Side by side
Chef InSpec vs Test Kitchen
Both stand on infrastructure testing tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Chef InSpec provides code-based checks, reusable profiles and multiple reporting options for infrastructure and applications. Its free tier has non-production and non-commercial limits, while production use falls under commercial licensing.
Visit Chef InSpec Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+2
Test Kitchen provides a command-based workflow for provisioning platforms and verifying infrastructure code. Check the driver and tooling requirements for your Ruby environment before choosing an installation path.
Visit Test KitchenThe facts
| Chef InSpec | Test Kitchen | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Business: $59 per node a year | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 6 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | docs.chef.io | kitchen.ci |
| On infrastructure testing tools | #1 of 28 | #3 of 28 |
Chef InSpec: what it does well
- Tests AWS, Azure, AliCloud and GCP resources.
- Profiles group reusable, versionable controls.
- Exports results as JSON, HTML or plain text.
- Works with Test Kitchen through kitchen-inspec.
What to know first
- Free tier excludes production workloads.
- Free use is limited to personal, non-commercial work.
- InSpec 7 requires EULA acceptance.
- License-key requirements vary by distribution source.
Test Kitchen: what it does well
- Free and licensed under Apache License 2.0.
- Supports Linux, macOS, and Windows.
- Offers a broad range of documented drivers.
- Supports several provisioners and verifier integrations.
What to know first
- Requires a 64-bit OS and enabled CPU virtualization.
- Available drivers depend on installed Ruby gems.
- The kitchen-docker driver has known issues and no maintainer.
Alternatives to Chef InSpec Alternatives to Test Kitchen The whole list