AWS CloudFormation vs Terramate
AWS CloudFormation
aws.amazon.com
Terramate
terramate.ioSide by side
| Figure | AWS CloudFormation | Terramate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $449/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 3 |
| Spec score · Infrastructure as Code Tools | 9.0 (#2) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Purpose | CloudFormation models, provisions, and manages related AWS and third-party resources as infrastructure as code. | It helps platform teams productize reusable infrastructure patterns so developers and AI agents can self-serve across environments. |
| Security controls | CloudFormation data is encrypted at rest, and service communications use encrypted channels; AWS recommends TLS 1.3 and requires TLS 1.2. | Terramate says its data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and communications use HTTPS with TLS 1.2. |
| Security model | AWS documents CloudFormation security through shared responsibility, IAM access control, CloudTrail logging, data protection, resilience, and compliance guidance. | Terramate says it does not require access to cloud accounts, state files or source code, and CLI synchronization is opt-in. |
| What it does | AWS CloudFormation models, provisions, and manages AWS resources from declarative templates. | Terramate is an infrastructure-as-code management platform centered on a CLI that organizes infrastructure into stacks and adds cloud orchestration and observability. |
Plans
AWS CloudFormation
- AWS CloudFormationFree
- CloudFormation serviceFree
- Third-party resource providersFree
In their own words
AWS CloudFormation
AWS CloudFormation models, provisions, and manages related AWS and third-party resources as infrastructure as code. YAML or JSON templates define AWS resources and their properties. StackSets deploy a common set of resources across multiple AWS accounts and Regions; Change Sets preview proposed stack updates, including possible deletion or replacement, and Drift Detection tracks changes made outside the service. For authoring, AWS CDK supports TypeScript, Python, Java, and .NET, while AWS SAM offers shorthand YAML for serverless resources that is converted during deployment. The CloudFormation Registry supports third-party resources and modules, and stacks can be updated from remote Git repositories. The service is available through API, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows, and manages state. CloudFormation itself has a free plan, with no additional charge for AWS and Alexa resource providers, but created AWS resources are billed at their standard rates. Third-party provider and custom hook operations may also incur charges. Access can be managed with IAM, and CloudTrail logs API calls.
Terramate
Terramate is an Infrastructure as Code orchestration and observability platform for platform teams. It helps teams package reusable infrastructure patterns so developers and AI agents can self-serve across environments. Terramate Cloud lists Terraform, OpenTofu, and Terragrunt as supported tools. Its capabilities include stacks, orchestration, custom workflows, rendered pull request plan previews, GitOps, drift detection, and drift reconciliation. Integrations include GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, Bitbucket Pipelines, and Azure DevOps, and pull request integration is documented for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and other VCS platforms. Terramate says it does not need access to customer cloud accounts, state files, or source code; the CLI removes sensitive values from plan data before syncing it to the cloud. It lists AES-256 encryption at rest and HTTPS with TLS 1.2 for communications. Supported clouds are AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. State management is self-hosted. Community is free for up to 2 users and 1,000 resources; Teams costs $449 a month and supports unlimited users and up to 5,000 resources. Enterprise pricing is custom.