive escalation"],"commitment":"annual","description":"For companies requiring SaaS or self-hosted deployments with enhanced security, compliance, and support","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"users":"unlimited","private_workers":"12-30"}}],"summary":"Free tier available. Starter+ from $20,000/year. Higher tiers available by quote.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://spacelift.io/pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-09-22T14:42:41.349Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20000,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | free | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.starting_price | - | `{"amount":20000,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | no | no |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | - | `[{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","level":"Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"FedRAMP","status":"active"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |
| security.fedramp | yes | yes |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.hipaa | yes | - |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/ | https://spacelift.io/security |

## Capabilities (Infrastructure as Code Tools)

| Capability | AWS CloudFormation | Spacelift |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Paradigm | Declarative DSL | Declarative DSL |
| Language | JSON, YAML, TypeScript, Python, Java, .NET | Terraform HCL, Kubernetes YAML, CloudFormation JSON, Pulumi Python, Ansible |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Multicloud / cloud-agnostic | ✗ | ✓ |
| **Architecture** |  |  |
| State management | Vendor-managed | Vendor-managed |
| **Extensibility** |  |  |
| Pluggable provider ecosystem | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Policy as code | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Drift detection | ✓ | ✓ |
| GitOps continuous reconciliation | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Managed SaaS offering | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hosting | Cloud only | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Adoption** |  |  |
| Import existing resources | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source engine | ✓ | ✗ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| CNCF maturity | - | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:58:49.399Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*