---
title: "Configuration management platforms: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the tools that automate server configuration. Share of Search among Ansible, Rundeck, Salt, Chef and Puppet, the configuration management platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/configuration-management-platforms"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Configuration management platforms: Which are searched most?

Compare the tools that automate server configuration. Share of Search among Ansible, Rundeck, Salt, Chef and Puppet, the configuration management platforms Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Configuration management platforms
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Ansible, 85.7%

## Which brand is most popular in search among configuration management platforms worldwide?

- In August 2026, Ansible was the most searched among configuration management platforms worldwide, with an estimated 110K branded searches and 85.7% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Rundeck is in 2nd place, 74.2 percentage points behind at 11.5% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansible’s estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide decreased from 87.4% to 85.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Rundeck’s estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide increased from 9.6% to 11.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Ansible’s estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide peaked at 87.4% in October 2025 and was lowest at 84.1% in April 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Rundeck’s estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide peaked at 11.5% in August 2026 and was lowest at 9.4% in June 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Salt’s estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide peaked at 4.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 2.3% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Salt, Chef and Puppet held steady: their estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Ansible vs Rundeck: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansible-vs-rundeck): 85.7% against 11.5% Share of Search.
- [Ansible vs Salt: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/ansible-vs-salt-project): 85.7% against 2.3% Share of Search.
- [Rundeck vs Salt: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/rundeck-vs-salt-project): 11.5% against 2.3% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for configuration management platforms worldwide in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Ansible gained estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide, from 84.8% to 85.7%.
- In August 2026, Salt lost estimated Share of Search among configuration management platforms worldwide, from 3.4% to 2.3%.
- In August 2026, Chef rose from 5th to 4th among configuration management platforms worldwide.
- In August 2026, Puppet fell from 4th to 5th among configuration management platforms worldwide.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Rundeck worldwide fell 18.2% over 11 measured months, from 18.1K to 14.8K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Ansible | 85.7% | 110K | 0.0% | Red Hat |
| 2 | Rundeck | 11.5% | 14.8K | 0.0% | Rundeck |
| 3 | Salt | 2.3% | 2.9K | -34.1% | Salt |
| 4 | Chef | 0.25% | 320 | +23.1% | Progress |
| 5 | Puppet | 0.25% | 320 | 0.0% | Perforce |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Ansible | 165K | 87.4% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Rundeck | 18.1K | 9.6% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Salt | 4.4K | 2.3% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Chef | 590 | 0.31% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Puppet | 590 | 0.31% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Ansible | 135K | 86.1% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 9.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Salt | 5.4K | 3.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Chef | 880 | 0.56% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Puppet | 720 | 0.46% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Ansible | 135K | 87.3% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 9.6% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Salt | 3.6K | 2.3% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Chef | 590 | 0.38% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Puppet | 590 | 0.38% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Ansible | 135K | 85.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Rundeck | 18.1K | 11.4% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Salt | 4.4K | 2.8% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Chef | 480 | 0.3% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Puppet | 480 | 0.3% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Ansible | 135K | 85.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Rundeck | 18.1K | 11.4% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Salt | 4.4K | 2.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Chef | 590 | 0.37% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Puppet | 390 | 0.25% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Ansible | 165K | 86.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Rundeck | 18.1K | 9.5% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Salt | 6.6K | 3.5% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Chef | 590 | 0.31% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Puppet | 480 | 0.25% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Ansible | 135K | 84.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Rundeck | 18.1K | 11.3% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Salt | 6.6K | 4.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Chef | 390 | 0.24% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Puppet | 390 | 0.24% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Ansible | 135K | 87.1% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 9.5% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Salt | 4.4K | 2.8% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Chef | 390 | 0.25% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Puppet | 390 | 0.25% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Ansible | 135K | 86% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 9.4% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Salt | 6.6K | 4.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Puppet | 390 | 0.25% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Chef | 260 | 0.17% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Ansible | 110K | 84.8% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 11.4% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Salt | 4.4K | 3.4% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Puppet | 320 | 0.25% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Chef | 260 | 0.2% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Ansible | 110K | 85.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Rundeck | 14.8K | 11.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Salt | 2.9K | 2.3% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Chef | 320 | 0.25% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Puppet | 320 | 0.25% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | Ansible | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Chef | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Puppet | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Rundeck | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Salt | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Ansible**: Measured on the search term “ansible”.
- **Chef**: Measured on the search term “chef devops”.
- **Puppet**: Measured on the search term “puppet devops”.
- **Rundeck**: Measured on the search term “rundeck”.
- **Salt**: Measured on the search term “salt project”.

- [Ansible](/demand/global-en/brands/ansible)
- [Chef](/demand/global-en/brands/chef)
- [Puppet](/demand/global-en/brands/puppet)
- [Rundeck](/demand/global-en/brands/rundeck)
- [Salt](/demand/global-en/brands/salt-project)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among configuration management platforms worldwide?

In August 2026, Ansible was the most searched among configuration management platforms worldwide, with an estimated 110K branded searches and 85.7% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Configuration management platforms: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/configuration-management-platforms

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/configuration-management-platforms. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.