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Software · head to head

Puppet vs Render

Puppet logo

Puppet

Software

Infrastructure automation for enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Render logo

Render

Software

A modern cloud platform for the next generation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Puppet the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and asks you to fill in a form to be sent pricing and plan information; Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
  • They diverge on capability: Puppet covers Manifests, Render covers Web services.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Puppet and Render actually diverge.

Attributes where Puppet and Render differ
AttributePuppetRender
Pricing modelopen-sourceusage-based
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Mac, ApiWeb, Api
Founded20052019

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 Puppet

  • Manifests
  • Modules
  • Classes
  • Variables
  • Facts
  • Puppet Master
  • Hiera
  • Facter

Only in Render

  • Web services
  • Static sites
  • Background workers
  • Postgres database
  • Redis database
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Environment variables
  • Custom domains

Both cover

  • Docker
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

Puppet

  • Declarative configuration management of servers at scalenot Render
  • Enforcing infrastructure compliance policy continuouslynot Render

Render

  • Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot Puppet
  • Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot Puppet
  • Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot Puppet

Where each one falls short

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

Puppet

  • The pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and asks you to fill in a form to be sent pricing and plan information
  • Pricing is banded by number of managed nodes, with separate tiers for under 25 nodes and 25 or more nodes
  • The product is split into Puppet Enterprise and a higher Puppet Enterprise Advanced edition, so compliance oriented features sit behind the upper tier

Render

  • The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
  • Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
  • SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
  • HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
  • Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
  • Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
  • Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately

Pricing, plan by plan

Puppet

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Puppet Agent
    • Community support
    • Full DSL
  • Puppet Enterprise$100/month
    • Puppet Server
    • Console
    • RBAC

Render

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 web service
    • 1 static site
    • Shared CPU
  • Starter$7/month
    • Unlimited services
    • Dedicated CPU
    • 2GB RAM

Which should you pick?

Choose Puppet if

  • You need manifests.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want modules.
Puppet review

Choose Render if

  • You need web services.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want static sites.
Render review

Questions people ask

Is Puppet or Render better?
Neither clearly leads. Puppet starts at Free and Render at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Puppet or Render?
Puppet starts at Free and Render at Free.
Does Puppet or Render run on more platforms?
Puppet runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api. Render runs on Web, Api.
Can I use Puppet for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Puppet best used for?
Puppet is most often used for declarative configuration management of servers at scale, enforcing infrastructure compliance policy continuously. Of those, declarative configuration management of servers at scale and enforcing infrastructure compliance policy continuously are not what Render is typically brought in for.
What can Puppet do that Render cannot?
Puppet covers Manifests, Modules, Classes, Variables. Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database. Both handle Docker, Cloud deployment.
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