--- title: "AWS CDK vs AWS CloudFormation: Which is searched more?" description: "Is AWS CDK or AWS CloudFormation more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Infrastructure as code tools set worldwide. 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/compare/aws-cdk-vs-aws-cloudformation" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # AWS CDK vs AWS CloudFormation: Which is searched more? Is AWS CDK or AWS CloudFormation more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Infrastructure as code tools set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: AWS CDK and AWS CloudFormation - **Competitive set**: Infrastructure as code tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **AWS CDK Share of Search**: 2.5% - **AWS CloudFormation Share of Search**: 6.7% ## Is AWS CDK or AWS CloudFormation more popular in search? - 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%. - AWS CloudFormation was ahead of AWS CDK in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AWS CDK’s share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide moved from 3.1% to 2.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 18.1K to 12.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AWS CloudFormation’s share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide moved from 7.1% to 6.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 41.9K to 32.1K. ## 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. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | OpenTofu | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Terraform | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Pulumi | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AWS CloudFormation | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | AWS CDK | 5th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Ansible | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Crossplane | 7th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Azure Bicep | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Puppet | 9th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Chef | 10th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about infrastructure as code tools - Asked ChatGPT "Which infrastructure as code tool should I use?": 1. OpenTofu, 2. Pulumi, 3. AWS CloudFormation, 4. Ansible, 5. Terraform, 6. AWS CDK - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best infrastructure as code tools?": 1. Terraform, 2. OpenTofu, 3. Pulumi, 4. AWS CDK, 5. AWS CloudFormation, 6. Azure Bicep, 7. Crossplane, 8. Ansible - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best infrastructure as code tool for automated cloud setup?": 1. Terraform, 2. OpenTofu, 3. Pulumi, 4. AWS CloudFormation, 5. AWS CDK, 6. Azure Bicep - Searched Google, AI Overview "infrastructure as code tools": 1. Terraform, 2. OpenTofu, 3. Pulumi, 4. AWS CloudFormation, 5. AWS CDK, 6. Crossplane, 7. Ansible, 8. Puppet, 9. Chef - Searched Google, AI Overview "iac tool": 1. Terraform, 2. OpenTofu, 3. Pulumi, 4. AWS CloudFormation, 5. Ansible, 6. Puppet, 7. Chef Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for infrastructure as code tools worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, AWS CloudFormation lost share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 7.8% to 6.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for AWS CDK worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 12.1K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | AWS CDK estimated searches | AWS CDK Share of Search | AWS CDK rank | AWS CloudFormation estimated searches | AWS CloudFormation Share of Search | AWS CloudFormation rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 18.1K | 3.1% | 5 | 41.9K | 7.1% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | 18.1K | 3.6% | 5 | 41.9K | 8.3% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 14.8K | 3% | 6 | 34.3K | 7% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | 18.1K | 3.6% | 5 | 39.2K | 7.8% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | 14.8K | 3% | 6 | 39.2K | 7.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | 18.1K | 3.1% | 6 | 39.2K | 6.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | 14.8K | 3% | 6 | 39.2K | 7.9% | 3 | | May 2026 | 14.8K | 3% | 6 | 37K | 7.6% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | 14.8K | 3% | 6 | 32.1K | 6.6% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | 12.1K | 2.6% | 6 | 32.1K | 7% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | 12.1K | 2.9% | 6 | 32.1K | 7.8% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | 12.1K | 2.5% | 6 | 32.1K | 6.7% | 3 | ## How each brand is measured 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**: Measured on the search term “aws cdk”. - **AWS CloudFormation**: Measured on the search terms “aws cloudformation” and “cloudformation”, summed into one figure. - [AWS CDK profile](/demand/global-en/brands/aws-cdk) - [AWS CloudFormation profile](/demand/global-en/brands/aws-cloudformation) - [All infrastructure as code tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/infrastructure-as-code-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is AWS CDK or AWS CloudFormation more popular in search? 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%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "AWS CDK vs AWS CloudFormation: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/aws-cdk-vs-aws-cloudformation This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/aws-cdk-vs-aws-cloudformation. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.