Best Infrastructure as Code Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Terraform is ranked #1 of 24 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of AWS CloudFormation and Cloudify. The best-ranked option with a free plan is AWS CloudFormation. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Terraform at $0.10/mo.
Infrastructure as code tools help you define, manage and update cloud resources through configuration. The ranking is ordered, with Terraform and Pulumi at the top, followed by AWS CloudFormation among the first entries. Compare configuration languages and supported clouds to see what fits your stack; then look at state management, drift detection and options for importing existing resources. Policy as code and self-hosted execution matter when you need to align infrastructure changes with your operating practices. Free-plan availability and the “Paid from” field add cost context. Use these criteria to weigh how each tool handles the infrastructure you already run and the workflows you need to maintain.
24 infrastructure as code 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 | Configuration language | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terraform | 7.4 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $0.10/mo | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 2 | AWS CloudFormation | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | yaml/json | View |
| 3 | Cloudify | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | yaml/json | View |
| 4 |  env0 | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 5 | Pulumi | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $40/mo | Yes | 40 /mo | general-purpose language | View |
| 6 | Scalr | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 7 | Spacelift | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $1666.67/mo | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 8 | Terramate | 7.3 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $449/mo | Yes | 449 /mo | hcl | View |
| 9 | HashiCorp Nomad | 6.8 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | hcl | View |
| 10 | Firefly | 6.7 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | $2,499/mo | No | 2,499 /mo | hcl | View |
| 11 | OpenTofu | 5.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | Free | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 12 | AWS CDK | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | general-purpose language | View |
| 13 | Azure Bicep | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | hcl | View |
| 14 | Google Config Connector | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | yaml/json | View |
| 15 | Terragrunt | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 500 /mo | hcl | View |
| 16 | Terrateam | 5.2 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | 1,000 /mo | hcl | View |
| 17 | AWS Controllers for Kubernetes | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | yaml/json | View |
| 18 |  Azure Service Operator | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | yaml/json | View |
| 19 | Crossplane | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | yaml/json | View |
| 20 |  Sceptre | 5.1 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | Yes | — | yaml/json | View |
| 21 |  CDK8s | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | general-purpose language | View |
| 22 | Kusion | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | — | View |
| 23 |  OpenStack Heat | 5.0 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | — | — | yaml/json | View |
| 24 | Google Cloud Infrastructure Manager | 4.9 | RecognisedAPIDocumented | — | No | — | hcl | 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 infrastructure as code tool is ranked first on Inferse?
Terraform is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 7.4. AWS CloudFormation is second and Cloudify third.
How many of these have a free plan?
9 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Terraform has the lowest first paid tier we found: $0.10/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.