Introduction
Terraform has firmly established itself as the leading infrastructure as code (IaC) tool, enabling teams to define and provision infrastructure through declarative configuration files.
While Terraform's command-line interface serves as its primary interaction method, UI tools have emerged to address collaboration challenges, visualization needs, and governance requirements in enterprise environments.
This article explores the top four Terraform UI tools in 2025, examining their features, use cases, and how they can enhance your infrastructure management workflows.
HashiCorp Terraform Cloud
Terraform Cloud is HashiCorp's official SaaS platform for Terraform, designed to bridge the gap between individual practitioners and enterprise teams.
Key Features:
- Remote Terraform execution with centralized state management
- Version-controlled workflows with integration to GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps
- Collaborative plan reviews with commenting functionality
- Role-based access control for enterprise users
- Policy as Code enforcement with Sentinel and OPA
- Cost estimation for planned infrastructure changes
- Private module registry for sharing reusable Terraform modules
Best For:
Organizations seeking an official, fully managed solution that scales from individual projects to enterprise-wide deployments. The tight integration with HashiCorp's ecosystem makes it particularly valuable for teams already invested in other HashiCorp tools.
Pricing:
Terraform Cloud offers three tiers:
- Free: For individuals and small teams (up to 5 users)
- Team & Governance: For mid-sized teams requiring collaboration features ($20 per user/month)
- Business: For enterprises needing advanced security and compliance features ($70 per user/month)
Semaphore
Semaphore is an open-source alternative to Terraform Cloud that provides a web UI for Terraform operations with a focus on team-based workflows and self-hosted deployment.
Key Features:
- Web-based UI for Terraform plan and apply operations
- Task-based automation for complex infrastructure workflows
- Role-based access control with fine-grained permissions
- Audit logging for compliance and tracking
- Template-based deployment with reusable components
- Integration with Git repositories for version control
- Self-hosted architecture for enhanced security and control
Best For:
Organizations that prefer self-hosted solutions with complete control over their infrastructure automation platform. Semaphore is particularly well-suited for teams with security requirements that prevent using cloud-based solutions.
Pricing:
Semaphore is open source and free to use, with the following options:
- Community Edition: Free and self-hosted
- Enterprise Support: Available through consulting partnerships
Atlantis
Atlantis takes a unique approach by integrating Terraform workflows directly into pull request processes, with a lightweight server that automates Terraform plan and apply operations based on Git events.
Key Features:
- Pull request automation for Terraform workflows
- Comment-driven operations in GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket
- Terraform plan visualization within pull requests
- Lock management to prevent concurrent operations
- Custom workflow definitions for different repository structures
- Webhook integration with most Git providers
- Container-based deployment for easy hosting
Best For:
Developer-centric teams that prioritize Git-based workflows and want to integrate infrastructure changes directly into their existing code review processes. Atlantis shines in environments where developers manage infrastructure alongside application code.
Pricing:
Atlantis is completely open-source and free to use, with a vibrant community providing support and extensions.
Scalr
Scalr offers a comprehensive Terraform management platform designed for enterprise scale, with robust governance and collaboration features.
Key Features:
- Multi-cloud management across providers
- Hierarchical organization of environments (account, environment, workspace)
- OPA-based policy engine for governance
- VCS integration with major providers
- Self-service infrastructure through service catalog
- Drift detection and remediation
- Advanced role-based access control with custom roles
- Private module registry with approval workflows
- Comprehensive API for automation
Best For:
Large enterprises with complex organizational structures requiring granular control over Terraform deployments across multiple teams and environments. Scalr's hierarchical approach to infrastructure management makes it ideal for organizations with sophisticated governance requirements.
Pricing:
Scalr offers both self-hosted and SaaS options:
- SaaS: Starting at $50 per user/month with volume discounts
- Self-hosted: Custom enterprise pricing based on deployment size
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Terraform Cloud | Semaphore | Atlantis | Scalr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deployment Model | SaaS | Self-hosted | Self-hosted | SaaS or Self-hosted |
| State Management | Built-in | External | External | Built-in |
| VCS Integration | Comprehensive | Basic | Comprehensive | Comprehensive |
| Module Registry | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Policy Enforcement | Sentinel/OPA | Basic | ❌ | OPA |
| Cost Estimation | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| API Availability | Full | Limited | Limited | Full |
| Team Collaboration | Advanced | Basic | PR-based | Advanced |
| Free Tier | ✅ (limited) | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Enterprise Features | Comprehensive | Basic | Limited | Comprehensive |
Choosing the Right Tool
When selecting a Terraform UI tool, consider the following factors:
-
Team Size and Structure: Larger, distributed teams benefit from the collaboration features in Terraform Cloud or Scalr.
-
Governance Requirements: Organizations with strict compliance needs should look to Terraform Cloud or Scalr's policy engine.
-
Workflow Integration: Developer-centric teams may prefer Atlantis for its tight integration with the pull request process.
-
Deployment Preferences: If you need to keep everything on-premises, Semaphore or Atlantis provide self-hosted options.
-
Budget Constraints: Open-source tools like Atlantis and Semaphore offer cost-effective solutions for teams with limited budgets.
Conclusion
The Terraform ecosystem now offers diverse UI tools to enhance IaC workflows. Terraform Cloud provides the official, polished experience with direct HashiCorp integration. Semaphore offers a robust self-hosted alternative. Atlantis excels with Git-integrated workflows for developer-centric teams. Scalr delivers enterprise governance for complex organizations.
As IaC adoption grows, these tools will become increasingly vital for team collaboration while maintaining proper governance. Choose based on your specific team size, security requirements, existing workflows, and budget constraints.
