Brandwave

AWS CloudFormation vs Terraform:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Terraform had more branded searches than AWS CloudFormation among infrastructure as code tools worldwide. Terraform had about 246,000 branded searches, while AWS CloudFormation had 32,100. Terraform made up 51.1% of all infrastructure as code tool searches we track, and AWS CloudFormation accounted for 6.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about infrastructure as code tools, both AWS CloudFormation and Terraform appeared in all five answers. Terraform was mentioned before AWS CloudFormation in four out of five answers.

Among infrastructure as code tools worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Terraform, about 8 searches for every 1 for AWS CloudFormation

Terraform 246K searchesAWS CloudFormation 32.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

AWS CloudFormation in 5 of 5Terraform in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

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

Terraform first in 4AWS CloudFormation 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, both AWS CloudFormation and Terraform showed up in all five answers. Terraform was listed before AWS CloudFormation in four of them.

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 CloudFormation or Terraform more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for AWS CloudFormation and Terraform 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 CloudFormation and Terraform among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Terraform, AWS CloudFormation. 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 CloudFormation and Terraform 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, Terraform gained share of searches among infrastructure as code tools worldwide, from 48.9% to 51.1%.

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

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AWS CloudFormation’s and Terraform’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 CloudFormation

2 branded search terms

  • aws cloudformation
  • cloudformation

Terraform

1 branded search term

  • terraform

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among infrastructure as code tools

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