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Best Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools in 2026

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.

  1. 1

    Kyverno

    Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

    Kyverno combines in-cluster policy enforcement with CLI testing and several policy actions.

    8.8 Open source Visit site
  2. 2

    Open Policy Agent Gatekeeper

    Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted

    Gatekeeper combines admission policy controls with recurring audits and customizable policy examples. Installation permissions and audit reporting limits are important operational considerations.

    8.5 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    AWS CloudFormation

    Free plan APIiPhoneLinux+3

    CloudFormation brings template-based provisioning, change previews, and drift tracking to AWS resource management.

    7.7 Free plan Visit site
  4. 4

    Cloud Custodian

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

    Cloud Custodian offers policy-driven resource management across three major cloud providers, with preview and reporting options.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  5. 5

    Fairwinds Polaris

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+2

    Choose Polaris if your Kubernetes team wants a free, open source way to validate resource configuration across dashboard, admission, and CI/CD workflows.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  6. 6

    Conftest

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Conftest provides policy-based configuration checks with a broad set of inputs and CI outputs.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  7. 7

    Google Cloud Organization Policy

    Free plan APILinuxMac+2

    Organization Policy provides hierarchical controls, dry-run review, and policy analysis for Google Cloud resources.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  8. 8

    Checkov

    Free plan LinuxMac

    Checkov offers broad infrastructure-as-code scanning, policy customization, and CI and IDE integrations at no cost. Alpine users should note the project’s stated testing and Python requirements.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  9. 9

    KICS

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

    KICS combines static IaC analysis with adjustable queries and integrations across documented development tools.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  10. 10

    Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Google Cloud Terraform Policy Validation provides policy checks for Terraform plans and can fit into several CI/CD workflows.

    7.2 Free plan Visit site
  11. 11

    KubeLinter

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted

    Choose KubeLinter if you want configurable checks for Kubernetes manifests and findings that can be used in CI.

    7.1 Free plan Visit site
  12. 12

    Open Policy Agent

    Free plan APILinuxMac+3

    OPA provides a flexible policy engine with multiple evaluation interfaces and integrations for software infrastructure.

    7.1 Open source Visit site
  13. 13

    Terraform

    Free plan APILinuxMac+3

    Terraform provides a configuration-based workflow, reusable modules, and providers for connecting to services.

    7.0 Free plan Visit site
  14. 14

    Kubewarden

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

    Kubewarden provides Kubernetes policy controls alongside components for image vulnerabilities, runtime behavior, and network activity.

    6.9 Free plan Visit site
  15. 15

    PolicyForge

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWeb

    Pick PolicyForge when you need an open scanner for several infrastructure-as-code formats, custom Rego rules, supply-chain outputs, and CI/CD reporting.

    6.9 Open source Visit site
  16. 16

    terraform-compliance

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

    Pick terraform-compliance if you need free policy tests for Terraform and want rules expressed in readable scenarios.

    6.7 Free plan Visit site
  17. 17

    Tirith

    Free plan Linux

    Tirith provides policy evaluation and pipeline gating for infrastructure documents, with local execution and multiple CI routes.

    6.5 Free plan Visit site
  18. 18

    Firefly

    Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb

    Firefly brings IaC automation, cloud visibility and recovery features together for cloud teams.

    6.2 From $2,499/mo (annual) · 14-day trial Visit site
  19. 19

    Azure Policy

    Free plan Web

    Choose Azure Policy if you need a free web service to define, test, enforce, and report on policies across the listed infrastructure-as-code formats.

    6.1 Free plan Visit site
  20. 20

    Google Cloud Policy Controller

    Free plan Web
    5.8 Free plan Visit site
  21. 21

    Nirmata Enterprise for Kyverno

    Paid LinuxSelf-hosted

    Nirmata Enterprise for Kyverno adds lifecycle support, security fixes and enterprise assistance around a compatible Kyverno distribution.

    5.2 Visit site
  22. 22

    Chef InSpec

    Paid LinuxMacWindows
    4.9 Open source Visit site
  23. 23

    AWS CloudFormation Guard

    Paid LinuxMacWindows
    4.8 Open source Visit site
  24. 24

    Terraform Test Framework

    Paid LinuxSelf-hosted

    TF2 brings pre-deployment policy checks and deployed-infrastructure tests into a framework with Terraform and CI/CD integrations.

    4.7 Open source Visit site
  25. 25

    HashiCorp Sentinel

    Paid LinuxMacWindows
    4.6 Pricing on request Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

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