Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience our own tag's counts — open to see them
–Visits
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · visits, page views and clicks counted by our own tag, which counts more than our checked analytics; every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Infrastructure Testing Tools

Test Kitchen vs KICS

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Test Kitchen #3 in Infrastructure Testing Tools 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Test Kitchen
KICS #5 in Infrastructure Testing Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit KICS

Test Kitchen leads on 0 checks, KICS on 0, and 4 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreTest Kitchen · 9.0/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresTest Kitchen · 3 of 4

Test Kitchen scores higher on our rubric for infrastructure testing tools: 9.0 against 8.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #5.

Test Kitchen is the better fit for multi-provider infrastructure convergence testing. KICS is the better fit for multi-format IaC security scanning.

  • Test Kitchen fits best

    Multi-provider infrastructure convergence testing

  • KICS fits best

    Multi-format IaC security scanning

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 Test Kitchen 9.0/10 Visit ↗ KICS 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.8
Ranking #3 in Infrastructure Testing Tools #5 in Infrastructure Testing Tools
Best for Multi-provider infrastructure convergence testing Multi-format IaC security scanning
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs Email, Community, Docs
Integrations 14 integrations 16 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Test Kitchen 3/4 · KICS 0/4
Config compliance ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Provisioning tests ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Deployed checks ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Policy as code Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
IaC support Chef Infra cookbooks, Ansible, PowerShell DSC, Puppet, Salt Not checked yet
Execution model Local Not checked yet
Cloud support Amazon EC2, Microsoft Azure, Google Compute Engine, DigitalOcean, OpenStack, Rackspace Cloud Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Supports cloud, container, hypervisor, and local platform drivers
  • Runs convergence and verification workflows in isolated instances
  • Works with Chef InSpec, Cinc Auditor, and Serverspec
  • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and many other formats
  • Customizable OPA Rego queries support policy testing and tailored checks
  • CI/CD integrations and reports in JSON, SARIF, HTML, PDF, CSV, and more
Cons
  • Local execution may not suit teams needing a hosted testing service
  • Requires Ruby gem or Chef Workstation installation
  • Configuration spans platforms, suites, drivers, provisioners, and verifiers
  • CLI-first workflows may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS interface
  • Broad format coverage can require different policies across technologies
  • Automatic remediation is provided as a command rather than a managed workflow
Our verdict

Test Kitchen is an open-source integration testing tool for infrastructure code. It creates or connects to isolated virtual machines, containers, or cloud instances, applies configuration through pluggable provisioners, and runs…

Read the review →

KICS, or Keeping Infrastructure as Code Secure, is an open-source command-line tool from Checkmarx for infrastructure-as-code security scanning. It is designed for engineering and security teams that need to identify vulnerabilities,…

Read the review →
  1. Test KitchenInfrastructure Testing Tools 9.0Free plan
  2. KICSInfrastructure Testing Tools 8.8Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Test Kitchen — where it wins

    • Supports cloud, container, hypervisor, and local platform drivers
    • Runs convergence and verification workflows in isolated instances
    • Works with Chef InSpec, Cinc Auditor, and Serverspec

    Where it doesn't

    • Local execution may not suit teams needing a hosted testing service
    • Requires Ruby gem or Chef Workstation installation
    • Configuration spans platforms, suites, drivers, provisioners, and verifiers

  • KICS — where it wins

    • Scans Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, Pulumi, and many other formats
    • Customizable OPA Rego queries support policy testing and tailored checks
    • CI/CD integrations and reports in JSON, SARIF, HTML, PDF, CSV, and more

    Where it doesn't

    • CLI-first workflows may not suit teams seeking a hosted SaaS interface
    • Broad format coverage can require different policies across technologies
    • Automatic remediation is provided as a command rather than a managed workflow
  • Test Kitchen9.0/10 · Free plan

    A flexible open-source harness for convergence and verification across infrastructure environments.

    Visit Test KitchenFull verdict →
  • KICS8.8/10 · Free plan

    A free, open-source CLI for broad IaC security, compliance, secrets, and policy scanning.

    Visit KICSFull verdict →

More comparisons

All infrastructure testing tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update