Open Policy Agent vs Cloud Custodian

Open Policy Agent9.1Visit Cloud Custodian9.0Visit

Higher score Open Policy Agent #3 in Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools 9.1/10 Open source ✓ 5 of 5 features Visit site

vs

Cloud Custodian #4 in Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Try Cloud Custodian

• Open Policy Agent fits best

  Teams building policy platforms

• Cloud Custodian fits best

  Multi-cloud remediation teams

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Side by side

Feature	Open Policy Agent 9.1/10 Visit ↗	Cloud Custodian 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.1	9.0
Ranking	#3 in Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools	#4 in Infrastructure Policy as Code Tools
Best for	Teams building policy platforms	Multi-cloud remediation teams
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Open source	Free plan
Free plan	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Support	Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Integrations	5 integrations	4 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Open Policy Agent 5/5 · Cloud Custodian 5/5
Policy testing	✓	✓
Admission control	✓	✓
Runtime enforcement	✓	✓
CI/CD integration	✓	✓
Policy reporting	✓	✓
Specs
Policy language	Rego	YAML
IaC formats	Terraform plan JSON, JSON, YAML	Terraform
Our review
Pros	Rego supports declarative policy authoring and reusable rules Covers Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, APIs, and Go integrations Includes testing, decision logging, and policy/data bundle loading	Supports AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Combines YAML policies, dry runs, enforcement, remediation, and reporting Evaluates Terraform infrastructure as code in CI with c7n-left
Cons	Requires teams to author policies in the Rego language The supplied platform coverage is primarily API-based Open-source delivery does not include paid hosted plans	Requires teams to manage and operate the open-source deployment CI admission-style enforcement is not a standalone deployment admission controller Policy reporting is limited to CSV and text-based outputs
Our verdict	Open Policy Agent (OPA) is an open-source, general-purpose policy engine that separates policy decisions from application logic. It is designed for teams building policy platforms across microservices, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, API… Read the review →	Cloud Custodian is an open-source rules engine for managing public-cloud resources and accounts. It is designed for teams that need one policy workflow across AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Open Policy Agent — where it wins

  • Rego supports declarative policy authoring and reusable rules
  • Covers Kubernetes, Terraform, CI/CD, APIs, and Go integrations
  • Includes testing, decision logging, and policy/data bundle loading

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires teams to author policies in the Rego language
  • The supplied platform coverage is primarily API-based
  • Open-source delivery does not include paid hosted plans

• Cloud Custodian — where it wins

  • Supports AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
  • Combines YAML policies, dry runs, enforcement, remediation, and reporting
  • Evaluates Terraform infrastructure as code in CI with c7n-left

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires teams to manage and operate the open-source deployment
  • CI admission-style enforcement is not a standalone deployment admission controller
  • Policy reporting is limited to CSV and text-based outputs

• Open Policy Agent9.1/10 · Open source

  A broad, programmable policy engine for teams building policy platforms.

  Visit siteFull verdict →
• Cloud Custodian9.0/10 · Free plan

  A broad, open-source policy engine for teams managing cloud compliance and remediation.

  Try Cloud CustodianFull verdict →