Hashicorp Terraform vs Pulumi

by Gralio Feb 05, 2025

Terraform and Pulumi are both excellent infrastructure-as-code tools. Terraform is better suited for organizations prioritizing a declarative approach and broad provider support, while Pulumi is a strong choice for teams preferring familiar programming languages and greater flexibility.

At Gralio.ai we help to simplify your decision-making process by offering detailed, side-by-side software comparisons like this one, to help you confidently choose the tool that aligns with your business goals.

This comparison was created by analysing 115 reviews and 60 websites, saving 1 hour, 8 minutes of reading.

Hashicorp Terraform

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Pulumi

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About

HashiCorp Terraform is a tool that helps businesses manage their IT infrastructure. It lets you define your entire technology setup – servers, networks, databases – in a clear, readable format. This "infrastructure as code" approach makes it easy to set up, update, and manage your systems in a consistent and repeatable way, regardless of whether they are on-site or in the cloud. Terraform works with a wide range of technology providers, ensuring flexibility for your business.

Pulumi is a cloud infrastructure automation tool that allows your teams to build, deploy, and manage your company's cloud infrastructure using familiar programming languages like Python and Javascript. This means no new languages to learn for your teams, faster development times, and more reliable infrastructure. Pulumi integrates seamlessly with popular cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling a consistent workflow across multiple cloud environments.

Summary

Main difference

Terraform excels in managing infrastructure across diverse cloud providers using a declarative approach with HCL, offering a mature ecosystem and broad provider support. Pulumi leverages familiar programming languages for infrastructure management, providing greater flexibility and code reusability for teams comfortable with general-purpose programming.

Relative strengths of Hashicorp Terraform (compared to Pulumi)

Wider adoption and larger community, resulting in more resources and support.
Mature ecosystem with extensive integrations and provider support.
Declarative approach with HCL simplifies infrastructure definition and management.

Relative weaknesses of Hashicorp Terraform (compared to Pulumi)

HCL can be challenging to learn for those unfamiliar with it.
Less flexibility compared to general-purpose programming languages.
State file management can be complex, especially in larger projects.

Who should use Hashicorp Terraform VS. Pulumi

HashiCorp Terraform is an ideal solution for medium to large enterprises, especially in the software, IT, and telecommunications sectors, seeking to manage their IT infrastructure as code. It excels at automating setup, updates, and management of systems. Terraform's user-friendly design simplifies complex infrastructure management.

Pulumi is a cloud infrastructure automation platform that empowers developers to manage infrastructure using familiar programming languages like Python and JavaScript. This streamlines development, enabling faster deployments and more reliable infrastructure. Pulumi integrates seamlessly with major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and Kubernetes, offering consistent workflows and multi-cloud support. It's ideal for development, infrastructure, and security teams seeking to automate and manage cloud resources efficiently.

Best for medium to large enterprises.
Ideal for software, IT, and telecommunications companies.

Best for small to enterprise businesses.
Not industry-specific.

Hashicorp Terraform and Pulumi features

Supported

Partially supported

Not supported

Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

Version Control

Supported

Terraform offers version control by integrating with VCS providers like Git.

Supported

Pulumi offers version control for environments, including tracking changes and reverting to previous versions.
Use your favorite programming language

Partially supported

Terraform supports common programming languages like Python and Typescript via CDK for Terraform.

Supported

Pulumi lets you manage infrastructure using general-purpose programming languages like Python or JavaScript.
Infrastructure as Code

Supported

Terraform enables managing and provisioning infrastructure through code, facilitating automation and version control.

Supported

Pulumi allows managing infrastructure through code, enabling automation and version control.
Execution Plan and Change Preview

Supported

Terraform provides execution plan and change preview using the "terraform plan" command.

Supported

Pulumi allows previewing infrastructure changes before applying them using the preview and update plan features.
Collaborative IaC Workflow

Supported

Terraform Cloud supports collaborative IaC workflows with features like remote state and VCS integrations.

Supported

Pulumi supports collaborative IaC with features like version control, CI/CD integration, and state management.
Cloud integrations

Supported

Terraform integrates with AWS and Azure, enabling CI/CD pipeline integration via its cloud provisioning and run tasks features.

Supported

Pulumi supports CI/CD integration with AWS, Azure, and other cloud providers.

Qualities

Value and Pricing Transparency

No data

No data
Customer Service

No data

No data
Ease of Use

+1

Strongly positive sentiment

+1

Strongly positive sentiment
Reliability and Performance

+0.6

Rather positive sentiment

+0.33

Rather positive sentiment
Ease of Implementation

+0.33

Rather positive sentiment

+0.5

Rather positive sentiment
Scalability

+0

Neutral sentiment

No data

Hashicorp Terraform and Pulumi Pricing

No data

We couldn't find a pricing page for Hashicorp Terraform.

Pulumi's pricing model is usage-based, charging per resource per month. They offer a free plan with limited resources and paid plans for teams and enterprises with increasing features and support.

Plans

See full Pricing page

Hashicorp Terraform and Pulumi review insights

115 reviews analysed from

Users love

No data

Easy configuration and management.
Enables Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) using familiar programming languages.
Seamless integration with GitHub Actions and various cloud providers.
Testing capabilities, including for IaC.
Built-in dynamic resource providers, like for custom RDS clusters.

Users dislike

No data

Difficult documentation for new users.
Pulumi AI hallucination can be problematic.
Steeper learning curve than expected for general purpose programming.
Azure Native Typescript package is too comprehensive.
Limited examples and templates, especially for lesser-known cloud tools.

Hashicorp Terraform and Pulumi Ratings

G2

4.7/5

(92)
Glassdoor

3.5/5

(366)

G2

4.8/5

(25)
Glassdoor

3.7/5

(16)

Company health

Employee growth

4% increase in the last year

14% increase in the last year

Web traffic

1% increase in the last quarter

5% decrease in the last quarter

Financing

November 2020 - $349M

June 2023 - $99M

How do Terraform's HCL and Pulumi's general-purpose languages impact team onboarding?

Terraform's HCL can pose a steeper initial learning curve for teams unfamiliar with it, potentially slowing down onboarding. Pulumi, by leveraging general-purpose languages like Python or JavaScript, allows developers to utilize existing skills, leading to quicker onboarding and faster development cycles. This can be particularly advantageous for teams already proficient in these languages, eliminating the need to learn HCL.

Which product better supports diverse cloud environments beyond AWS and Azure?

Both Terraform and Pulumi support diverse cloud environments beyond AWS and Azure. However, Pulumi explicitly mentions Google Cloud and Kubernetes support in its features, while Terraform's description focuses on broad multi-cloud support without naming specific providers beyond AWS and Azure. Therefore, based on the provided information, Pulumi appears to offer better documented support for a wider range of cloud environments.

What are the advantages of Hashicorp Terraform?

Terraform's key advantage lies in its infrastructure-as-code approach, enabling repeatable and consistent management of diverse IT systems. Its broad support for various technology providers ensures flexibility, while features like version control, change previews, and cloud integrations enhance collaboration and control over infrastructure changes. This makes Terraform especially well-suited for larger enterprises with complex infrastructure needs in the software and IT sectors.

What are the disadvantages of Hashicorp Terraform?

Terraform can have a steeper learning curve, especially for those unfamiliar with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) concepts. Managing the state file can be complex and requires careful planning, especially in larger teams. While Terraform supports many providers, creating and managing custom providers can be challenging. Finally, refactoring Terraform code can be difficult as the codebase grows, potentially leading to inconsistencies and errors.

Alternatives to Hashicorp Terraform and Pulumi

ServiceNow IT Service Management

ServiceNow IT Service Management is a cloud-based platform that helps mid-sized companies manage their IT services. It offers tools for incident management, service requests, and change management. The focus is on automating IT processes and improving efficiency. It stands out with its user-friendly interface and powerful automation capabilities. ServiceNow promises to streamline IT operations, reduce costs, and improve service delivery.

GitHub

GitHub is a website and cloud-based service that helps developers store and manage their code. It's like Google Docs for software development, where teams can work together on projects, track changes, and prevent errors. GitHub is known for its user-friendly interface and is used by companies of all sizes to build and maintain software.

ControlMonkey

ControlMonkey helps you manage your company's cloud infrastructure more efficiently using a tool called Terraform. It provides a central hub to track all cloud resources, automate changes to your infrastructure, and enforce cost and security standards. This helps your technical team deliver updates faster and reduces the risk of errors or security vulnerabilities.

facets.cloud

Facets.cloud is a self-hosted software platform designed to simplify and automate the management of cloud infrastructure for your business. It allows developers to easily set up, deploy, and manage applications and resources in the cloud without needing in-depth technical expertise. This means faster product launches and more time for your teams to focus on what matters most. Facets.cloud standardizes cloud deployments, offers built-in security and cost optimization features, and integrates with major cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure.

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform

Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform is a comprehensive software solution designed to automate IT tasks and processes within your company. It excels in automating repetitive tasks like software installation, server configuration, and cybersecurity updates, freeing up your IT team for more strategic work. It's particularly useful for managing complex IT environments, ensuring consistency and reducing the risk of human error. While built on open-source technology, Red Hat provides a commercially supported version with additional features, security, and support crucial for businesses.

GitLab

GitLab is an all-in-one platform designed to help software development teams work together and build software faster. It streamlines the entire process, from planning and coding to testing, security checks, and deployment. This means your teams can focus on building great software without juggling multiple tools. GitLab is flexible and can be used in your own data center or in the cloud, making it adaptable to your company's needs.

Page co-authored by

Michal Kaczor

CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

Tymon Terlikiewicz

CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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