Puppet vs Salt
On the evidence we track, Salt leads this comparison with a composite score of 53/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.
Capabilities
Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for configuration management tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.
What each one is
The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.
Puppet
Automates the configuration, deployment, and management of IT infrastructure across on-premises and cloud environments by defining and maintaining desired system states, with built-in security and compliance controls.
Salt
LeaderA 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.
Pricing
List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.
Puppet
Free tier for up to 25 nodes. Commercial, Enterprise, and Advanced plans available by custom quote or contacting sales.
- Core (Free)Free
- Continuous enforcement of desired state
- Centralize, import, and execute existing scripts & processes (Command Line Only)
- Flexible agent-based and agentless architecture
- Audit and activity logs, configuration correction reports
- Access to Puppet Forge
- +2 more
- Core (Commercial)Contact sales
- All Core (Free) features
- Vendor-backed SLAs
- Stable, secure software builds and hardened binaries
- Standard support included with 24x7 premium support available
- Training engagement with Certified Puppet Engineers
- +1 more
- EnterpriseContact sales
- All Core features
- Intuitive web interface and easier-to-use web-based GUI
- Unify declarative and imperative workflows in a single platform
- Role-based access control (RBAC) for user management
- Out-of-the-box CI/CD pipeline tooling with team workspaces
- +7 more
- AdvancedContact sales
- All Enterprise features
- Natural language interface to Puppet services and infrastructure data (Puppet AI Infra Assistant)
- Advanced patching
- Vulnerability remediation with 3rd party scanner integration (including Nessus)
- Predict infrastructure code impact prior to deployment
- +5 more
Platform & deployment
Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.
Integrations
What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.
Puppet
- ServiceNow
- VMware
- Argo CD
- Jenkins
- Dynatrace
- Datadog
- New Relic
- Splunk
- Grafana
- Prometheus
- Tenable Nessus
- CIS Benchmarks
- DISA STIG
Salt
Leader- Bitnami
Puppet 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.