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Software · head to head

Oracle Cloud vs Pulumi

Oracle Cloud logo

Oracle Cloud

Software

Enterprise cloud computing services

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pulumi logo

Pulumi

Software

Modern infrastructure as code using programming languages

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Oracle Cloud the free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first; Pulumi the free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • They diverge on capability: Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Pulumi covers Multi-language support.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Oracle Cloud and Pulumi actually diverge.

Attributes where Oracle Cloud and Pulumi differ
AttributeOracle CloudPulumi
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Api, CliLinux, Windows, Mac, Api
Founded20192017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Oracle Cloud

  • Autonomous Database
  • Compute Instances
  • MySQL Database Service
  • Object Storage
  • Block Volume
  • Load Balancers
  • Virtual Cloud Network
  • API Gateway

Only in Pulumi

  • Multi-language support
  • Multi-cloud
  • State management
  • Secrets management
  • RBAC
  • Stacks
  • Automation API
  • Policy as Code

Both cover

  • Kubernetes
  • Cloud deployment
  • Linux support
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Oracle Cloud

  • Running virtual machines, databases and storage on Oracle's cloud infrastructurenot Pulumi
  • Hosting Oracle Database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendornot Pulumi

Pulumi

  • Defining cloud infrastructure as code in TypeScript, Python, Go, C# or Java rather than a DSLnot Oracle Cloud
  • Managing Pulumi state and secrets in a hosted backend instead of self-managed storagenot Oracle Cloud
  • Policy, drift detection and deployment workflows for platform engineering teamsnot Oracle Cloud

Where each one falls short

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

Oracle Cloud

  • The free trial gives US$300 of credit that expires when consumed or after 30 days, whichever comes first
  • The US$300 cloud credit is available only in select countries
  • Only one Oracle Cloud Free Trial or Always Free account is permitted per person
  • Accounts left idle for 30 days or more are eligible for suspension or termination as abandoned
  • Always Free NoSQL Database is restricted to the Phoenix region
  • Free Tier availability is subject to capacity limits, and the published per-service capacity figures are estimates that assume the entire credit is spent on that one service

Pulumi

  • The free Individual plan allows one user and one concurrent stack update
  • The Team plan is $40 per month base including 40 credits, and caps the organisation at 10 users
  • SAML/SSO, RBAC, audit logs and drift detection require the Enterprise plan at $400 per month base
  • The per-resource rate rises from $0.1825 per resource per month on Team to $0.365 on Enterprise, so upgrading raises the unit price as well as the base fee
  • Managed secrets are billed separately at $0.50 per secret per month on Team and $0.75 on Enterprise
  • Self-hosting, SCIM user sync, audit log export and 24x7 support are only in Business Critical, which is custom priced with no published rate
  • Team includes up to 500 resources and Enterprise up to 2,000, with everything beyond billed on demand as credits

Pricing, plan by plan

Oracle Cloud

Free
  • Always FreeFree
    • Oracle Autonomous Database
    • 2 compute instances
    • 100 GB storage
  • Pay-as-You-GoFree
    • Flexible pricing
    • No long-term commitment
    • Enterprise support

Pulumi

Free
  • Pulumi CommunityFree
    • Open source
    • Community support
    • Self-hosted
  • Pulumi Cloud$10/month
    • Hosted backend
    • Team collaboration
    • RBAC

Which should you pick?

Choose Oracle Cloud if

  • You need autonomous database.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want compute instances.
Oracle Cloud review

Choose Pulumi if

  • You need multi-language support.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want multi-cloud.
Pulumi review

Questions people ask

Is Oracle Cloud or Pulumi better?
Neither clearly leads. Oracle Cloud starts at Free and Pulumi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Oracle Cloud or Pulumi?
Oracle Cloud starts at Free and Pulumi at Free.
Does Oracle Cloud or Pulumi run on more platforms?
Oracle Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Pulumi runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use Oracle Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Oracle Cloud best used for?
Oracle Cloud is most often used for running virtual machines, databases and storage on oracle's cloud infrastructure, hosting oracle database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendor. Of those, running virtual machines, databases and storage on oracle's cloud infrastructure and hosting oracle database workloads on infrastructure from the same vendor are not what Pulumi is typically brought in for.
What can Oracle Cloud do that Pulumi cannot?
Oracle Cloud covers Autonomous Database, Compute Instances, MySQL Database Service, Object Storage. Pulumi covers Multi-language support, Multi-cloud, State management, Secrets management. Both handle Kubernetes, Cloud deployment, Linux support, Windows support.
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