OpenTofu vs Terraform(2026)
OpenTofu is better for teams that need truly open source. Terraform is the stronger choice if industry standard. OpenTofu is open-source (from $0) and Terraform is open-source (from $0).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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OpenTofu
OpenTofu is the Linux Foundation's truly open-source fork of Terraform — created after HashiCorp changed Terraform's license to BSL, offering full Terraform compatibility under MPL 2.0.
Starting at $0
Visit OpenTofuTerraform
Terraform by HashiCorp is the most popular open-source IaC tool — declare infrastructure in HCL, and Terraform plans and applies changes across AWS, Azure, GCP, and 3,000+ providers.
Starting at $0
Visit TerraformHow Do OpenTofu and Terraform Compare on Features?
| Feature | OpenTofu | Terraform |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | open-source | open-source |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Terraform-compatible (HCL) | ✓ | — |
| MPL 2.0 license | ✓ | — |
| State encryption | ✓ | — |
| Provider compatibility | ✓ | — |
| Linux Foundation governance | ✓ | — |
| Growing community | ✓ | — |
| Module registry | ✓ | ✓ |
| HCL declarative language | — | ✓ |
| 3,000+ providers | — | ✓ |
| State management | — | ✓ |
| Plan before apply | — | ✓ |
| Remote state (Terraform Cloud) | — | ✓ |
| Workspaces | — | ✓ |
OpenTofu Pros and Cons vs Terraform
OpenTofu
Terraform
Should You Use OpenTofu or Terraform?
Choose OpenTofu if…
- •Truly open source
- •Drop-in Terraform replacement
- •Linux Foundation backing
Choose Terraform if…
- •Industry standard
- •Largest provider ecosystem
- •Mature and battle-tested