Best Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools in 2026
Updated
In short: Terraform is ranked #1 of 24 as of 5 October 2026, ahead of Conftest and Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Conftest. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Terraform at $0.10/mo.
Teams applying rules to infrastructure can compare policy-as-code tools by where checks fit into a workflow and how policies are expressed. Consider supported IaC formats and policy languages, CI/CD integration, admission control, and runtime enforcement. Policy testing and reporting help frame how rules are validated and results presented; free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost context. Terraform, Conftest, and Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation are among the options shown, alongside Open Policy Agent and AWS CloudFormation. Weigh these listed capabilities against the infrastructure process and controls you need.
24 infrastructure policy as code tools ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
13 of the 24 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TerraformWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $0.10/mo | 6.7 | |
| 2 | ConftestWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | Google Cloud Terraform Policy ValidationWindows · Mac · Linux | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | Open Policy AgentWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 5 | AWS CloudFormationWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 6 | cfn-lintWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 7 | Cloud CustodianWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | KICSWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | KyvernoWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | CheckovMac · Linux | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 11 | Google Config SyncWeb · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | KubeLinterMac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 13 | terraform-complianceLinux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | 1 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 14 | Chef InfraWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $4.92/mo | 5.6 |
| 15 | HashiCorp NomadWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 16 | KubewardenWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 17 | Fairwinds PolarisWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 18 | Google Cloud Organization PolicyWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | TirithNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 20 | PolicyForgeWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 21 | Terraform Test FrameworkNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 22 | FireflyWeb · Self-hosted · API | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $2,499/mo | 5.0 |
| 23 | Open Policy Agent GatekeeperNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 24 | Nirmata Enterprise for KyvernoLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.8 |
Compare all 24 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Policy language | IaC formats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Terraform | 6.7 | Free plan | $0.10/mo | Yes | — | — | — |
| 2 | Conftest | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 3 | Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Rego | Terraform plan JSON |
| 4 | Open Policy Agent | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | — | — | Rego | Terraform plan JSON, JSON, YAML |
| 5 | AWS CloudFormation | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 6 | cfn-lint | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | AWS CloudFormation Guard DSL | CloudFormation templates and change sets; Terraform JSON; Kubernetes configurations |
| 7 | Cloud Custodian | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | YAML | Terraform |
| 8 | KICS | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | OPA Rego | Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, AWS CloudFormation, Ansible, Helm, Google Deployment Manager, AWS SAM, Microsoft ARM, Azure Blueprints, OpenAPI, Pulumi, Crossplane, Knative, Serverless Framework |
| 9 | Kyverno | 6.5 | Free plan | Free | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Checkov | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | — | — |
| 11 | Google Config Sync | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | Rego | Kubernetes YAML manifests and Custom Resources |
| 12 | KubeLinter | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | YAML configuration; CEL expressions | Kubernetes YAML, Helm, Kustomize |
| 13 | terraform-compliance | 6.4 | Free plan | Free | Yes | — | BDD-style feature files | Terraform plan and state output |
| 14 | Chef Infra | 5.6 | No | $4.92/mo | — | — | Ruby DSL | Servers, containers, cloud APIs |
| 15 | HashiCorp Nomad | 5.6 | No | — | — | — | Sentinel | Terraform configurations, states, and plans |
| 16 | Kubewarden | 5.6 | No | — | Yes | — | WebAssembly-compatible languages including Rust, Go, CEL, and Rego | Kubernetes resources and admission requests in YAML/JSON |
| 17 | Fairwinds Polaris | 5.3 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 18 | Google Cloud Organization Policy | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | YAML and JSON | — |
| 19 | Tirith | 5.2 | No | — | Yes | — | JSON | Terraform plans, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Infracost, JSON |
| 20 | PolicyForge | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | OPA/Rego | Terraform, Bicep, Kubernetes manifests, Helm charts |
| 21 | Terraform Test Framework | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | Python | Terraform |
| 22 | Firefly | 5.0 | No | $2,499/mo | No | 2,499 /mo | — | — |
| 23 | Open Policy Agent Gatekeeper | 5.0 | No | — | Yes | — | — | — |
| 24 | Nirmata Enterprise for Kyverno | 4.8 | No | — | No | — | Kubernetes-native YAML and CEL | Kubernetes manifests, Terraform plans, OpenTofu plans, Dockerfiles, AWS CDK, CloudFormation templates, Ansible playbooks |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which infrastructure policy as code tool is ranked first on Freedom251?
Terraform is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 6.7. Conftest is second and Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation third.
How many of these have a free plan?
13 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 free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.