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Cloud · head to head

Chef vs OwnBackup

Chef logo

Chef

Cloud

Infrastructure automation and management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OwnBackup logo

OwnBackup

Backup

Leading backup for Salesforce and SaaS platforms

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Chef has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; OwnBackup own states its products are officially part of Salesforce, and routes pricing to Salesforce's Cloud Data Security page rather than publishing a figure of its own
  • They diverge on capability: Chef covers Recipes, OwnBackup covers Automated backup.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chef and OwnBackup actually diverge.

Attributes where Chef and OwnBackup differ
AttributeChefOwnBackup
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, ApiWeb
CategoryCloudBackup
Founded20092015

Identical on both: 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 Chef

  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Roles
  • Data bags
  • Attributes
  • Chef Server
  • Chef Infra
  • Chef Compliance

Only in OwnBackup

  • Automated backup
  • Instant recovery
  • Proactive monitoring
  • Data seeding
  • Sandbox management
  • Compliance archiving
  • Salesforce
  • ServiceNow

What people use each for

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

Chef

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

OwnBackup

  • Data protectionnot Chef
  • Disaster recoverynot Chef
  • Business continuitynot Chef
  • Ransomware protectionnot Chef
  • Compliancenot Chef

Where each one falls short

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

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

OwnBackup

  • Own states its products are officially part of Salesforce, and routes pricing to Salesforce's Cloud Data Security page rather than publishing a figure of its own

Pricing, plan by plan

Chef

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

OwnBackup

$5/month
  • OwnBackup$5/month
    • Daily backup
    • Instant recovery
    • Proactive monitoring

Which should you pick?

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

Choose OwnBackup if

  • You need automated backup.
  • You also want instant recovery.
OwnBackup review

Questions people ask

Is Chef or OwnBackup better?
Neither clearly leads. Chef starts at Free and OwnBackup at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chef or OwnBackup?
Chef has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chef and $5/month for OwnBackup.
Does Chef or OwnBackup run on more platforms?
Chef runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api. OwnBackup runs on Web.
Can I use Chef for free?
Yes. Chef has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OwnBackup starts at $5/month.
What is Chef best used for?
Chef is most often used for configuration management and infrastructure automation across server fleets, enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodes. Of those, configuration management and infrastructure automation across server fleets and enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodes are not what OwnBackup is typically brought in for.
What can Chef do that OwnBackup cannot?
Chef covers Recipes, Cookbooks, Roles, Data bags. OwnBackup covers Automated backup, Instant recovery, Proactive monitoring, Data seeding.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
OwnBackup: How do I get pricing information?

Pricing is available through a demo request. The homepage directs visitors to 'Get a Demo' to discuss specific costs. Ownbackup (now Own by Salesforce) provides Backup & Recover, Data Security, Data Mask & Seed, and Archive products.

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
OwnBackup: Can I access pricing without talking to sales?

No. The pricing page exists at salesforce.com but the homepage directs all interested buyers through the 'Get a Demo' sales contact process.

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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