# Ansible vs Chef Infra

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Ansible

| Attribute | Ansible | Chef Infra |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 57.5 (61% (medium)) | 51.9 (74% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 22 | 73 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 2,140 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 70,473 | 8,231 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 2,699,011 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Ansible is an open source IT automation engine that automates provisioning, configuration management, application deployment, orchestration, and many other IT processes. It is free to use, and the project benefits from the experience and intelligence of its thousands of contributors. | A DevOps automation solution for defining and managing infrastructure configurations, enforcing compliance standards, and automating remediation across cloud, on-premises, hybrid, and air-gapped environments. Provides continuous compliance auditing, policy enforcement, and workflow orchestration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"open_source_core":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","language":"Ruby","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"content_registry":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` |
| integrations.count | 22 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"VMware"},{"name":"ServiceNow"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Microsoft Azure"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform"},{"name":"Cisco"},{"name":"Juniper"},{"name":"F5"},{"name":"HPE"},{"name":"Dell Technologies"},{"name":"NetApp"},{"name":"SAP"},{"name":"Pure"},{"name":"Palo Alto Networks"},{"name":"CyberArk"},{"name":"HashiCorp Vault"},{"name":"Splunk"},{"name":"Dynatrace"},{"name":"Infoblox"},{"name":"Aruba"},{"name":"Windows"}]` | `[{"name":"Google Compute Engine"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Jenkins"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Azure"},{"name":"GCP"}]` |
| language.primary | Python | Ruby |
| license.spdx | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"hqCountry":"US","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Ansible (Open Source)","description":"Free open-source project"},{"free":false,"name":"Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform","description":"Enterprise platform with security hardening and support","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free open-source version or paid enterprise platform","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.ansible.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:05:30.789Z"}` | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$59/node/year","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","30 Days Data Retention","Standard Support","99.9% Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"node","amount":59,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Suitable for organisations that need to automate and orchestrate infrastructure management jobs critical to business success.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"10","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"$189/node/year","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Continuous Compliance","Cloud Security Posture Management","Application Delivery","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","30 Days Data Retention","Standard Support","99.9% Uptime SLA"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"node","amount":189,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For organizations tasked with maturing DevOps automation, orchestration and auditing for their entire organization.","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"10","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise Plus","summary":"Custom pricing, contact sales","features":["Node Management","Job Orchestration","Configuration Management","Desktop Management","Compliance Audit","Continuous Compliance","Cloud Security Posture Management","Application Delivery","Unlimited User Seats","Unlimited Org Units","Up to 60 Days Data Retention","Premium Support","99.9% Uptime SLA","Optional Dedicated Instance"],"description":"For security-focused organizations aiming to extend DevOps automation to address security and compliance requirements.","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"concurrent_jobs":"50","monthly_job_runs_per_node":"10"}}],"summary":"From $59/node/year annual billing. No free tier.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://www.chef.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:05:19.898Z","startingPrice":{"amount":59,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | commercial | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | low | mid |
| pricing.transparent | - | no |
| release.cadence_days | - | 233 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.3","date":"2026-08-10T16:46:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.8","date":"2026-08-10T16:45:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.20.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.12","date":"2026-08-10T16:43:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.19.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.19","date":"2026-08-10T16:42:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.18.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.3rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:47:24Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.3rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.8rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:46:13Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.20.8rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.12rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:35:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.19.12rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.19rc1","date":"2026-08-03T22:35:39Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.18.19rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.2","date":"2026-07-13T19:39:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.2rc1","date":"2026-07-06T18:32:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.2rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.1","date":"2026-06-18T19:35:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.21.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.7","date":"2026-06-18T19:36:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.20.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.11","date":"2026-06-18T19:37:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.19.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.18","date":"2026-06-18T19:39:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.18.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.16.19","date":"2026-06-18T19:40:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v2.16.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.21.1rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:29:45Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.21.1rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.20.7rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:31:04Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.20.7rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.19.11rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:32:36Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.19.11rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.18.18rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:33:53Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.18.18rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/ansible/ansible/releases/tag/v2.16.19rc1","date":"2026-06-11T19:40:34Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v2.16.19rc1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/v15.8.23","date":"2020-02-20T06:51:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v15.8.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/15.1.36","date":"2019-07-01T23:16:15Z","type":"prerelease","version":"15.1.36"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/11.18.14","date":"2015-07-09T13:15:27Z","type":"stable","version":"11.18.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/chef/chef/releases/tag/12.3.0","date":"2015-04-27T19:51:58Z","type":"stable","version":"12.3.0"}]` |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.9 |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7.5 | 3.2 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":7,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=ansible-core&per_page=100","last_12m":1,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` | - |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | Ansible | Chef Infra |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | - | Agent-based |
| Push / pull model | - | - |
| Config language | - | Ruby |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | - | - |
| Hosting | - | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **Correctness** |  |  |
| Idempotent | - | ✓ |
| **Model** |  |  |
| Desired-state declarative | - | ✓ |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Content registry | - | ✓ |
| **Platform** |  |  |
| Windows support | - | ✓ |
| **Scope** |  |  |
| Cloud provisioning | - | ✓ |
| **Governance** |  |  |
| Policy / compliance | - | ✓ |
| **Commercial** |  |  |
| Enterprise edition | - | ✓ |
| **Licensing** |  |  |
| Open-source core | ✓ | ✓ |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:11:01.567Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*