Head-to-head · Infrastructure Drift Detection Software
Scalr vs ControlMonkey
Scalr leads on 1 check, ControlMonkey on 0, and 1 is 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 scoreScalr · 8.8/10
- Free planonly Scalr
- Most featuresControlMonkey · 1 of 1
Scalr scores higher on our rubric for infrastructure drift detection software: 8.8 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #8.
Scalr offers free plan; ControlMonkey doesn't.
Scalr is the better fit for terraform teams needing governed drift workflows. ControlMonkey is the better fit for cloud teams wanting continuous Terraform drift alerts.
- Scalr fits best
Terraform teams needing governed drift workflows
- ControlMonkey fits best
Cloud teams wanting continuous Terraform drift alerts
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Side by side
| Feature | Scalr 8.8/10 Visit ↗ | ControlMonkey 7.9/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.8 | 7.9 |
| Ranking | #3 in Infrastructure Drift Detection Software | #8 in Infrastructure Drift Detection Software |
| Best for | Terraform teams needing governed drift workflows | Cloud teams wanting continuous Terraform drift alerts |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $0.99/unit usage-based | — |
| Free plan | ✓ (best) | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud, Self-hosted | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Compliance | SOC 2, GDPR, SSO/SAML | SOC 2, 2FA, SSO/SAML |
| Integrations | 19 integrations | 9 integrations |
| Built for | Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Scalr 0/1 · ControlMonkey 1/1 | ||
| Approval workflows | Not checked yet | ✓ (best) |
| Specs | ||
| Cloud coverage | Not checked yet | Multi-cloud |
| IaC sources | Not checked yet | Terraform, OpenTofu, Terragrunt |
| Detection cadence | Not checked yet | Continuous |
| Drift remediation | Not checked yet | Guided |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Scalr is a remote operations and governance platform for Terraform and OpenTofu. Platform engineering teams can use it to run infrastructure changes, manage state, and provide developers with governed self-service workflows. Its scope… Read the review → |
ControlMonkey is a cloud infrastructure and IaC governance platform for DevOps and platform teams that need to identify changes made outside declared infrastructure code. It continuously compares cloud resources with Terraform state and… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Scalr — where it wins
- Detects drift and reports status across workspaces
- Supports managed or external state with locking and versioning
- Offers self-hosted agents and policy enforcement with OPA
Where it doesn't
- Drift detection is part of a broader infrastructure management platform
- Business pricing is charged per run, so usage affects cost
- Enterprise pricing is quote-based
ControlMonkey — where it wins
- Continuously compares live cloud resources with Terraform state and code.
- Real-time alerts surface out-of-band changes and ClickOps activity.
- Guided fixes can open a pull request or reconcile resources to code.
Where it doesn't
- The Free Resilience Assessment is a one-time assessment, not an ongoing plan.
- Paid subscriptions are quote-based.
- The product is cloud-deployed and listed for web access.
- Scalr8.8/10 · Free plan
A governed Terraform and OpenTofu platform with drift detection, state management, and per-run pricing.
Visit ScalrFull verdict → - ControlMonkey7.9/10 · Pricing on request
Continuous multi-cloud drift detection with code-and-pull-request remediation.
Visit ControlMonkeyFull verdict →
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- Terragrunt Scale vs ControlMonkey
All infrastructure drift detection software comparisons → · Full ranking →
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Last updated · How we research and update