| Tool | License | State kept in | Paid offering (September 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CloudFormation 24 , CDK 24 | AWS 24 service; CDK Apache 2.0 | AWS | AWS Support plans |
| Terraform 4,548 | BSL 1.1, source-available | State file | HCP Terraform 4,548 , from $0.10 per resource a month |
| OpenTofu 78,487 | MPL 2.0, Linux Foundation | State file | Third-party platforms |
| Pulumi 55,992 | Apache 2.0 | State backend | Pulumi Cloud, $40 to $2,000 a month (free tier) |
| Crossplane 295,677 | Apache 2.0, CNCF | Kubernetes 5,150 | Vendor-managed control planes |
| Ansible 12,177 | GPL 3.0 | None | Ansible Automation Platform |
On AWS alone, CloudFormation or the CDK is the default (the CDK if your team prefers code, templates if reviewers must see exactly what deploys). Across clouds, choose Terraform or OpenTofu and let the license decide.