Pulumi vs Terraform

Terraform uses declarative HCL only, lacking full-language features like loops and classes.

PulumiInfrastructure as code in TypeScript, Python, Go and more

TerraformInfrastructure as code for any cloud

Which to pick

Pick Pulumi if you want…

IaC with real programming languages
Integrations with Google Cloud, Kubernetes or GitHub (on Pulumi's list, not Terraform's)

Pick Terraform if you want…

Multi-cloud IaC with versioned configurations
Declarative IaC with HCL
A free, open-source tool
Integrations with Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud or Docker (on Terraform's list, not Pulumi's)

Pulumi uses general-purpose languages (TS, Python, Go) instead of HCL.

Side by side

What it is: Pulumi:Pulumi is an open-source infrastructure-as-code platform that lets you provision cloud resources using real programming languages.; Terraform:Terraform is an open-source infrastructure-as-code tool to define, provision and version cloud resources.
Best for: Pulumi:IaC with real programming languages; Terraform:Multi-cloud IaC with versioned configurations
Who it’s for: Pulumi:Developers and platform teams who want IaC with full-language support and AI assistance.; Terraform:Developers, DevOps engineers and SREs building cloud infrastructure.
Pricing: Pulumi:Freemium; Terraform:Open source
Plans: Pulumi:Free $0 · Essentials $40/month per month · Pro $400/month per month · Enterprise $2,000/month per month; Terraform:—
Open source: Pulumi:Yes, 25,753 GitHub stars; Terraform:Yes
Works with: Pulumi:AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Kubernetes, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI; Terraform:AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud, Docker, HCP Terraform, GitHub Actions, Vercel

Pulumi features

Multi-language SDKs. Write infrastructure in TypeScript, Python, Go, .NET, Java, YAML or HCL with full IDE support.
Pulumi Neo AI agent. Natural-language interface that generates, reviews and executes infrastructure code safely.
Centralized secrets (ESC). Single interface for Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault and OIDC short-lived credentials.
Policy as code & governance. Enforce compliance with built-in policies, custom policy packs and audit trails.
Self-service developer portal. Golden-path templates and components let engineers provision resources while platform teams retain control.
Automation API & CI/CD integrations. Automate deployments via Pulumi Automation API and integrate with GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, CircleCI, etc.

Terraform features

Declarative configuration. Define infrastructure in a high-level language that Terraform plans and applies.
Multi-cloud support. Provision resources on AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud, Docker and more.
Terraform CLI. Command-line interface for init, plan, apply and state management.
HCP Terraform integration. Collaborative workflow and remote state storage in HashiCorp Cloud Platform.
Sandbox environment. Pre-installed sandbox for safe experimentation with Terraform.
Style guide & best practices. Guidelines for configuration style and adoption phases.

Pulumi vs Terraform FAQ

Is Pulumi or Terraform free?+

Pulumi has a free plan; paid plans start at $40/month (Essentials). Terraform is free and open source.

Which is cheaper, Pulumi or Terraform?+

Terraform is free, so it costs less. Pulumi starts at $40/month (Essentials).

Is Pulumi or Terraform open source?+

Yes, both are open source: Pulumi (pulumi/pulumi on GitHub, Apache-2.0 license) and Terraform.

Do Pulumi and Terraform integrate with the same tools?+

Partly. Both list AWS and Azure. Pulumi also lists Google Cloud, Kubernetes, GitHub, GitLab and 3 more; Terraform also lists Google Cloud Platform, Oracle Cloud, Docker, HCP Terraform and 4 more.

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