Head-to-head
Spacelift vs env zero: which one in 2026?
Spacelift is an infrastructure-as-code management platform from Spacelift, Inc. that runs Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi and other workflows with policy controls. env zero, from EnvZero Inc., covers similar ground but leans toward self-service environments, run counts and cost governance for platform teams.
Verdict
Spacelift is the steadier choice for a team that wants a known starting price and a mature pipeline with policy and worker control. env zero suits an organization that gives developers many short-lived environments and wants cost limits attached. Neither page lists run caps for paid plans, so request them in writing. The free tiers reward opposite habits: Spacelift limits seats, env zero limits monthly runs.
Spacelift and env zero side by side
| Spacelift | env zero | |
|---|---|---|
| Price entry | Free for 2 users, Starter from $399 per month | Free up to 250 runs per month, paid plans quoted |
| What does the free tier cap? | Two users and one API key, with no workers listed. The same engine as paid tiers, so the limit is people, not run counts. | Unlimited users and 30 active environments, with 250 runs a month. Past that, scheduled runs such as drift checks and TTL destroys wait for the next cycle. |
| How is the paid bill calculated? | Starter lists a fixed monthly price. Business and Enterprise are quote-only, and the pages do not state run limits for any plan. | Paid tiers are priced per successful apply or per environment and quoted individually. No public price list appears on the pricing page. |
| Where does the code actually execute? | Workers carry the load: 2 public workers on Starter, public or private on Business, and 5 or more on Enterprise, which also offers self-hosted and FedRAMP options. | One self-hosted runner comes on the free tier, and secrets are pulled from the customer's own vault at deploy time, including HashiCorp Vault and the three big clouds. |
| Which tier unlocks drift handling? | Drift detection, templates and blueprints begin at Business, which is quoted, so Starter buyers do not get them. | Basic drift management is in Cloud Navigator, while advanced cause analysis, remediation and monitoring sit in Cloud Pilot. |
| What does the AI layer do? | Spacelift Intelligence is a chat assistant that views resources, spots drift and runs automations. Documentation describes its Intent feature as meant for non-critical workloads. | Cloud Analyst is an AI agent with dashboards, included only in the Cloud Pilot tier. The vendor also lists a newer EZ Control product in early access. |
| How are policies and scanning applied? | OPA-based policy as code applies to plans, approvals and notifications, and Starter adds the policy engine along with webhooks. | Scanning and policy plugins run as a deployment step, naming Trivy, Checkov, TFLint and OPA, plus governance rules in every paid package. |
| Which frameworks can each tool run? | Terraform, OpenTofu, CloudFormation, Pulumi, Kubernetes and Ansible are all named on the product page as workflows the platform can run. | Terraform, OpenTofu, Terragrunt, Pulumi, Kubernetes, Helm, Ansible and CloudFormation, with Backstage, Okta and Entra ID integrations. |
| What do the pages say about data and audits? | A SOC 2 Type II certification from an external auditor is stated, with encryption at rest and in transit. Hosting regions and AI training use were not stated. | The privacy policy names Sunnyvale, California, and allows transfers to the United States and Israel. Security documentation cites a SOC 2 Type II report, but the pages read did not address AI training. |
Where each one wins
Spacelift wins on
- Free tier limits people rather than runs, so scheduled automation keeps working however many applies a team makes
- A published Starter price of $399 a month gives a budget line before any sales call
- Worker model includes self-hosted and FedRAMP options on Enterprise for stricter environments
env zero wins on
- Free tier gives unlimited users and 30 environments, which suits a wide pilot across many teams
- Self-service environments with time-to-live and cost estimates match platform teams that hand out sandboxes
- Per-apply or per-environment pricing can track real activity instead of a fixed tier fee
Which to pick
Pick Spacelift if
You want a published entry price, a dedicated policy engine and private workers, and your team is small enough that a two-user free tier fits a trial.
Pick env zero if
You are a platform team handing environments to many developers, want cost and expiry controls, and are fine with quoted, usage-shaped pricing.
Each tool in context: Spacelift, env zero, and the full Best AI Infrastructure as Code Software in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Is env0 the same product as env zero?
Yes. The env0.com domain now redirects with a 301 to envzero.com, and the pages call the product env zero. The app and login still sit on app.env0.com. The company named in the privacy policy is EnvZero Inc., so treat old env0 references as the same vendor.
Which free tier lasts longer for a real team?
It depends on your pattern. Spacelift's Free plan allows two users with one API key and no stated run limit. env zero allows unlimited users but only 250 runs a month, and scheduled runs stop once that is used. A large team with few applies suits env zero, and a pair with constant runs suits Spacelift.
Do both support OpenTofu and Pulumi?
Yes. Both vendors list Terraform, OpenTofu, Pulumi, Kubernetes and Ansible. env zero also names Terragrunt and Helm, while Spacelift names CloudFormation as part of its workflow engine, and env zero lists AWS CloudFormation under its integrations. Check the exact version of each framework you use.
Can I see paid prices before talking to sales?
Only partly. Spacelift shows Starter at $399 a month, though Business and Enterprise are quote-only. env zero shows no price for any paid plan, describing pricing per successful apply or environment. A buyer who needs a number to take to finance gets one from Spacelift first.