AWS CloudFormation VS AWS Systems Manager
As of 30 October 2026, AWS Systems Manager is named by 164 companies and AWS CloudFormation by 2,246; AWS CloudFormation skews to companies under 200 people (45% vs 40%), AWS Systems Manager to companies over 1,000 (38% vs 30%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: AWS CloudFormation's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, AWS Systems Manager rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- AWS CloudFormation: 2–200 employees
- 45%
- AWS Systems Manager: 2–200 employees
- 40%
- AWS CloudFormation: 1,000+ employees
- 30%
- AWS Systems Manager: 1,000+ employees
- 38%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 3.0 · 2.2
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | AWS CloudFormation | share | AWS Systems Manager | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 27 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| 2-10 employees | 164 | 7% | 9 | 5% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 370 | 16% | 20 | 12% | AWS CloudFormation |
| 51-200 employees | 478 | 21% | 36 | 22% | even |
| 201-500 employees | 299 | 13% | 19 | 12% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 226 | 10% | 18 | 11% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 324 | 14% | 33 | 20% | AWS Systems Manager |
| 5001-10000 employees | 112 | 5% | 9 | 5% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 246 | 11% | 20 | 12% | even |
| Segment | AWS CloudFormation | share | AWS Systems Manager | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 1,269 | 57% | 76 | 46% | AWS CloudFormation |
| Business & finance services | 446 | 20% | 31 | 19% | even |
| Manufacturing & industry | 173 | 8% | 13 | 8% | even |
| Media & content | 75 | 3% | 8 | 5% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 57 | 3% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 50 | 2% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 41 | 2% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 40 | 2% | 8 | 5% | AWS Systems Manager |
| Health care | 28 | 1% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 20 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Automotive | 19 | 1% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Hospitality & travel | 13 | 1% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Property & construction | – | – | 6 | 4% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | AWS CloudFormation | share | AWS Systems Manager | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,538 | 68% | 106 | 65% | AWS CloudFormation |
| United Kingdom | 175 | 8% | 11 | 7% | even |
| India | 70 | 3% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Germany | 64 | 3% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Canada | 61 | 3% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Australia | 33 | 1% | 6 | 4% | AWS Systems Manager |
| France | 32 | 1% | 8 | 5% | AWS Systems Manager |
| Singapore | 22 | 1% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Netherlands | 18 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Japan | 15 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Sweden | 15 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Brazil | 14 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Spain | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Denmark | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | AWS CloudFormation | share | AWS Systems Manager | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | 4,335 | 48% | 139 | 29% | AWS CloudFormation |
| IT operations & business systems | 2,353 | 26% | 194 | 40% | AWS Systems Manager |
| Data & AI | 939 | 10% | 14 | 3% | AWS CloudFormation |
| Product, program & project management | 146 | 2% | 23 | 5% | AWS Systems Manager |
| Engineering (non-software) | 115 | 1% | 9 | 2% | even |
| Sales | 79 | 1% | 11 | 2% | even |
| Unclassified | 46 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Customer service & success | 33 | 0% | 14 | 3% | AWS Systems Manager |
| Design & UX | 18 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 12 | 0% | 5 | 1% | even |
| General management & consulting | 11 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Construction and civil | 10 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Quality, safety & environment | – | – | 4 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Human resources | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Legal, compliance & risk | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Administration & office | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using AWS CloudFormation →
Companies using AWS Systems Manager →
iac config management ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
AWS Systems Manager is named by 164 companies in job postings and AWS CloudFormation by 2,246; 0 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/aws-cloudformation-vs-aws-systems-manager)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
AWS CloudFormation vs AWS Systems Manager: questions
Which is more used, AWS CloudFormation or AWS Systems Manager?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, AWS CloudFormation (2,246) over AWS Systems Manager (164). By website-and-DNS footprint, AWS Systems Manager (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses AWS CloudFormation?
45% of AWS CloudFormation companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 40% for AWS Systems Manager. 30% of AWS CloudFormation companies have over 1,000 employees, against 38% for AWS Systems Manager.
Do companies run both?
0 companies name both in their postings, usually AWS CloudFormation in marketing and AWS Systems Manager in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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