Development Tools · head to head
HCP Terraform vs Helm
HCP Terraform
Development Tools
Infrastructure as code provisioning and management, formerly Terraform Cloud
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Helm has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: HCP Terraform billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99; Helm licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which HCP Terraform and Helm actually diverge.
| Attribute | HCP Terraform | Helm |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | open-source |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Development Tools).
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
HCP Terraform
- Billed per managed resource per month rather than per user: Essentials starts at $0.10 per resource per month, Standard at $0.47, and Premium at $0.99
- Standard and Premium tiers bundle HCP Waypoint, which is unavailable on Essentials
- Enterprise tier for self-managed deployments is quote only through sales
Helm
- Licensed under Apache License 2.0 per the project's GitHub repository (helm/helm LICENSE); as open source software it has no paid tier or vendor price to compare
- Contributors must sign commits under the Developer Certificate of Origin to have them accepted, per helm.sh, a process requirement not all Kubernetes tools impose
Pricing, plan by plan
HCP Terraform
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the HCP Terraform review.
Helm
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the Helm review.
Which should you pick?
Choose HCP Terraform if
Nothing in the data separates HCP Terraform from Helm on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.
Questions people ask
- Is HCP Terraform or Helm better?
- Neither clearly leads. HCP Terraform starts at On request and Helm at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, HCP Terraform or Helm?
- Helm has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HCP Terraform and Free for Helm.
- Does HCP Terraform or Helm run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Helm for free?
- Yes. Helm has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. HCP Terraform starts at On request.
Related pages
More on HCP Terraform
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