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Head-to-head · IT Configuration Management Software

AWS Systems Manager State Manager vs Crossplane

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 2 checks side by side
Higher score AWS Systems Manager State Manager #3 in IT Configuration Management Software 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit State Manager
Crossplane #4 in IT Configuration Management Software 8.9/10 Open source ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Crossplane

AWS Systems Manager State Manager leads on 0 checks, Crossplane on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 2 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreAWS Systems Manager State Manager · 9.1/10
  • Free planonly AWS Systems Manager State Manager

AWS Systems Manager State Manager scores higher on our rubric for it configuration management software: 9.1 against 8.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.

AWS Systems Manager State Manager is the better fit for AWS fleet state and compliance management. Crossplane is the better fit for kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes.

  • AWS Systems Manager State Manager fits best

    AWS fleet state and compliance management

  • Crossplane fits best

    Kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes

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Side by side

Feature AWS Systems Manager State Manager 9.1/10 Visit ↗ Crossplane 8.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.1 8.9
Ranking #3 in IT Configuration Management Software #4 in IT Configuration Management Software
Best for AWS fleet state and compliance management Kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Open source
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Support Docs Docs
Integrations 8 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS Systems Manager State Manager 1/4 · Crossplane 1/4
Configuration as code Not checked yet Not checked yet
Drift detection ✓ ✓
Agentless operation Not checked yet Not checked yet
Compliance policies Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model Cloud Not checked yet
Operating system coverage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Managed node limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Desired-state associations support schedules, targeting, scripts, and drift management.
  • Supports Linux, macOS, Windows Server, edge devices, and on-premises servers.
  • Integrates with S3, EventBridge, AWS Config, and Systems Manager services.
  • Continuous reconciliation and drift correction
  • Reusable compositions and custom control-plane APIs
  • AWS, Azure, and GCP support with resource import
Cons
  • Its strongest coverage is within the AWS ecosystem.
  • Associated AWS resources and some operations may incur separate charges.
  • Cloud deployment may not suit teams seeking an on-premises control plane.
  • Requires Kubernetes as the control plane
  • State management is self-hosted
  • Provider capabilities can vary
Our verdict

AWS Systems Manager State Manager is a cloud configuration management service for AWS customers. It uses associations and Systems Manager documents to define and repeatedly apply desired configurations to managed nodes and other AWS…

Read the review →

Crossplane is an open-source control plane framework for platform engineering teams that want to manage infrastructure and cloud-native services through Kubernetes. It provides custom control-plane APIs, managed resources for external…

Read the review →
  1. AWS Systems Manager State ManagerIT Configuration Management Software 9.1Free plan
  2. CrossplaneIT Configuration Management Software 8.9Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • AWS Systems Manager State Manager — where it wins

    • Desired-state associations support schedules, targeting, scripts, and drift management.
    • Supports Linux, macOS, Windows Server, edge devices, and on-premises servers.
    • Integrates with S3, EventBridge, AWS Config, and Systems Manager services.

    Where it doesn't

    • Its strongest coverage is within the AWS ecosystem.
    • Associated AWS resources and some operations may incur separate charges.
    • Cloud deployment may not suit teams seeking an on-premises control plane.

  • Crossplane — where it wins

    • Continuous reconciliation and drift correction
    • Reusable compositions and custom control-plane APIs
    • AWS, Azure, and GCP support with resource import

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires Kubernetes as the control plane
    • State management is self-hosted
    • Provider capabilities can vary

More comparisons

All IT configuration management software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update