Salt vs Terraform:Which is searched more?
In September 2026, Terraform had more branded searches than Salt among configuration management platforms worldwide. Terraform had about 246,000 branded searches, while Salt had 3,600. Terraform made up 61% of all configuration management platform searches we track, and Salt accounted for 0.89%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Is Salt or Terraform more popular in search?
Compare the tools that automate server configuration. 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.
Share of searches by month for Terraform, Salt. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Terraform | Ansible | Rundeck | Salt | Chef | Puppet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 61.5% | 33.7% | 3.7% | 0.9% | 0.12% | 0.12% |
| Nov 2025 | 61.1% | 33.5% | 3.7% | 1.3% | 0.22% | 0.18% |
| Dec 2025 | 61.4% | 33.7% | 3.7% | 0.9% | 0.15% | 0.15% |
| Jan 2026 | 60.8% | 33.4% | 4.5% | 1.1% | 0.12% | 0.12% |
| Feb 2026 | 60.8% | 33.4% | 4.5% | 1.1% | 0.15% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 61.2% | 33.6% | 3.7% | 1.3% | 0.12% | 0.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 60.5% | 33.2% | 4.5% | 1.6% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| May 2026 | 61.3% | 33.7% | 3.7% | 1.1% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 61% | 33.5% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.06% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 65.5% | 29.3% | 3.9% | 1.2% | 0.07% | 0.09% |
| Aug 2026 | 61% | 33.4% | 4.5% | 0.88% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 61% | 33.5% | 4.5% | 0.89% | 0.08% | 0.08% |
How has the Salt and Terraform comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Terraform was ahead of Salt in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Salt’s share of searches among configuration management platforms worldwide moved from 0.9% to 0.89%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 3.6K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Terraform’s share of searches among configuration management platforms worldwide moved from 61.5% to 61%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 301K to 246K.
How did search popularity change for configuration management platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Salt’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.
Other head-to-heads among configuration management platforms
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