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Puppet vs Chef: catalog facts
Puppet	Chef
Paid A commercial product from Perforce; prices are not listed on the homepage.	Paid Commercial enterprise platform with a free trial; demos available on request.
Windows, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Enforces declared server state and corrects drift Puppet Forge library of shared modules	Policy-as-code for repeatable server configuration Built-in compliance auditing on a schedule
Aimed at organisations rather than individuals Has its own configuration language to learn	Aimed at enterprises, with sales-led pricing Considerable setup and learning before it pays off
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Closed source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
Not stated if an account is 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 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.