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Developer Tools · head to head

Ansible vs Chef

Ansible logo

Ansible

Developer Tools

Simple, agentless IT automation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chef logo

Chef

Cloud

Infrastructure automation and management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ansible the open source project gives the engine and the language; the automation controller, automation mesh, automation hub, analytics and governance all belong to the paid Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform; Chef priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
  • They diverge on capability: Ansible covers Playbooks, Chef covers Recipes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ansible and Chef actually diverge.

Attributes where Ansible and Chef differ
AttributeAnsibleChef
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud
Founded20122009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (open-source), free tier (Yes), platforms (Linux, Windows, Mac, Api), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ansible

  • Playbooks
  • Inventory management
  • Module library
  • Variables and templating
  • Handlers
  • Async tasks
  • Plugins
  • Kubernetes

Only in Chef

  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Data bags
  • Attributes
  • Chef Server
  • Chef Infra
  • Chef Compliance
  • Encrypted communication

Both cover

  • Roles
  • AWS
  • Azure
  • GCP
  • Docker
  • On-premise deployment
  • Cloud deployment
  • Linux support
  • Windows support
  • Mac support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ansible

  • Configuration managementnot Chef
  • Server provisioningnot Chef
  • Application deploymentnot Chef
  • Multi-node managementnot Chef
  • Orchestrationnot Chef

Chef

  • Configuration management and infrastructure automation across server fleetsnot Ansible
  • Enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodesnot Ansible

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ansible

  • The open source project gives the engine and the language; the automation controller, automation mesh, automation hub, analytics and governance all belong to the paid Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform
  • Event-Driven Ansible and the AI coding assistant are platform features rather than open source ones
  • Red Hat does not publish platform pricing
  • Running open source Ansible at scale means building the control plane the platform otherwise provides

Chef

  • Priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
  • Tripling the price between the two published tiers puts compliance and audit features well above basic automation
  • Enterprise Plus and every self managed deployment are custom quoted with no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

Ansible

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Community edition
    • Unlimited nodes
    • Full functionality
  • Ansible Automation Platform$5000/year
    • Enterprise support
    • Ansible Tower
    • Advanced features

Chef

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Chef Infra
    • Community support
    • Full functionality
  • Chef Automate$4000/year
    • Chef Infra
    • Compliance automation
    • Insights

Which should you pick?

Choose Ansible if

  • You need playbooks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want inventory management.
Ansible review

Choose Chef if

  • You need recipes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want cookbooks.
Chef review

Questions people ask

Is Ansible or Chef better?
Neither clearly leads. Ansible starts at Free and Chef at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ansible or Chef?
Ansible starts at Free and Chef at Free.
Does Ansible or Chef run on more platforms?
Both run on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ansible for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ansible best used for?
Ansible is most often used for configuration management, server provisioning, application deployment, multi-node management. Of those, configuration management and server provisioning are not what Chef is typically brought in for.
What can Ansible do that Chef cannot?
Ansible covers Playbooks, Inventory management, Module library, Variables and templating. Chef covers Recipes, Cookbooks, Data bags, Attributes. Both handle Roles, AWS, Azure, GCP.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ansible: Is Ansible free for commercial use?

Ansible Collaborative is open source. The page describes it as 'an open source IT automation engine' and does not impose restrictions on commercial use for the open source version.

Source
Chef: How much does Chef cost?

Chef does not publish pricing on its website. The company offers a free trial and directs interested customers to request a demo or contact their sales team for pricing details.

Source
Ansible: What is the difference between open source Ansible and the commercial alternative?

The page references Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform as an enterprise alternative to Ansible Collaborative, but does not disclose specific differences, pricing, or feature comparisons between the two offerings.

Source
Chef: Is there a free trial available?

Yes, Chef offers a free trial to interested users, allowing them to evaluate the platform before purchasing.

Source
Ansible: Is there paid support available for Ansible?

The page does not disclose whether paid support contracts are available for open source Ansible or whether Red Hat offers support plans for their enterprise Ansible Automation Platform.

Source
Chef: What deployment options are available?

Chef is available as SaaS (cloud-hosted), on-premises, and through cloud marketplaces like AWS and Azure, but specific pricing for each deployment model is not published.

Source
Chef: How do I get pricing information?

Sign up for the free trial or request a demo through Chef's website to speak with their sales team about pricing.

Source
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