Best Configuration Management Tools in 2026
18 configuration management tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
| # | Platform | Score | Why | From | Free plan | Paid from | Deployment model | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Puppet | 8.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 2 | Rudder | 8.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 3 | CFEngine | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 4 | Salt | 8.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 5 | OpenVox | 8.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 6 | config.XO | 7.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | €449/mo | Yes | — | cloud | View |
| 7 | Google Cloud VM Manager | 6.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | cloud | View |
| 8 | AWS Systems Manager State Manager | 6.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | cloud | View |
| 9 | Chef Infra | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | both | View |
| 10 | Uyuni | 6.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | both | View |
| 11 |  LCFG | 5.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 12 |  OpenDSC | 5.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 13 | pyinfra | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | both | View |
| 14 |  Quattor | 5.5 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | self_hosted | View |
| 15 | Rex | 5.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 16 |  Mgmt Config | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | self_hosted | View |
| 17 |  cdist | 4.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self_hosted | View |
| 18 |  Fabric | 4.6 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | self_hosted | View |
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which configuration management tool is ranked first on Inferse?
Puppet is ranked #1 of 18 with a score of 8.9. Rudder is second and CFEngine third.
How many of these have a free plan?
11 of the 18 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, config.XO has the lowest first paid tier we found: €449/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, open and connectable first: a public API, open-source code, the depth of its documentation and a free tier to try it on. Model lists are sorted by the figure in their title, exactly as each provider publishes it. Paid placements never change a rank.