Best IT Configuration Management Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Terraform is ranked #1 of 23 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of AWS CloudFormation and CFEngine. 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.
Configuration management software helps teams define and maintain settings across systems. Compare configuration as code, agentless operation, and drift detection to understand the approaches represented here; compliance policies and operating system coverage add important dimensions. Deployment model and managed node limit can help you assess operational scope, while free-plan availability and paid-from pricing provide cost details. Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, and CFEngine are among the entries. Consider which configuration practices, policy needs, and operating systems apply to your environment as you compare the listed capabilities.
23 IT configuration management software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
12 of the 23 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 | AWS CloudFormationWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 3 | CFEngineWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 4 | PulumiWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 4 of 6 | $40/mo | 6.6 | |
| 5 | SaltWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.6 | |
| 6 | Canonical LandscapeWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $571.75/mo | 6.5 | |
| 7 | ForemanWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 8 | NixWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 9 | OpenTofuWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 10 | RudderWeb · Windows · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 6.5 | |
| 11 | UyuniWeb · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | Free | 6.4 | |
| 12 | Chef InfraWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $4.92/mo | 5.6 |
| 13 | PuppetWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Two bars | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.6 |
| 14 | JujuWindows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | Free | 5.5 | |
| 15 | Azure BicepWeb · Windows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 4 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 16 | SUSE Multi-Linux ManagerLinux | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 17 | Azure Machine ConfigurationWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | $6/mo | 5.2 |
| 18 | Microsoft Desired State ConfigurationWindows · Mac · Linux | One bar | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.2 |
| 19 | AWS Systems Manager State ManagerWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 20 | Google Cloud VM ManagerWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 21 | CrossplaneNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 22 | OpenStack HeatLinux | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.9 |
| 23 | Google Cloud Infrastructure ManagerWeb | No signal | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 4.6 |
Is your app 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 IT configuration management software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Terraform is ranked #1 of 23 with a score of 6.7. AWS CloudFormation is second and CFEngine third.
How many of these have a free plan?
12 of the 23 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. Paid placements never change a rank.