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AWS CloudFormation vs HashiCorp Terraform comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 25, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
5.6
Microsoft Intune significantly reduced costs, improved efficiency, integrated seamlessly with Microsoft 365, enhancing productivity and reducing resource needs.
Sentiment score
5.0
Organizations saw 100% ROI with AWS CloudFormation in three years, valuing it for preventing losses during site downtime.
Sentiment score
4.6
Users find HashiCorp Terraform valuable, noting improved efficiency, reduced overhead, and significant time and cost savings through automation.
Everything we've gained from it makes my job easier day after day, and I see value in it as an engineer.
IT Systems Engineer at Syracuse University
Microsoft Intune not only saves costs by reducing the number of personnel needed but also offers a comprehensive solution for managing laptops, applications, security, individual access, and enrollment.
Subject Matter Expert at Engage IT Services Pvt Ltd
With Microsoft Intune, tasks such as device provisioning, policy deployment, application delivery, and compliance enforcement require less manual effort than in more traditional management models.
Endpoint Cloud Solution Architect at Lutech
It saved us a lot of time.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
With HashiCorp Terraform, we automate everything, and the results are perfect.
Platform and DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
With HashiCorp Terraform, fewer employees can create many resources with a single click, saving money in terms of cost reduction and also time.
Sr. executive at Mindlance
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
5.8
Microsoft Intune's support is mixed; premium users experience better outcomes, but standard support often faces delays and issues.
Sentiment score
6.2
AWS CloudFormation support is efficient and knowledgeable, though non-production response times and non-critical inquiries need improvement.
Sentiment score
4.9
HashiCorp Terraform support experiences vary, with reliance on community resources and mixed satisfaction with technical assistance and response times.
When a support ticket is submitted, it directly reaches someone with Intune support expertise.
Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
When I contacted Microsoft, they had the same expertise, if not more, which is phenomenal because I felt heard and my problem was solved.
IT Systems Engineer at Syracuse University
Sometimes, the support provided is excellent, and the representative is knowledgeable, while other times, the service needs improvement.
Engineer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
While this might be acceptable for some, it can be lengthy depending on the urgency of the issue.
AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)
Free support for AWS CloudFormation is not provided, and while some support is understandable due to its complexity, assistance for service-related issues should be accessible without a cost.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
I would rate the HashiCorp technical support an eight on a scale of one to ten, where ten is the best.
Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
I always go to the HashiCorp website to learn about HashiCorp products.
Platform and DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
They provide mail IDs, a portal, and contact numbers for assistance.
DevOps Engneer at SCL IT Technologies Pvt Ltd
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Microsoft Intune scales efficiently, supporting diverse organizational sizes and environments, offering seamless management and consistent performance as needs evolve.
Sentiment score
6.7
AWS CloudFormation is scalable, user-friendly, and praised for security, though it needs better interactivity and tool compatibility.
Sentiment score
7.5
HashiCorp Terraform is scalable and efficient for varying company sizes, though complexities may arise with multiple servers.
The scalability of Microsoft Intune is ten out of ten.
Solutions Architect at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Ideally, we want to automatically segregate devices based on user properties like primary use, but currently, dynamic groups seem limited to device properties.
Engineer, Systems Admin . at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
It supports organizations with 200 endpoints and those with more than 15,000 endpoints.
Director at Provisioned
Splitting CloudFormation into multiple formations results in changes to resources like API gateway URLs and Cognito pools, which causes issues, especially when trying to maintain consistency across resources.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
Adjusting capacity and functionality is a fundamental use.
AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)
For large scale infrastructure at the VM or networking level, HashiCorp Terraform is the best choice and the first option to use.
Platform and DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
Terraform runs when changes occur.
CTO at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
I would rate HashiCorp Terraform's scalability positively because it covers most of the resources that I use daily in my work, specifically on AWS cloud.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Intune delivers high stability with minimal issues; users rate it highly for reliable integration and day-to-day operations.
Sentiment score
6.6
AWS CloudFormation is considered stable and efficient, with high user ratings despite occasional issues during complex operations.
Sentiment score
6.8
HashiCorp Terraform is stable, with users praising version control and emphasizing state file management to handle infrastructure changes.
We have not experienced downtime, bugs, or glitches.
Head of IT at TWM SOLICITORS LLP
It appears Microsoft Intune undergoes changes without informing customers.
Support Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
In my experience, Microsoft Intune is a stable platform as it is a cloud-based service, and updates are regularly delivered by Microsoft.
IT Administrator at Newrest Inflight España, S.A
It has been reliable and efficient in all my deployments.
AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)
Data loss can occur when splitting or scaling applications due to changes in resources.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
It's a service that has been around for years, and it handles large complex deployments and updates with very good consistency.
application security engineer at Hyperspace IT India
I can choose a stable version and decide whether to upgrade based on its performance.
CTO at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
HashiCorp Terraform is extremely stable.
Cloud Engineer at Leek Solucoes
Stability depends on understanding how HashiCorp Terraform state works.
Platform and DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
 

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Intune struggles with non-Windows compatibility, complex setups, slow sync, limited customization, inefficient policies, and unsatisfactory integration.
AWS CloudFormation is complex, lacks multi-cloud support, and users desire better error handling, GUI, and automation features.
HashiCorp Terraform needs better cloud integration, user interfaces, security features, flexibility, state management, documentation, and cross-platform code conversion.
Features like unlocking devices sometimes fail, and the support offered for other operating systems is insufficient.
Strategy & Portfolio Advisor at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees
There are communication issues, so you might start working with a feature without knowing if it will be deprecated six months from now.
Collaborations engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Many third-party companies offer single-pane-of-glass reporting that shows you what your update environment looks like, how your patch is doing, application status, etc., but Intune's reporting is not intuitive.
Engineer at a healthcare company with 5,001-10,000 employees
It presents challenges for users unfamiliar with coding, posing as a barrier to fully utilizing CloudFormation.
AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)
Creating microservices and connecting multiple APIs into a single API gateway can be challenging; documentation should address specific needs.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
Managing the correct order of resource creation and some updates can be tricky, especially with interdependent resources.
application security engineer at Hyperspace IT India
HashiCorp Terraform should implement better security measures to keep sensitive information hidden from unauthorized users.
DevOps Cloud Engineer at Infosys
In those critical places, there should be a special prompt that informs the user so that the user can double-check what they are going to do with Terraform plan.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
HashiCorp Terraform provides another benefit in managing infrastructure at scale.
Platform and DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with self employed
 

Setup Cost

Microsoft Intune is cost-effective within Microsoft 365 packages, with discounts for nonprofits and bulk purchases, though standalone licenses cost more.
AWS CloudFormation is cost-effective and scalable, charging only for deployed resources, but unexpected costs may arise without careful management.
HashiCorp Terraform provides flexible pricing options, with a free version for small setups and enterprise plans for larger needs.
Introductory professional services, like a fast-track service, were included with our E5 membership, and there have been no additional costs.
Senior Systems Architect IV at a aerospace/defense firm with 10,001+ employees
The Intune suite and add-ons, such as batch management and remote help, are costly.
Technical Sales Professional (Microsoft Modern Workplace) at Alnafitha IT
It costs approximately forty euros per user per month.
Cyber Security Officer at Gudu
AWS CloudFormation is free.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
I use the open-source version of Terraform, so there is no cost for me.
DevOps Engneer at SCL IT Technologies Pvt Ltd
I used the free version of HashiCorp Terraform with no setup cost or licensing needed.
Cloud Engineer at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Intune excels in device management, integration, automation, and security, enhancing efficiency with Autopilot, Azure AD, and advanced features.
AWS CloudFormation enables automation and scalable deployments with nested stacks, YAML/JSON support, easy configuration, and seamless AWS integration.
HashiCorp Terraform excels in modularity, automation, and cross-platform capabilities, simplifying cloud infrastructure management with strong community support.
Intune excels in configuration and compliance management for Windows 10, ensuring devices receive timely updates and adhere to organizational standards.
Microsoft Practice Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Dynamic groups allow us to set conditions for automatic membership, eliminating the need for user intervention or manual review and ensuring a seamless workflow.
Engineer, Systems Admin . at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees
Windows Autopatch is the most valuable because it removes the burden of patch management.
Director at Provisioned
I can see the entire infrastructure and its connections through code.
AWS Cloud Re-Start Program Specialist at Orange RDC (Congo)
Managing, maintaining, and deploying become easier as it allows the creation of the same resources on multiple accounts, making it efficient for infrastructure management.
Full-stack Developer / AWS Architect at Mantiqh Technologies
Terraform modules make it easier to manage complex infrastructure and code within an organization.
AWS Engineer at Unemployed
Terraform's infrastructure as a code tool facilitates deploying code on tools, and once configured with AWS and local Terraform systems, it can be reused multiple times without much issue.
DevOps Engneer at SCL IT Technologies Pvt Ltd
If changes are needed, I track who did what because my Terraform scripts are version-controlled.
CTO at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Intune
Sponsored
Ranking in Configuration Management
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
378
Ranking in other categories
Remote Access (2nd), Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) (1st), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) (1st), Microsoft Security Suite (1st)
AWS CloudFormation
Ranking in Configuration Management
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
37
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HashiCorp Terraform
Ranking in Configuration Management
3rd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Configuration Management category, the mindshare of Microsoft Intune is 4.9%, down from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of AWS CloudFormation is 4.8%, up from 1.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HashiCorp Terraform is 7.3%, up from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Configuration Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Microsoft Intune4.9%
HashiCorp Terraform7.3%
AWS CloudFormation4.8%
Other83.0%
Configuration Management
 

Featured Reviews

OluwashileAdeniyi - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer at a outsourcing company with 51-200 employees
Centralized endpoint security has improved and supports hybrid work and BYOD policies
Regarding what I dislike about Microsoft Intune and its downsides, I would say that more Mac controls are needed because we have limited Mac and Linux control. When comparing controls and policies between Windows, Mac, and Linux, Windows has almost everything you can think of, while Mac and Linux have limited types of control. You cannot implement certain things on Mac and Linux that you can on Windows. The limited controls are a major issue. Additionally, if Microsoft could find a way to embed servers into Microsoft Intune, that would be beneficial. Microsoft Intune is not really designed for servers or Windows servers. It is more tailored towards Windows 11 and Windows 10 operating systems. Windows servers are not fully supported. Enterprise organizations usually have both servers and endpoints, which are users' workstations. For servers, most people look for other solutions such as SCCM, which is Configuration Manager. However, SCCM is what Microsoft Intune is trying to replace. Both SCCM and Microsoft Intune belong to Microsoft. Microsoft is trying to transition organizations into Microsoft Intune, the native cloud solution. However, because this update is still in process, servers are not fully compatible with Microsoft Intune and cannot be managed by it. The current policy that has emerged from issues with clients is what they call co-management, which is relatively new, and I do not know if adoption is significant. Many legacy or older customers who have been using these products for decades still have SCCM. When it is time for them to manage their Windows devices, they use what is called cloud attach. Cloud attach is a term whereby your SCCM is connected to your Microsoft Intune. Most people do not know about it, but I have deployed it for several organizations. Cloud attach and co-management work together so that your device is in SCCM, but some policies are pushed from Microsoft Intune. It is like two different solutions working hand in hand. That is what they call co-management. Microsoft Intune does not bring all of your endpoint and security management tools into one place, which is the goal and how it should be. However, as I mentioned, servers are not included. If we talk about end users, Microsoft Intune does bring all your devices together. In a typical enterprise environment, you have end users with workstations, laptops, company-issued phones, and bring your own devices. You can create policies for all of these. However, for the backend, your servers do not have much coverage. Servers are not really covered by Microsoft Intune in that way.
SC
application security engineer at Hyperspace IT India
Automation and consistency in infrastructure deployment provide a robust foundation
When it comes to the challenges with AWS CloudFormation, I faced a few challenges. One challenge is associated with large infrastructures; the template can become very long and hard to manage. Sometimes, the error messages during stack creation or update can be very hard to troubleshoot. Managing the correct order of resource creation and some updates can be tricky, especially with interdependent resources. If a stack update fails halfway and rolls back, it sometimes leaves the resources in an inconsistent state. AWS imposes a limit on stack size and the number of resources per stack, which can be quite constrained for large deployments. Despite all this, once we have experience, we can overcome these challenges very easily. Stack creation or updates can be slower than expected, especially with large and complex resources, and certain resource types or dependencies can add to the wait time. Nevertheless, AWS offers a way to optimize performance by breaking large templates into nested stacks. It's very capable, but there is room for improvement in speed.
Vaishnavi Pramod Isasre - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps Cloud Engineer at Infosys
Has automated multi-cloud deployments and simplified infrastructure management with reusable modules
We have developed one solution using HashiCorp Terraform. HashiCorp Terraform's state management capabilities are the main key point because whatever HashiCorp Terraform creates is stored in a state. Managing this state file is crucial. We can manage it either locally or remotely, but using local storage can lead to failures, and we might lose our state file. Best practice is to store it remotely, such as on AWS S3 or Azure storage blobs, and we must maintain versions of the state file. This allows us to revert to previous states in version control if there are issues with the current state. HashiCorp Terraform's modular architecture is beneficial because I have created a module for EC2 instances. When a team member wants to create an EC2 instance, they can utilize my module without recreating it. This approach follows the DRY principle (do not repeat yourself), achieving simplicity and reducing code repetition. On a scale of one to ten, I rate HashiCorp Terraform an eight out of ten.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Outsourcing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
17%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Consumer Goods Company
9%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business192
Midsize Enterprise62
Large Enterprise185
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business27
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

How does Microsoft Intune compare with VMware Workspace One?
Microsoft Intune is a great tool for managing a mobile device fleet while keeping access control. The solution makes ...
What are the pros and cons of Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune is a great configuration management tool and has a lot of good things going for it. Here are some of...
How does Google Cloud Identity compare with Microsoft Intune?
Microsoft Intune offers not only an easy-to-deploy data protection and productivity management solution, but also ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CloudFormation?
AWS CloudFormation is free. However, there may be unexpected costs if developers deploy services incorrectly without ...
What needs improvement with AWS CloudFormation?
When it comes to the challenges with AWS CloudFormation, I faced a few challenges. One challenge is associated with l...
What is your primary use case for AWS CloudFormation?
I have experience with AWS CloudFormation. I use it to automate the provisioning of the entire environment by spinnin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HashiCorp Terraform?
I have never experienced pricing, setup cost, or licensing for HashiCorp Terraform.
What needs improvement with HashiCorp Terraform?
Currently, there is not much to add. However, something that could improve the experience is bridging the gap between...
What is your primary use case for HashiCorp Terraform?
My main use case is only to provision the VM. Normally, in previous times, my team and I worked very hard to build th...
 

Also Known As

Intune, MS Intune, Microsoft Endpoint Manager
CloudFormation
Terraform
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Mitchells and Buzzers, Callaway
Nextdoor, Coinbase, Expedia
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS CloudFormation vs. HashiCorp Terraform and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.