Terraform
Windmill
| Feature | Terraform | Windmill |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $0.00014/mo | Free / from $10/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | devops-engineers, cloud-architects, platform-teams, infrastructure-teams | developers, devops-teams, internal-tools, data-pipelines |
| Founded | 2014 | 2022 |
| Infrastructure As Code | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Cloud | ✓ | ✗ |
| State Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plan And Apply | ✓ | ✗ |
| Modules | ✓ | ✗ |
| Provider Ecosystem | ✓ | ✗ |
| Drift Detection | ✓ | ✗ |
| Workflow Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Script To Ui | ✗ | ✓ |
| Scheduling | ✗ | ✓ |
| Approval Flows | ✗ | ✓ |
| Multi Language | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
| Audit Logs | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Terraform Pros
- Multi-cloud support with consistent workflow
- Declarative language (HCL) is readable and maintainable
- Massive provider ecosystem (3,000+ providers)
- State management tracks real infrastructure
- Terraform Cloud adds collaboration features
✗ Terraform Cons
- State file management requires careful handling
- BSL license change from open source caused controversy
- Complex modules can be hard to debug
✓ Windmill Pros
- Open-source and self-hostable
- Supports Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash, SQL natively
- Auto-generates UI from script parameters
- Excellent scheduling and workflow orchestration
✗ Windmill Cons
- Smaller community than Zapier/n8n
- Self-hosting requires infrastructure knowledge
- Less polished documentation for beginners
The Verdict
Terraform is built for devops engineers and cloud architects, with a focus on infrastructure-as-code and multi-cloud. Windmill targets developers and devops teams and leads with workflow-editor and script-to-ui.
On pricing, Terraform is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0.00014/mo compared to $10/mo for Windmill. That $9.99986/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.