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Developer Tools · head to head

Spacelift vs Userpilot

Spacelift logo

Spacelift

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Userpilot logo

Userpilot

Technology

Product analytics and in-app onboarding platform.

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Userpilot starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Spacelift and Userpilot actually diverge.

Attributes where Spacelift and Userpilot differ
AttributeSpaceliftUserpilot
Pricing modelBy private worker and tier, not by usersubscription
PlatformsWeb, Self-hosted, CloudWeb, iOS, Android, API
CategoryDeveloper ToolsTechnology

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Userpilot

Nothing recorded that Spacelift does not also cover.

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 Userpilot
  • Organisations standardising Terraform and OpenTofu across many teams with policy enforcementnot Userpilot
  • Estates needing private runners so cloud credentials never leave the networknot Userpilot
  • Teams wanting drift detection and reconciliation rather than plan-time checks alonenot Userpilot

Userpilot

  • SaaS companies optimising user onboarding and activationnot Spacelift
  • Product teams collecting user feedback and identifying churn drivers via session replaynot Spacelift
  • Customer success teams using in-app guides and contextual helpnot Spacelift
  • Growth teams orchestrating multi-channel campaigns across email and in-appnot Spacelift
  • Product managers measuring adoption and engagement across user cohortsnot 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.

Userpilot

  • Starter tier limited to 2,000 monthly active users; even small-to-medium products may require Growth tier
  • Large price jump from Starter ($299/mo) to Growth ($849/mo), nearly 3x increase
  • Growth tier scales to 100,000 MAU but does not publish pricing for higher volumes, requiring Enterprise negotiation
  • Session replay and mobile engagement are optional add-ons in Growth tier, not included in base pricing
  • Enterprise pricing not published; custom negotiations required for large-scale deployments

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

Userpilot

Free
  • Starter$299/month
    • Up to 2,000 monthly active users
    • In-app engagement
    • User segmentation
  • Growth$849/month (marked 'Most Popular')
    • 2,000 to 100,000 monthly active users
    • All Starter features
    • Advanced product analytics
  • Enterprise$undefined/variable
    • Custom monthly active user levels
    • All Growth features
    • Premium integrations

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 Userpilot if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Userpilot review

Questions people ask

Is Spacelift or Userpilot better?
Neither clearly leads. Spacelift starts at Free and Userpilot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Spacelift or Userpilot?
Spacelift starts at Free and Userpilot at Free.
Does Spacelift or Userpilot run on more platforms?
Spacelift runs on Web, Self-hosted, Cloud. Userpilot runs on Web, iOS, Android, API.
Can I use Spacelift for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Userpilot is typically brought in for.
What can Spacelift do that Userpilot cannot?
Spacelift covers Multi-tool orchestration, Policy as code, Private workers, Spaces.

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.

Userpilot: What is included in the free trial?

Userpilot offers a free 14-day trial without requiring a credit card, providing full access to the Starter tier features.

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.

Userpilot: Does Userpilot include session replay?

Session replay is available in the Growth tier as an optional add-on for watching real user sessions and identifying friction points.

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.

Userpilot: What integrations does Userpilot support?

Userpilot integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Segment, Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel, Heap, Zendesk, Intercom and Google Tag Manager. Additional integrations can be requested.

Source
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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