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Cybersecurity · head to head

JumpCloud vs Spacelift

JumpCloud logo

JumpCloud

Cybersecurity

Unified identity and device management for hybrid workforce.

From
$9/user/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Spacelift logo

Spacelift

Developer Tools

Infrastructure-as-code orchestration for Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi and Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spacelift has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: JumpCloud platform Essentials tier capped at 300 users; larger organisations must purchase unbundled tiers or negotiate custom pricing; Spacelift users are unlimited and private workers are metered, so deployment concurrency rather than headcount drives the bill, which inverts how most engineering budgets are built and is easy to under-forecast.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which JumpCloud and Spacelift actually diverge.

Attributes where JumpCloud and Spacelift differ
AttributeJumpCloudSpacelift
Starting price$9/user/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionBy private worker and tier, not by user
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, APIWeb, Self-hosted, Cloud
CategoryCybersecurityDeveloper Tools

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 JumpCloud

Nothing recorded that Spacelift does not also cover.

Only in Spacelift

  • Multi-tool orchestration
  • Policy as code
  • Private workers
  • Spaces
  • Blueprints
  • Drift detection

What people use each for

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

JumpCloud

  • Organisations modernising from Active Directory to cloud identity infrastructurenot Spacelift
  • Companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environmentsnot Spacelift
  • IT teams implementing zero-trust security modelsnot Spacelift
  • Managed service providers requiring multi-tenant identity and device managementnot Spacelift
  • Educational institutions and nonprofits (eligible for special pricing)not Spacelift

Spacelift

  • Platform teams running infrastructure changes through approval gates rather than through application CInot JumpCloud
  • Organisations standardising Terraform and OpenTofu across many teams with policy enforcementnot JumpCloud
  • Estates needing private runners so cloud credentials never leave the networknot JumpCloud
  • Teams wanting drift detection and reconciliation rather than plan-time checks alonenot JumpCloud

Where each one falls short

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

JumpCloud

  • Platform Essentials tier capped at 300 users; larger organisations must purchase unbundled tiers or negotiate custom pricing
  • À la carte pricing can become expensive when purchasing multiple features; device management at $9/user, SSO at $11/user totals $20/user for basic functionality
  • Bundled Platform and Platform Prime packages require contacting sales; no published pricing limits transparency
  • Zero-trust and AI & SaaS management capabilities only available in Platform Prime tier with custom pricing
  • No on-premises or self-hosted option; cloud-only deployment

Spacelift

  • Users are unlimited and private workers are metered, so deployment concurrency rather than headcount drives the bill, which inverts how most engineering budgets are built and is easy to under-forecast.
  • There is no affordable paid entry point. The free tier stops at two users and the next tier is a five-figure commitment with nothing in between.
  • Three of the five tiers are quote-only, so a shortlist cannot be costed without entering a sales process with each vendor on it.
  • The self-hosted build lags the hosted one, has no public worker pool and lacks the Azure and Google Cloud integrations available in the SaaS product, with OIDC federation offered as the workaround.
  • Stacks, Rego policies, Blueprints, Spaces and Spacelift-managed state are proprietary constructs, so leaving means rebuilding the orchestration layer rather than pointing it at a different runner.

Pricing, plan by plan

JumpCloud

$9/user/month
  • À La Carte - Device Management$9/user/month (annual) or $11 (monthly)
    • Device management across Windows, Mac, Linux
    • Remote assistance
    • Patch management
  • À La Carte - SSO$11/user/month (annual) or $13 (monthly)
    • Single sign-on
    • Multi-factor authentication
    • Password management
  • Platform Essentials$undefined/variable
    • Identity and device management with SSO and passwordless auth
    • Maximum 300 users
    • Contact sales for pricing
  • Platform$undefined/variable
    • Unified identity, device and access management
    • Contact sales for pricing

Spacelift

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Two users
    • Public workers only
    • No private workers
  • Starter Plus$undefined/year
    • Unlimited users
    • Two public workers
    • One to two private workers
  • Business$undefined/year
    • Unlimited users
    • Three private workers
    • Quoted
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Unlimited users
    • Five to thirty private workers
    • Self-hosted option

Which should you pick?

Choose JumpCloud if

  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API.
JumpCloud review

Choose Spacelift if

  • You need multi-tool orchestration.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
  • You also want policy as code.
Spacelift review

Questions people ask

Is JumpCloud or Spacelift better?
Neither clearly leads. JumpCloud starts at $9/user/month and Spacelift at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, JumpCloud or Spacelift?
Spacelift has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $9/user/month for JumpCloud and Free for Spacelift.
Does JumpCloud or Spacelift run on more platforms?
JumpCloud runs on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API. Spacelift runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud.
Can I use Spacelift for free?
Yes. Spacelift has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. JumpCloud starts at $9/user/month.
What is JumpCloud best used for?
JumpCloud is most often used for organisations modernising from active directory to cloud identity infrastructure, companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environments, it teams implementing zero-trust security models, managed service providers requiring multi-tenant identity and device management. Of those, organisations modernising from active directory to cloud identity infrastructure and companies requiring unified user and device management in hybrid work environments are not what Spacelift is typically brought in for.
What can JumpCloud do that Spacelift cannot?
Spacelift covers Multi-tool orchestration, Policy as code, Private workers, Spaces.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

JumpCloud: What devices does JumpCloud support?

JumpCloud supports unified endpoint management for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android devices.

Source
Spacelift: How is Spacelift priced?

By tier and by private worker count rather than per user. Users are unlimited on every paid plan. The published figure on the pricing page carries no period label, and the FAQ describes the tier as an annual subscription, so confirm the period in writing.

JumpCloud: Can I use JumpCloud to replace Active Directory?

Yes. JumpCloud is designed for organisations modernising from on-premises Active Directory to cloud-based directory and identity management.

Source
Spacelift: Does it support OpenTofu?

Yes, and Spacelift sponsors the OpenTofu project, which is a substantive hedge for anyone avoiding Terraform under the Business Source Licence.

JumpCloud: Is there a free trial?

Yes. All users can access a 30-day free trial before purchasing.

Source
Spacelift: Is there a self-hosted version?

Yes, described as carrying Enterprise functionality, but it is priced on request and lags the hosted product on cloud integrations.

Spacelift: Why not just use the CI system we already have?

That is the real comparison. General purpose CI handles state, drift, approval gates and concurrency control for infrastructure poorly, and whether that is worth a five-figure floor depends on how much infrastructure change your organisation actually ships.

Spacelift: What happens to our pipelines if we leave?

They do not port. Rego policies, Blueprints, Spaces and managed state are Spacelift constructs and the orchestration has to be rebuilt elsewhere.

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