Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Vultr vs Chef

Vultr logo

Vultr

Cloud & Infrastructure

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Chef logo

Chef

Cloud & Infrastructure

Infrastructure automation and management

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Vultr vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan; Chef priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
  • They diverge on capability: Vultr covers Cloud servers, Chef covers Recipes.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Vultr and Chef actually diverge.

Attributes where Vultr and Chef differ
AttributeVultrChef
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliLinux, Windows, Mac, Api
Founded20142009

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

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 Vultr

  • Cloud servers
  • Bare metal servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Kubernetes
  • Firewalls
  • Private networks

Only in Chef

  • Recipes
  • Cookbooks
  • Roles
  • Data bags
  • Attributes
  • Chef Server
  • Chef Infra
  • Chef Compliance

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Vultr

  • High performance computingnot Chef
  • Game serversnot Chef
  • Streamingnot Chef
  • Database hostingnot Chef
  • Application serversnot Chef

Chef

  • Configuration management and infrastructure automation across server fleetsnot Vultr
  • Enforcing compliance and audit policy on managed nodesnot Vultr

Where each one falls short

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

Vultr

  • Vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan

Chef

  • Priced per node per year, at $59 on Business and $189 on Enterprise, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with team size
  • Tripling the price between the two published tiers puts compliance and audit features well above basic automation
  • Enterprise Plus and every self managed deployment are custom quoted with no published price

Pricing, plan by plan

Vultr

Free
  • Cloud Compute$2.5/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • 10GB SSD
    • 500GB bandwidth
  • Bare Metal$32/month
    • Dedicated hardware
    • High performance
    • Full root access

Chef

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Chef Infra
    • Community support
    • Full functionality
  • Chef Automate$4000/year
    • Chef Infra
    • Compliance automation
    • Insights

Which should you pick?

Choose Vultr if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal servers.
Vultr review

Choose Chef if

  • You need recipes.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want cookbooks.
Chef review

Questions people ask

Is Vultr or Chef better?
Neither clearly leads. Vultr starts at Free and Chef at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Vultr or Chef?
Vultr starts at Free and Chef at Free.
Does Vultr or Chef run on more platforms?
Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli. Chef runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use Vultr for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Vultr best used for?
Vultr is most often used for high performance computing, game servers, streaming, database hosting. Of those, high performance computing and game servers are not what Chef is typically brought in for.
What can Vultr do that Chef cannot?
Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Chef covers Recipes, Cookbooks, Roles, Data bags. Both handle Cloud deployment, Api support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Vultr

More on Chef

Keep looking

Other head to heads