Comparison

CFEngine vs SaltStack

On the evidence we track, SaltStack leads this comparison with a composite score of 57/100. 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.
CFEngine49
★SaltStack57
Score
vioscaleAI score
CFEngine49 / 100medium · 63%
SaltStack57 / 100medium · 72%
Pricing
Free tier
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Model
CFEnginefreemium
SaltStackopen_source
Price level
CFEnginelow
SaltStackfree
Transparent
CFEngine✗
SaltStack–
Integrations
Count
CFEngine2
SaltStack–
Adoption
Dependent repos
CFEngine0
SaltStack0
Github stars
CFEngine538
SaltStack15,715
Package downloads weekly
CFEngine–
SaltStack31,513
Activity
Commits last 30d
CFEngine63
SaltStack100
Release
Cadence days
CFEngine–
SaltStack6
History
CFEngine–
SaltStack20 items
License
Spdx
CFEngine–
SaltStackApache-2.0
Language
Primary
CFEngineC
SaltStackPython
Market
Availability
SaltStack–
Content
Faq
CFEngine4 items
SaltStack–

Capabilities

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

Core
Architecture
CFEngineAgent-based
SaltStack-
Push / pull model
CFEngineBoth
SaltStack-
Config language
CFEngineCFEngine policy language
SaltStack-
Deployment
Masterless mode
CFEngine-
SaltStack-
Hosting
CFEngineCloud + self-hosted
SaltStackSelf-hosted only
Correctness
Idempotent
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Model
Desired-state declarative
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Ecosystem
Content registry
CFEngine✓
SaltStack-
Platform
Windows support
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Scope
Cloud provisioning
CFEngine-
SaltStack-
Governance
Policy / compliance
CFEngine✓
SaltStack-
Commercial
Enterprise edition
CFEngine✓
SaltStack-
Licensing
Open-source core
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓

What each one is

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

CFEngine

A configuration management platform that automates IT infrastructure operations, enforces security policies, and enables compliance across systems.

Independently observed

SaltStack

Leader

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.

CFEngine

HybridFree tier

Free open-source community edition or commercial enterprise edition

  • Community EditionFree
    • GitHub source access
    • Community support
  • Enterprise EditionContact sales
    • Inventory & compliance reports
    • Web UI (Mission Portal)
    • APIs
    • Alerts & dashboards
    • Enhanced platform support
as of verify ↗

SaltStack

Leader
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
CFEngine✗
SaltStack✓
Windows
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Linux
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓
Deployment
Self-hosted
CFEngine✓
SaltStack✓

Integrations

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

CFEngine

2 total
  • Git
  • Docker
Independently observed

SaltStack

Leader

Not documented yet.

Still deciding?

CFEngine 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.