Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Chef vs Sync.com

Chef logo

Chef

Cloud & Infrastructure

Infrastructure automation and management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sync.com logo

Sync.com

File Storage & Backup

Cloud storage, backup and sharing with end-to-end encryption

From
On request
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; Sync.com all Teams plans require a minimum of 3 users

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Chef and Sync.com actually diverge.

Attributes where Chef and Sync.com differ
AttributeChefSync.com
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelopen-sourcesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, ApiWeb
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureFile Storage & Backup
Founded2009Unknown

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 Sync.com

Nothing recorded that Chef does not also cover.

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 Sync.com
  • Enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodesnot Sync.com

Sync.com

No use cases recorded yet. See the Sync.com review.

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

Sync.com

  • All Teams plans require a minimum of 3 users
  • The advertised low monthly rate (e.g. $4/month for Teams 1TB) is a promotional annual rate described as 50% off; the standard monthly price is $8/month without the promotion
  • Enterprise pricing for 100+ users is custom and requires contacting a dedicated account manager

Pricing, plan by plan

Chef

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

Sync.com

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Sync.com review.

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 Sync.com if

Nothing in the data separates Sync.com from Chef on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Sync.com review

Questions people ask

Is Chef or Sync.com better?
Neither clearly leads. Chef starts at Free and Sync.com at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Chef or Sync.com?
Chef has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Chef and On request for Sync.com.
Does Chef or Sync.com run on more platforms?
Chef runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api. Sync.com runs on Web.
Can I use Chef for free?
Yes. Chef has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sync.com starts at On request.
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 Sync.com is typically brought in for.
What can Chef do that Sync.com cannot?
Chef covers Recipes, Cookbooks, Roles, Data bags.
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Related pages

More on Chef

More on Sync.com

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