Brandwave

AWS CDK vs AWS CloudFormation:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, AWS CloudFormation had more branded searches than AWS CDK among infrastructure as code tools worldwide. AWS CloudFormation had about 32,100 branded searches, while AWS CDK had 12,100. AWS CloudFormation made up 6.7% of all infrastructure as code tool searches we track, and AWS CDK accounted for 2.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about infrastructure as code tools, AWS CloudFormation appeared in all five answers and AWS CDK in four. AWS CloudFormation was mentioned before AWS CDK in four out of five answers.

Among infrastructure as code tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

AWS CloudFormation, about 3 searches for every 1 for AWS CDK

AWS CloudFormation 32.1K searchesAWS CDK 12.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

AWS CloudFormation, mentioned in every answer we collected

AWS CloudFormation in 5 of 5AWS CDK in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

AWS CloudFormation, named ahead of AWS CDK in 4 of 5 answers

AWS CloudFormation first in 4AWS CDK first in 1

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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 CDK was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. AWS CloudFormation was listed before AWS CDK in four out of five answers.

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.

Is AWS CDK or AWS CloudFormation more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for AWS CDK and AWS CloudFormation by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten infrastructure as code tools we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

AWS CDK and AWS CloudFormation among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK. 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%

How has the AWS CDK and AWS CloudFormation comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for AWS CDK worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

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

AWS CDK

1 branded search term

  • aws cdk

AWS CloudFormation

2 branded search terms

  • aws cloudformation
  • cloudformation

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among infrastructure as code tools

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