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Boxstarter vs Chef: catalog facts
Boxstarter	Chef
Free Free and open source, installed through Chocolatey or a zip download.	Paid Commercial enterprise platform with a free trial; demos available on request.
Windows, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Survives reboots during long installs Can set up remote machines	Policy-as-code for repeatable server configuration Built-in compliance auditing on a schedule
Windows only Requires writing scripts in PowerShell and Chocolatey terms	Aimed at enterprises, with sales-led pricing Considerable setup and learning before it pays off
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Closed source
License: Apache-2.0	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.