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Chef vs CFEngine: catalog facts
Chef	CFEngine
Paid Commercial enterprise platform with a free trial; demos available on request.	Freemium Free Community edition, with a commercial Enterprise edition.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted	Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
Policy-as-code for repeatable server configuration Built-in compliance auditing on a schedule	Lightweight agent suited to large fleets Configuration drift prevention and compliance reporting
Aimed at enterprises, with sales-led pricing Considerable setup and learning before it pays off	Own policy language to learn Web UI and reporting belong to the Enterprise edition
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026

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