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Developer Tools · head to head

Spacelift vs Tanium

Spacelift logo

Spacelift

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Tanium logo

Tanium

Cybersecurity

Unified platform for real-time endpoint management, security and compliance

From
On request
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Spacelift has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Tanium no public pricing is published, requiring a sales engagement to get a quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Spacelift covers Multi-tool orchestration, Tanium covers Real-time endpoint queries.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Spacelift and Tanium actually diverge.

Attributes where Spacelift and Tanium differ
AttributeSpaceliftTanium
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelBy private worker and tier, not by userquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, Cloudweb, windows, mac, linux, api
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
FoundedUnknown2007

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 Spacelift

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

Only in Tanium

  • Real-time endpoint queries
  • Single lightweight agent
  • Linear Chain Architecture
  • Vulnerability management
  • AI-driven remediation
  • Threat hunting

What people use each for

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

Spacelift

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

Tanium

  • Getting real-time visibility into all endpoints across a large enterprisenot Spacelift
  • Patching operating systems and software at scale quicklynot Spacelift
  • Continuous vulnerability scanning and risk scoringnot Spacelift
  • Hunting for and remediating active threats across a fleetnot Spacelift

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Tanium

  • No public pricing is published, requiring a sales engagement to get a quote.
  • Aimed at large enterprises, making it impractical for small teams or budgets.
  • Deployment and configuration of the agent-based architecture requires significant IT expertise.
  • Full value depends on adopting multiple Tanium modules, which can increase cost and complexity versus point solutions.

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Tanium

On request
  • Enterprise$undefined/mo
    • Custom endpoint volume pricing
    • Full platform modules
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Tanium if

  • You need real-time endpoint queries.
  • You work on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
  • You also want single lightweight agent.
Tanium review

Questions people ask

Is Spacelift or Tanium better?
Neither clearly leads. Spacelift starts at Free and Tanium at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Spacelift or Tanium?
Spacelift has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Spacelift and On request for Tanium.
Does Spacelift or Tanium run on more platforms?
Spacelift runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud. Tanium runs on web, windows, mac, linux, api.
Can I use Spacelift for free?
Yes. Spacelift has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tanium starts at On request.
What is Spacelift best used for?
Spacelift is most often used for platform teams running infrastructure changes through approval gates rather than through application ci, organisations standardising terraform and opentofu across many teams with policy enforcement, estates needing private runners so cloud credentials never leave the network, teams wanting drift detection and reconciliation rather than plan-time checks alone. Of those, platform teams running infrastructure changes through approval gates rather than through application ci and organisations standardising terraform and opentofu across many teams with policy enforcement are not what Tanium is typically brought in for.
What can Spacelift do that Tanium cannot?
Spacelift covers Multi-tool orchestration, Policy as code, Private workers, Spaces. Tanium covers Real-time endpoint queries, Single lightweight agent, Linear Chain Architecture, Vulnerability management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Tanium: What is Tanium's pricing model?

Tanium does not publish pricing on its website. Interested customers must contact the company or request a demo to discuss pricing and capabilities.

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.

Tanium: Is there a Tanium free trial?

Tanium does not clearly advertise a free trial on its main website, directing customers to schedule a demo or contact sales for more information.

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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