# Rudder vs Salt

| Attribute | Rudder | Salt |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 52.5 (75% (high)) | 56.5 (78% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 47 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 0 | 428 |
| adoption.github_stars | 706 | 15,637 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | - | 23,765 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A platform for automating IT infrastructure management across cloud, hybrid, and on-premises environments, providing patch management, vulnerability management, compliance verification, and configuration management capabilities. | An open-source framework that allows teams to automate and manage thousands of systems from a central control plane. It provides remote command execution, configuration management, and infrastructure orchestration capabilities through a master-minion agent architecture. |
| features.capabilities | `{"model":"pull","hosting":"both","language":"YAML","idempotent":true,"architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"masterless_mode":false,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"policy_compliance":true,"enterprise_edition":true}` | `{"model":"pull","hosting":"self","architecture":"agent","desired_state":true,"windows_support":true,"open_source_core":true,"cloud_provisioning":true,"enterprise_edition":false}` |
| integrations.count | 4 | 1 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"CI/CD"},{"name":"ticketing"},{"name":"CMDB"},{"name":"monitoring"}]` | `[{"name":"Bitnami"}]` |
| language.primary | Scala | Python |
| license.spdx | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"FR","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Rudder Enterprise","summary":"Cost per node per year","features":["Security configuration management","Compatible with Linux and Windows","Real-time infrastructure insights","Choice of Patch & vulnerability management OR Policy & benchmark compliance","Unlimited standard support","Security patches for 18 months","6-month update window"],"commitment":"annual","description":"Enterprise version with security configuration management and choice of patch management or policy compliance","contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"Rudder Corporate Security Suite","summary":"Cost per node per year","features":["Security configuration management with dashboards and real-time insights","Patch & vulnerability management including CVE identification and patch campaigns","Policy & benchmark compliance for CIS, NIST, ISO 27001 and others","Unlimited premium support","Guaranteed fix or workaround times","Security patches for 24 months","9-month update window","Dedicated customer success manager"],"commitment":"annual","description":"Full version with all Rudder capabilities including all three solutions","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Professional Onboarding"},{"name":"Optional Trainings"},{"name":"Third-party Tool Integrations"}],"summary":"Annual per-node licensing. Rudder Core open-source free tier. Contact sales for Enterprise and Corporate Security Suite pricing.","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.rudder.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:25:10.790Z","billingPeriods":["year"]}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://saltproject.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T13:47:59.463Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | commercial | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | low | free |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 4 | 5 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.1.4","date":"2026-08-07T07:18:16Z","type":"stable","version":"9.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.9","date":"2026-08-07T07:17:57Z","type":"stable","version":"9.0.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.2","date":"2025-12-11T15:39:07Z","type":"stable","version":"9.0.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.7","date":"2025-12-11T15:12:01Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.1-1","date":"2025-12-11T14:46:13Z","type":"stable","version":"9.0.1-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.6-1","date":"2026-08-07T07:08:37Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.6-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0","date":"2025-10-24T11:59:41Z","type":"stable","version":"9.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0.rc2","date":"2025-10-15T07:55:37Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0.rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0.rc1","date":"2025-10-15T07:54:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0.rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0.beta2","date":"2025-10-07T18:20:01Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0.beta2"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.5","date":"2025-10-02T20:51:47Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.4","date":"2025-10-02T20:38:57Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.2.9","date":"2025-10-02T14:43:18Z","type":"stable","version":"8.2.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0.beta1","date":"2025-10-07T18:19:06Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0.beta1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/9.0.0.alpha1-1","date":"2025-10-07T18:17:48Z","type":"prerelease","version":"9.0.0.alpha1-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.3","date":"2025-07-17T14:16:22Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.2.8","date":"2025-07-17T14:12:59Z","type":"stable","version":"8.2.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.1","date":"2025-05-07T15:20:10Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.2.6","date":"2025-05-07T15:03:43Z","type":"stable","version":"8.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/Normation/rudder/releases/tag/8.3.0","date":"2025-05-07T15:18:34Z","type":"stable","version":"8.3.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1-2","date":"2026-07-26T01:32:20Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1-2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1-1","date":"2026-07-23T19:43:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1-1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.2","date":"2026-07-01T19:37:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.27","date":"2026-07-01T18:54:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.27"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.26","date":"2026-06-24T17:16:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.26"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.1","date":"2026-06-11T14:41:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0","date":"2026-05-27T10:36:40Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc4","date":"2026-05-15T17:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc4"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc3","date":"2026-05-13T16:48:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc3"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.25","date":"2026-05-13T16:42:11Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.25"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc2","date":"2026-05-06T18:22:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc2"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.14","date":"2026-04-29T18:00:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3008.0rc1","date":"2026-04-23T23:59:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3008.0rc1"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.24","date":"2026-04-23T22:26:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.24"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.23","date":"2026-02-23T21:17:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.23"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.22","date":"2026-02-22T02:37:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.22"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.13","date":"2026-02-12T23:09:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.21","date":"2026-02-11T16:11:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.21"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3007.12","date":"2026-02-05T23:17:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v3007.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/saltstack/salt/releases/tag/v3006.20","date":"2026-02-05T23:05:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3006.20"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | - |
| security.iso27001 | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 6.6 | 4.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fnormation%2Frudder&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":67,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=salt&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` |

## Capabilities (Configuration Management Tools)

| Capability | Rudder | Salt |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Architecture | Agent-based | Agent-based |
| Push / pull model | Pull | Pull |
| Config language | YAML | - |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Masterless mode | ✗ | - |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Self-hosted only |
| **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 2026-09-01T17:00:25.096Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*