HCP Terraform Alternatives: 6 Options Compared

HCP Terraform does four jobs for most teams: it stores state with locking, runs plans and applies remotely, triggers them from pull requests, and hosts a private module registry. Since March 31, 2026 its Free tier stops at 500 managed resources, and the paid plans bill per managed resource. If either of those is a problem, there are six realistic alternatives, and they split into three groups: per-run or per-environment SaaS (Spacelift, env0, Scalr), open-source tools you run yourself (Terrakube, Atlantis), and HashiCorp's own self-managed edition (Terraform Enterprise). Prices and limits below come from each vendor's pricing page and each project's GitHub repository, checked October 23, 2026.

Quick answer

Sources: HashiCorp pricing, HCP Terraform plans, Spacelift pricing, env zero pricing, Scalr pricing, Terrakube and Atlantis on GitHub, checked October 23, 2026.

Verdict: if you want the HCP Terraform workflow (workspaces, remote runs, the cloud block, a private registry) without a per-resource meter, Terrakube is the closest open-source match, self-hosted or hosted. If you only want plans and applies on pull requests and already keep state in S3 or similar, Atlantis is the smallest thing that works. Spacelift, env0 and Scalr are mature commercial platforms with more governance features than Terrakube; pick them if you want a vendor to own the product and you are fine with their billing unit. Terraform Enterprise is the answer when you need Sentinel and HashiCorp support inside your own network.

Why teams look for an alternative

The reasons we hear most are about the meter and the queue. HCP Terraform Free allows 500 managed resources and one concurrent remote run; Essentials raises that to three concurrent runs and Standard to ten (HCP Terraform plans). Above Free, every managed resource is billed for every hour it exists. Data sources do not count, but every security group rule, IAM attachment and DNS record does. We cover how the count works, and a jq one-liner to estimate yours, in HCP Terraform's free tier limits.

The other reasons are licensing and tool choice. Terraform 1.6.0 and later is under the Business Source License 1.1, licensed by IBM (Terraform LICENSE). OpenTofu, the MPL-2.0 fork under the Linux Foundation, is at v1.13.2 (OpenTofu on GitHub). Teams moving to OpenTofu usually want a platform that treats it as a first-class option.

The options, one by one

Terrakube

Terrakube describes itself as "open source IaC automation and collaboration software" and is licensed under Apache-2.0. The latest release is 2.33.3, published October 21, 2026, and the repository now lives under the terrakube-io organization. It has organizations, workspaces with tags, a private registry for modules and providers, VCS integration, OPA policies run through templates, and login through Dex. It supports the remote backend and the cloud block, so the CLI workflow stays the same: change the hostname, run terraform login, and terraform plan runs remotely.

Where it is weaker: the docs mark the Bitbucket VCS page as "Work in progress" (Terrakube Bitbucket docs), there is no Sentinel, and features such as cost estimation and drift detection are templates you configure rather than switches. Self-hosting means running the API, UI, executor, registry, a database, object storage and Dex. We compare it head to head with HashiCorp's self-managed product in Terrakube vs Terraform Enterprise.

Spacelift

Spacelift is a commercial IaC orchestration platform that covers Terraform, OpenTofu (a dedicated vendor in Spacelift, per its docs) and other tools. Its pricing page lists a Free plan for 2 users and 1 public worker, then Starter+, Business, Enterprise and Enterprise+ on annual subscriptions, all "Request a quote". Paid plans include unlimited users; the difference between tiers is mainly the number of private workers and the support level. Self-hosted and air-gapped installs are listed on Enterprise+ only (Spacelift pricing).

Pick it if you manage several IaC tools and want one platform with a vendor behind it. The trade-off is that you cannot see a price without talking to sales. More in Terrakube vs Spacelift.

env0

env0 (now also branded env zero) has a Free tier with up to 250 deployments per month, up to 30 active environments, one concurrent run, unlimited users and one self-hosted runner. The paid tiers, Cloud Navigator and Cloud Pilot, are custom-priced "per successful apply or environment". A successful deployment is a successful apply; PR plans, drift detections and destroys do not count (env zero pricing). OpenTofu has been natively supported since 2023 (env0 changelog).

The billing unit suits teams with a known number of long-lived environments. Teams that spin up many short-lived preview environments should model the active-environment count first.

Scalr

Scalr is the most transparent of the commercial options on price. Business is USD 0.99 per run with volume discounts, and the Free tier covers up to 50 runs per month. Scalr states there are no charges for users, workspaces, resources under management, private agents or SAML. Self-hosted agents cost nothing extra. Enterprise is quote-based and starts at 20,000 runs per year (Scalr pricing). Its docs describe it as a remote operations backend for Terraform and OpenTofu (Scalr docs).

A per-run price is easy to predict if your run volume is steady. It grows with how often you plan, not with how much you manage, which is the opposite trade-off from HCP Terraform.

Atlantis

Atlantis is "Terraform Pull Request Automation": a self-hosted Go application that listens for pull request webhooks, runs plan, and posts the output as a comment, then runs apply when someone comments. It is Apache-2.0, at v0.48.2 (October 21, 2026), with about 9,300 GitHub stars (Atlantis on GitHub). It supports OpenTofu with --default-tf-distribution=opentofu and server-side policy checks with conftest, which uses OPA and Rego (Atlantis policy checking).

Atlantis is not a full HCP Terraform replacement. It has no UI for workspaces, no state storage (you bring an S3, GCS or Azure backend), no private registry and no CLI-driven remote runs. If pull request automation is all you need, that small scope is a strength. Details in Terrakube vs Atlantis.

Terraform Enterprise

Terraform Enterprise is HashiCorp's self-managed edition, "for enterprises requiring self-managed IBM Terraform", with custom pricing and premium support included (HashiCorp pricing). It runs on Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, Nomad or Podman and needs a valid license to install or restart (TFE license docs). It supports both Sentinel and OPA policy sets.

It removes the hosted meter but keeps the vendor relationship and the license cost, and you still operate it. It makes sense for organizations with existing Sentinel policies or a HashiCorp contract.

Which to pick

• Keep the HCP Terraform workflow, drop the meter: Terrakube. Self-host it with the Helm chart, or use a hosted instance.
• Only want PR-driven plans and applies: Atlantis.
• Want a commercial platform with a published price: Scalr (per run).
• Many IaC tools and a budget for an enterprise contract: Spacelift or env0.
• Sentinel, HashiCorp support, your own network: Terraform Enterprise.
• Under 500 resources and staying there: stay on HCP Terraform Free.

Whatever you pick, the move is mostly about state and variables. Terrakube's docs describe a Workspaces Importer that copies workspaces, variables, tags and current state from HCP Terraform, and the CLI path with terraform init -migrate-state works for one workspace at a time. See migrating from HCP Terraform to Terrakube and the broader list of open-source Terraform automation tools.

Where Kevra Infra fits

Kevra Infra is the same open-source Terrakube, run for you as a hosted service: we handle hosting, upgrades and uptime, and your state is standard Terraform state. It is a flat monthly price per plan, with no per-resource meter: Starter is USD 39 per month with 1 organization, Pro is USD 79 per month with 3 organizations and email support, and Enterprise is custom. Hosted in the United States. It runs Terraform and OpenTofu. Setup details are in the Kevra Infra docs and the plans are on the product page. If you need it inside your own network, self-host Terrakube instead; see self-hosting Terrakube with Helm.

FAQ

What is the best free alternative to HCP Terraform?

For the full workflow (workspaces, remote runs, private registry, the cloud block), Terrakube, which is Apache-2.0. For pull request automation only, Atlantis, also Apache-2.0. Both are free to use; you pay for the servers that run them.

Is Terraform Enterprise cheaper than HCP Terraform?

It depends on your contract. HashiCorp lists Terraform Enterprise as custom pricing with premium support included, and you also pay to run it. HCP Terraform publishes per-resource rates from USD 0.10 per resource per month on Essentials (HashiCorp pricing).

Which HCP Terraform alternatives support OpenTofu?

Terrakube, Spacelift, env0, Scalr and Atlantis all document OpenTofu support. Atlantis selects it with --default-tf-distribution=opentofu.

Which alternatives have a public price?

Scalr publishes USD 0.99 per run with 50 free runs per month (Scalr pricing). Spacelift and env0 publish free tiers but quote paid plans. Terrakube and Atlantis have no license fee.

Can I keep Sentinel policies if I leave HCP Terraform?

Only on Terraform Enterprise. Terrakube, Atlantis and the other options use OPA and Rego for policy, so Sentinel policies need to be rewritten. HCP Terraform and Terraform Enterprise also support OPA, which makes a gradual move easier.

Do I lose my state when I switch?

No. State is a standard file. With Terrakube you can use the Workspaces Importer or terraform init -migrate-state after pointing the cloud block at the new hostname. Run terraform plan afterwards; no changes means the state arrived intact.

Terrakube is a trademark of its owners. Kevra is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by the Terrakube project. Kevra Infra runs the open-source Terrakube project (Apache-2.0) as a managed service.