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CFEngine vs Chef Workstation: catalog facts
CFEngine	Chef Workstation
Freemium Free Community edition, with a commercial Enterprise edition.	Free Free to download; check Chef's licence terms before commercial use.
Linux, Self-hosted, Command line	Windows, Command line
Lightweight agent suited to large fleets Configuration drift prevention and compliance reporting	Everything needed to start with Chef in one install Covers writing, testing and running automation code
Own policy language to learn Web UI and reporting belong to the Enterprise edition	Only useful if you manage infrastructure with Chef Command-line focused with a learning curve
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app
Open source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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