Brandwave

How popular isCrossplane?

In September 2026, people searched for Crossplane by name about 12,100 times worldwide, about the same as the previous year. These searches made up 2.5% of all global infrastructure as code tool searches, placing Crossplane seventh out of ten tools. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about infrastructure as code tools, Crossplane appeared in two of the five answers and was the seventh most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Crossplane is the seventh most searched of 10 competitors and the seventh 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. CrossplaneShare of searches 2.5%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

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Top infrastructure as code tools in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Crossplane was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Crossplane is the seventh 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 Crossplane?

Crossplane 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 Crossplane and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Crossplane

11 comparisons

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

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Crossplane worldwide held steady at 12.1K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Crossplane’s share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide held steady, from 2.1% to 2.5%.

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 Crossplane’s branded searches counted?

1 search term

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

  • crossplane

Do you work for Crossplane? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Crossplane compete?

Crossplane is ranked in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Infrastructure as code tools7th of 102.5%Shown above
Environment management tools3rd of 64.2%Show ranking
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