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Puppet vs Boxstarter: catalog facts
Puppet	Boxstarter
Paid A commercial product from Perforce; prices are not listed on the homepage.	Free Free and open source, installed through Chocolatey or a zip download.
Windows, Linux, Command line	Windows, Command line
Enforces declared server state and corrects drift Puppet Forge library of shared modules	Survives reboots during long installs Can set up remote machines
Aimed at organisations rather than individuals Has its own configuration language to learn	Windows only Requires writing scripts in PowerShell and Chocolatey terms
Downloadable app	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.