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Head-to-head · IT Configuration Management Software

Crossplane vs Juju

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Crossplane #4 in IT Configuration Management Software 8.9/10 Open source ✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Crossplane
Juju #7 in IT Configuration Management Software 8.8/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Juju

Crossplane leads on 0 checks, Juju on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCrossplane · 8.9/10
  • Most featuresCrossplane · 1 of 4

Crossplane scores higher on our rubric for it configuration management software: 8.9 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.

Crossplane is the better fit for kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes. Juju is the better fit for multi-cloud application and workload operations.

  • Crossplane fits best

    Kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes

  • Juju fits best

    Multi-cloud application and workload operations

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 Crossplane 8.9/10 Visit ↗ Juju 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.9 8.8
Ranking #4 in IT Configuration Management Software #7 in IT Configuration Management Software
Best for Kubernetes-native multi-cloud control planes Multi-cloud application and workload operations
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Open source Open source
Free plan Not checked yet Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Support Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 3 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Crossplane 1/4 · Juju 0/4
Configuration as code Not checked yet Not checked yet
Drift detection ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Agentless operation Not checked yet Not checked yet
Compliance policies Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment model Not checked yet Self_hosted
Operating system coverage Not checked yet Not checked yet
Managed node limit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Continuous reconciliation and drift correction
  • Reusable compositions and custom control-plane APIs
  • AWS, Azure, and GCP support with resource import
  • Reusable charms support repeatable application deployment and operations
  • Works across Kubernetes, VMs, containers, bare metal, and multiple clouds
  • Terraform, Charmhub, and access controls extend its operating model
Cons
  • Requires Kubernetes as the control plane
  • State management is self-hosted
  • Provider capabilities can vary
  • Configuration-policy and governance coverage is limited
  • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the Juju environment
  • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of simpler configuration workflows
Our verdict

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 →

Juju is an open-source orchestration engine for deploying, integrating, scaling, upgrading, and operating applications across public and private clouds. It supports Kubernetes clusters, virtual machines, containers, and bare-metal…

Read the review →
  1. CrossplaneIT Configuration Management Software 8.9Open source
  2. JujuIT Configuration Management Software 8.8Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 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

  • Juju — where it wins

    • Reusable charms support repeatable application deployment and operations
    • Works across Kubernetes, VMs, containers, bare metal, and multiple clouds
    • Terraform, Charmhub, and access controls extend its operating model

    Where it doesn't

    • Configuration-policy and governance coverage is limited
    • Self-hosted deployment requires teams to operate the Juju environment
    • Its broad scope may exceed the needs of simpler configuration workflows

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