AWS Systems Manager State Manager vs Salt

AWS Systems Manager State Manager9.1Visit Salt8.6Visit

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

Salt #6 in Configuration Management Tools 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Salt

• AWS Systems Manager State Manager fits best

  AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control

• Salt fits best

  Free, flexible infrastructure automation at scale

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Side by side

Feature	AWS Systems Manager State Manager 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Salt 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	8.6
Ranking	#2 in Configuration Management Tools	#6 in Configuration Management Tools
Best for	AWS-heavy teams wanting free managed-state control	Free, flexible infrastructure automation at scale
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features AWS Systems Manager State Manager 4/4 · Salt 4/4
Drift detection	✓	✓
Patch management	✓	✓
Policy as code	✓	✓
Compliance reporting	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment model	Cloud	Self_hosted
Agent model	Agent_based	Both
Supported platforms	Linux, macOS on Amazon EC2, Windows Server	Linux, Windows, macOS, AIX, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, NetBSD, Solaris, Gentoo, SUSE
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	Combines agent-based and agentless management through Salt SSH Supports configuration, orchestration, patching, packages, and remote commands Runs across Linux, Windows, and macOS with an open-source model
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	Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure and administration responsibility on teams Master-and-minion architecture may not suit teams seeking a simpler operating model Compliance reporting and web management are tied to SaltStack Config
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 →	Salt is an open-source, Python-based framework for remote execution, declarative configuration management, provisioning, and infrastructure orchestration. It is suited to teams managing Linux, Windows, and macOS systems that want control… 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

• Salt — where it wins

  • Combines agent-based and agentless management through Salt SSH
  • Supports configuration, orchestration, patching, packages, and remote commands
  • Runs across Linux, Windows, and macOS with an open-source model

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment puts infrastructure and administration responsibility on teams
  • Master-and-minion architecture may not suit teams seeking a simpler operating model
  • Compliance reporting and web management are tied to SaltStack Config

• 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 →
• Salt8.6/10 · Free plan

  A flexible self-hosted choice for declarative infrastructure automation at scale.

  Visit SaltFull verdict →