Canonical MAAS vs Rudder
Canonical MAAS
canonical.com
Rudder
rudder.ioSide by side
| Figure | Canonical MAAS | Rudder |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2.50/mo | $3.33/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 8 | 8 |
| Spec score · IT Automation Software | 9.3 (#2) | 8.8 (#11) |
| API coverage | The latest reference states that every feature available in the UI is also accessible through the API and that the v2 reference is generated from OpenAPI. | The API supports node, group, directive, rule, parameter, technique, compliance and change-request operations. |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Paris, France |
| Integrations | Canonical documentation names Juju, Chef, Puppet, Ansible, Terraform, OpenStack and Kubernetes as MAAS automation or orchestration integrations. | GetApp lists integrations or API connections involving Slack, Ansible, Rundeck, Zabbix and OpenSCAP. |
| Security hardening | MAAS hardening can enforce TLS and PostgreSQL certificate checks, restricted service binds, FIPS behavior, password complexity and a strict content-security policy. | The security guide recommends separating Web/API and internal traffic, configuring certificates and optionally enabling HSTS. |
| Self-hosting | Installation is delivered as a MAAS snap and requires an Ubuntu LTS host, sudo access and PostgreSQL; the current guide uses MAAS 3.8 and PostgreSQL 16 snaps. | Rudder can be installed on-premises so infrastructure data remains physically on site. |
| What it does | MAAS is Canonical's private-cloud infrastructure manager that turns physical servers into cloud-like, repeatably deployable resources. | Rudder is an infrastructure automation platform for continuously managing configuration, patching, vulnerabilities and compliance across cloud, hybrid and on-premise systems. |
Plans
Canonical MAAS
- FreeFree
- Self-supportFree
- Essential$30 a year
- Essential$30 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Standard$50 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
- Advanced$100 a year
Rudder
- Rudder CoreFree
- Rudder Starter - Essential (Monthly)$4 a month
- Rudder Security Suite - Premium (Monthly)$23 a month
- Rudder Starter - Essential (Yearly)$40 a year
- Rudder Security Suite - Standard (Yearly)$200 a year
- Rudder Security Suite - Premium (Yearly)$225 a year
- Rudder Corporate Security SuitePriced on request
- Rudder EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Canonical MAAS
Canonical MAAS is an open source platform for provisioning physical servers as centrally managed cloud resources. It automates server discovery, inventory, commissioning, deployment, and decommissioning, and lets operators manage nodes through a web interface, command line, or API. Hardware discovery uses PXE boot and supports IPMI-enabled machines, as well as subnets, VLANs, and switch fabrics. MAAS integrates with Terraform, Juju, and Ansible for infrastructure automation. It can configure networking and storage, run hardware tests, and manage LXD and KVM virtual machines. Listed images include Ubuntu, CentOS, Windows, and RHEL; images can be synchronized or served from an onsite mirror for offline use. Canonical describes MAAS for private cloud with OpenStack, server automation, and bare-metal Kubernetes. A free self-support plan covers all machines but excludes HA support, RBAC, Knowledge Base, a Sev 1 response SLA, phone support, and ticket support. Paid plans start at $30 a year per managed machine. Ubuntu Pro is required for MAAS controllers; Canonical says it provides security patching and enterprise support for controllers and Ubuntu machines.