Puppet vs Quattor
Puppet
puppet.comQuattor
quattor.orgSide by side
| Figure | Puppet | Quattor |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $120/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 1 |
| Spec score · Configuration Management Tools | 8.9 (#2) | 7.8 (#13) |
| Spec score · Orchestration / Provisioning Software | 8.8 (#4) | 7.8 (#17) |
| Integrations | Official integration listings include ServiceNow, VMware, Argo CD, Jenkins, Dynatrace, Datadog, New Relic, Splunk, Tenable Nessus and CIS Benchmarks. | The overview describes configuration components for core and grid computing services, with examples including general-purpose metaconfig and filecopy components. |
| Intended users | Puppet describes Puppet Enterprise as best suited to medium and large organizations managing complex hybrid environments that require security, compliance, and centralized automation. | The getting-started guide describes Quattor as a somewhat complex toolkit and says production use requires detailed knowledge of the tools and site configuration. |
| License | Open-source Puppet is released under Apache-2.0, while Puppet Enterprise adds proprietary commercial components, orchestration, console and support. | Quattor is open-source software provided under the Apache 2.0 license and the EU DataGrid Software License. |
| Purpose | Puppet Enterprise provides policy-driven configuration management and infrastructure automation for enterprise-scale environments. | Quattor is a system administration toolkit for automated installation, configuration, and management of clusters, farms, grids, and clouds. |
| Scale | Puppet says its free trial runs Puppet Enterprise on up to 10 nodes with no commitment or time limit. | The site says Quattor has been used in academic and commercial environments managing infrastructures from tens of systems to over 30,000. |
| Security | Puppet describes Security Compliance Enforcement as applying policy as code aligned to CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs to identify and remediate configuration drift. | The 26.2.0 release announcement says its RPM packages and repository metadata are signed with a GPG key. |
| Support | Enterprise plans include standard or premium technical support, CVE service-level commitments and optional technical account management. | Quattor is developed and supported by its user community, with discussion through a mailing group and issue or pull request reporting on GitHub. |
Plans
Puppet
- Puppet CoreFree
- Puppet Enterprise free trialFree
- Puppet Enterprise listing price$120 a month
- Puppet EnterprisePriced on request
- Puppet Enterprise AdvancedPriced on request
In their own words
Puppet
Puppet Enterprise provides policy-driven configuration management and infrastructure automation for complex cloud and hybrid environments. It uses policy as code to continuously enforce desired state, helping organizations identify and remediate configuration drift. Both agent-based and agentless management are supported, with a web interface and role-based access control. Puppet Enterprise Advanced adds continuous enforcement of CIS Benchmarks and DISA STIGs, self-service automation, AI features, observability integrations, and advanced patching. It also integrates with third-party vulnerability scanners, including Nessus, for remediation. Listed integrations include GitHub, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, HashiCorp Vault, and ServiceNow. Agents are listed for Linux, Windows, and macOS. Puppet describes the product as suited to medium and large organizations managing complex environments that require security, compliance, and centralized automation. Pricing is custom; a free trial runs on up to 10 nodes with no commitment or time limit. Network and edge device management is optional, and licensing for those devices requires contacting sales.
Quattor
Quattor is free, open-source Linux software for automating installation, configuration, and lifecycle management across clusters, farms, grids, and clouds. Its self-hosted architecture uses a configuration-management database server, an Automated Installation Infrastructure server, and managed clients; the two servers may share one machine. AII plugins handle DHCP and PXE setup and create Kickstart files for Enterprise Linux-derived systems. Client components retrieve and validate profiles, then run configuration components. Quattor validates system descriptions before deployment, and its Pan compiler converts declarative configuration into nested structures including XML and JSON. Modular interfaces allow replacement implementations and site-specific tools, with components for core and grid services. The site describes deployments ranging from tens of systems to more than 30,000. It supports Enterprise Linux, including Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux, and is licensed under Apache 2.0 and the EU DataGrid Software License. Community users provide development and support.