# Alternatives to env zero

env0 (rebranded "env zero" after merging with CloudQuery) is a managed SaaS platform that orchestrates Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, AWS CloudFormation, Helm, and Kubernetes deployments across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle Cloud. It layers governance on top of whichever IaC tool a team already uses: OPA-based policy enforcement, drift detection, a private module/provider registry, remote state storage, and cost visibility. It does not define its own infrastructure language; it runs the underlying tool's CLI for whichever stack is configured.

env zero ranks #3 of 8 in Infrastructure as Code, with an Alt Score of 81. It is proprietary, freemium and available on the web. 12 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/env0/
Category: Infrastructure as Code

## Where env zero stands out

- **Managed SaaS backend** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this
- **Policy as code** — 4 of 8 apps with a verified answer have this

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: Platform and DevOps teams already using Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, CloudFormation, or Kubernetes who want centralized governance, drift detection, and self-service deployment across multiple cloud accounts and teams.
- **What you get**: A hosted control plane that connects to your VCS and cloud accounts, runs plan/apply workflows in cloud-hosted or self-hosted execution containers, evaluates Open Policy Agent policies at approval points, detects and helps remediate drift, and hosts a private Terraform/OpenTofu module and provider registry.
- **How it works**: A deployment provisions a container (cloud-hosted or a customer's self-hosted agent), clones the connected VCS repository at the configured branch/folder, injects credentials and variables, runs the chosen IaC tool's plan or apply, and writes state back to a managed or self-hosted remote backend.

## Profile

- **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Platforms**: Web
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-08-03)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Pulumi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pulumi.md) | 93 | Apache License 2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 2 | [Crossplane](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/crossplane.md) | 81 | Apache License 2.0 | ? |
| 3 | [Terraform](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/terraform.md) | 81 | Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web |
| 4 | [OpenTofu](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/opentofu.md) | 74 | Mozilla Public License, version 2.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 5 | [Spacelift](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/spacelift.md) | 74 | Proprietary | Web |
| 6 | [AWS CDK](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/aws-cdk.md) | 70 | Apache License 2.0 | ? |
| 7 | [Terragrunt](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/terragrunt.md) | 62 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Infrastructure as Code checklist | env zero | Pulumi | Crossplane | Terraform | OpenTofu | Spacelift |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Freemium | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | OSS + paid hosting | Free | Freemium |
| Starts at | ? | $40/mo base | Free | $0.10/resource/mo | Free | $20,000/yr |
| License | Proprietary | Apache License 2.0 | Apache License 2.0 | Business Source License 1.1 (BUSL-1.1) | Mozilla Public License, version 2.0 | Proprietary |
| Platforms | Web | Windows, macOS, Linux | ? | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web | Windows, macOS, Linux | Web |
| Open source | No | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | No |
| Declarative configuration language | Partial | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| General-purpose language support | Partial | Yes | Yes | No | No | Partial |
| State management | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Drift detection | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial |
| Policy as code | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial | Partial |
| Multi-cloud providers | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Plan preview before apply | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Module registry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Managed SaaS backend | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Kubernetes-native | Partial | Partial | Yes | Partial | No | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

## Sources

Sources for env zero. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **License**: Proprietary — <https://www.envzero.com/terms-and-conditions> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Pricing model**: Freemium — <https://www.envzero.com/pricing> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Platforms**: Web — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/community-and-resources/support-and-help/env-zero-cli> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Status**: active — <https://www.envzero.com/news> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Open source**: No — <https://www.envzero.com/terms-and-conditions> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Declarative configuration language**: Partial — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/templates/terraform> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **General-purpose language support**: Partial — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/templates/pulumi> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **State management**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/remote-backend/self-hosted-remote-state> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Drift detection**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/environments/drift-detection> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Policy as code**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/policies-governance/policies> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Multi-cloud providers**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/getting-started/supported-platforms> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Plan preview before apply**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/environments/plan-on-pull-request> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Module registry**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/private-registry/modules> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Managed SaaS backend**: Yes — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/overview/security-overview> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Kubernetes-native**: Partial — <https://docs.envzero.com/guides/admin-guide/self-hosted-kubernetes-agent/self-hosted-kubernetes-agent> (verified 2026-08-03)
- **Free tier**: Yes — <https://www.envzero.com/pricing> (verified 2026-08-03)

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/