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