Brandwave

How popular isAWS CloudFormation?

In September 2026, people searched for AWS CloudFormation by name about 32,100 times worldwide, a 23.4% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 6.7% of all global infrastructure as code tool searches, placing AWS CloudFormation third out of ten tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about infrastructure as code tools, AWS CloudFormation appeared in all answers and was the fourth most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

AWS CloudFormation is the third most searched of 10 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. TerraformShare of searches 51.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. AnsibleShare of searches 28%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th
  3. AWS CloudFormationShare of searches 6.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. OpenTofuShare of searches 4.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. PulumiShare of searches 3.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

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Top infrastructure as code tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AWS CloudFormation appeared in all five answers. AWS CloudFormation is the fourth most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. OpenTofu1st
  2. Terraform2nd
  3. Pulumi3rd
  4. AWS CloudFormation4th
  5. AWS CDK5th
  6. Ansible6th
  7. Crossplane7th
  8. Azure Bicep8th
  9. Puppet9th
  10. Chef10th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Terraform5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • AWS CloudFormation5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • OpenTofu5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Pulumi5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ansible4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • AWS CDK4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Crossplane2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Azure Bicep2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Chef2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Puppet2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about infrastructure as code tools

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.

Which infrastructure as code tools compete with AWS CloudFormation?

AWS CloudFormation against infrastructure as code tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Terraform, Ansible, AWS CloudFormation, OpenTofu, Pulumi, AWS CDK, Crossplane. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTerraformAnsibleAWS CloudFormationOpenTofuPulumiAWS CDKCrossplaneAzure BicepChefPuppet
Oct 202551.2%28.1%7.1%3.1%4.6%3.1%2.1%0.61%0.1%0.1%
Nov 202548.7%26.7%8.3%3.6%5.4%3.6%2.9%0.57%0.17%0.14%
Dec 202550.1%27.5%7%3.7%5.5%3%2.5%0.49%0.12%0.12%
Jan 202649.3%27%7.8%3.6%5.4%3.6%2.4%0.58%0.1%0.1%
Feb 202649.5%27.2%7.9%3.6%5.5%3%2.4%0.72%0.12%0.08%
Mar 202650.8%27.9%6.6%3.7%4.6%3.1%2.5%0.61%0.1%0.08%
Apr 202649.5%27.2%7.9%3.6%5.5%3%2.4%0.72%0.08%0.08%
May 202650.3%27.6%7.6%3.7%4.5%3%2.5%0.59%0.08%0.08%
Jun 202650.4%27.7%6.6%4.5%4.5%3%2.5%0.59%0.05%0.08%
Jul 202653.5%23.9%7%4.8%4.8%2.6%2.6%0.63%0.06%0.07%
Aug 202648.9%26.8%7.8%5.4%4.4%2.9%2.9%0.71%0.08%0.08%
Sep 202651.1%28%6.7%4.6%3.8%2.5%2.5%0.75%0.07%0.07%

  1. 1.Terraform

    51.1%

    Held 1st. 246K estimated branded searches, +22.4% vs prior month. Share +2.2 points.

  2. 2.Ansible

    28%

    Held 2nd. 135K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  3. 3.AWS CloudFormation

    6.7%

    Held 3rd. 32.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  4. 4.OpenTofu

    4.6%

    Held 4th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.

  5. 5.Pulumi

    3.8%

    Held 5th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  6. 6.AWS CDK

    2.5%

    Held 6th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  7. 7.Crossplane

    2.5%

    Held 7th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.

  8. 8.Azure Bicep

    0.75%

    Held 8th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, +24.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Chef

    0.07%

    Held 9th. 320 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Puppet

    0.07%

    Held 10th. 320 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between AWS CloudFormation and its closest rivals

Every comparison with AWS CloudFormation

9 comparisons

How has branded search demand for AWS CloudFormation changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for AWS CloudFormation worldwide fell from 41.9K to 32.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AWS CloudFormation’s share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide peaked at 8.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 6.6% in June 2026.

How did search popularity change for infrastructure as code tools worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Terraform gained share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 48.9% to 51.1%.

  2. In September 2026, Ansible gained share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 26.8% to 28%.

  3. In September 2026, AWS CloudFormation lost share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 7.8% to 6.7%.

  4. In September 2026, OpenTofu lost share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 5.4% to 4.6%.

  5. In September 2026, Pulumi lost share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 4.4% to 3.8%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Chef worldwide fell 45.8% over 12 measured months, from 590 to 320 in September 2026.

How are AWS CloudFormation’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AWS CloudFormation’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • aws cloudformation
  • cloudformation

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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