AWS Systems Manager State Manager vs Microsoft Desired State Configuration

AWS Systems Manager State Manager9.1Visit Microsoft Desired State Configuration8.2Visit

Higher score AWS Systems Manager State Manager #2 in Configuration Management Tools 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit AWS

vs

Microsoft Desired State Configuration #10 in Configuration Management Tools 8.2/10 Open source ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Microsoft DSC

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager fits best

  AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control

• Microsoft Desired State Configuration fits best

  Developers needing portable declarative configuration

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	AWS Systems Manager State Manager 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Microsoft Desired State Configuration 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.2
Ranking	#2 in Configuration Management Tools	#10 in Configuration Management Tools
Best for	AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control	Developers needing portable declarative configuration
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Open source
Free plan	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Docs
Integrations	8 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS Systems Manager State Manager 4/4 · Microsoft Desired State Configuration 4/4
Drift detection	✓	✓
Patch management	✓	✓
Policy as code	✓	✓
Compliance reporting	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Self_hosted
Agent model	Agent_based	Not checked yet
Supported platforms	Linux, macOS on Amazon EC2, Windows Server	Linux, macOS, Windows
Our review
Pros	Free State Manager service with scheduled desired-state associations Targets AWS, on-premises, virtual, and edge systems Includes drift management, patching, and compliance reporting	Runs agentless across Linux, macOS, and Windows Supports JSON and YAML configuration documents Compares configuration drift against desired state
Cons	Its scope is centered on AWS and Systems Manager Associated AWS resources may incur separate charges Configuration work is organized around associations and documents	Does not cover patch management Does not provide compliance reporting Self-hosted deployment requires operational ownership
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 desired configurations and repeatedly apply them to managed nodes and other AWS… Read the review →	Microsoft Desired State Configuration (DSC) is an open-source, self-hosted configuration management platform for developers and administrators who need portable declarative configuration. Its current DSC 3.x implementation is a standalone… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager — where it wins

  • Free State Manager service with scheduled desired-state associations
  • Targets AWS, on-premises, virtual, and edge systems
  • Includes drift management, patching, and compliance reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Its scope is centered on AWS and Systems Manager
  • Associated AWS resources may incur separate charges
  • Configuration work is organized around associations and documents

• Microsoft Desired State Configuration — where it wins

  • Runs agentless across Linux, macOS, and Windows
  • Supports JSON and YAML configuration documents
  • Compares configuration drift against desired state

  Where it doesn't

  • Does not cover patch management
  • Does not provide compliance reporting
  • Self-hosted deployment requires operational ownership

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager9.1/10 · Free plan

  A free AWS service for scheduled configuration, drift management, patching, and compliance reporting.

  Visit AWSFull verdict →
• Microsoft Desired State Configuration8.2/10 · Open source

  A portable, open-source DSC CLI for defining and comparing machine state.

  Visit Microsoft DSCFull verdict →