Chef InSpec
8.0#1 in infrastructure testing toolsFrom $59 a yearFree planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted
VisitChef InSpec vs Test Kitchen
Test Kitchen
7.2#4 in infrastructure testing toolsFree planFree planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Chef InSpec | Test Kitchen |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation depth | The documentation includes installation, supported platforms, profiles, resource packs, reporters, plugins, licensing and Test Kitchen integration guides. | The documentation site contains getting-started guides, command references, driver, transport, provisioner and verifier pages, configuration reference, contracts, examples, FAQ, lifecycle hooks, and glossary. |
| Installation | Chef documents native installers for Windows and Linux distributions and Habitat packages for macOS, Windows, and Linux distributions. | Users can install the gem with gem install test-kitchen or install Cinc Workstation. |
| Purpose | Chef InSpec tests and audits applications and infrastructure by comparing their actual state with a desired state expressed in InSpec code. | Test Kitchen is a test harness for executing infrastructure code on one or more platforms in isolation. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.2 out of 5 from 105 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 5 reviews |
| Support | The licensing page lists community Slack support for Free and Trial tiers and contract support for Commercial licenses. | The documentation directs users to the #test-kitchen channel on Chef Community Slack for assistance from community members. |
Chef InSpec plans
- FreeFree
- TrialFree
- Business$59 a year
- Enterprise$189 a year
- CommercialPriced on request
- Enterprise PlusPriced on request
Test Kitchen plans
- Open-source Test KitchenFree
Pick Chef InSpec if…
It suits teams that need to express compliance or security requirements as code and assess cloud or other infrastructure. The free plan is limited to non-production, personal, non-commercial use.
Pick Test Kitchen if…
Test Kitchen suits infrastructure developers who want to provision isolated environments and verify infrastructure code, including Chef cookbook workflows. Users should be comfortable with its Ruby environment and prerequisite virtualization setup.