Chef VS HashiCorp Packer
As of 30 October 2026, HashiCorp Packer is named by 201 companies and Chef by 778; Chef skews to companies under 200 people (42% vs 37%), HashiCorp Packer to companies over 1,000 (37% vs 33%).
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: Chef's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, HashiCorp Packer rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Chef: 2–200 employees
- 42%
- HashiCorp Packer: 2–200 employees
- 37%
- Chef: 1,000+ employees
- 33%
- HashiCorp Packer: 1,000+ employees
- 37%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.7 · 2.1
- 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 | Chef | share | HashiCorp Packer | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 8 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 33 | 4% | 6 | 3% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 127 | 16% | 20 | 10% | Chef |
| 51-200 employees | 169 | 22% | 48 | 24% | HashiCorp Packer |
| 201-500 employees | 97 | 12% | 32 | 16% | HashiCorp Packer |
| 501-1000 employees | 91 | 12% | 18 | 9% | Chef |
| 1001-5000 employees | 122 | 16% | 37 | 18% | HashiCorp Packer |
| 5001-10000 employees | 35 | 4% | 11 | 5% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 96 | 12% | 27 | 13% | even |
| Segment | Chef | share | HashiCorp Packer | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 480 | 62% | 106 | 53% | Chef |
| Business & finance services | 138 | 18% | 25 | 12% | Chef |
| Manufacturing & industry | 53 | 7% | 38 | 19% | HashiCorp Packer |
| Media & content | 23 | 3% | 8 | 4% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 18 | 2% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 14 | 2% | 6 | 3% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 14 | 2% | 5 | 2% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 10 | 1% | 4 | 2% | even |
| Property & construction | 8 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Automotive | 6 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Health care | 5 | 1% | 3 | 1% | even |
| Hospitality & travel | 5 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Transport, logistics & rental | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Chef | share | HashiCorp Packer | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 535 | 69% | 143 | 71% | HashiCorp Packer |
| United Kingdom | 51 | 7% | 21 | 10% | HashiCorp Packer |
| India | 26 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Germany | 22 | 3% | 1 | 0% | Chef |
| France | 19 | 2% | 6 | 3% | even |
| Canada | 17 | 2% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Singapore | 12 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Australia | 10 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Netherlands | 10 | 1% | 6 | 3% | even |
| Italy | 6 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | 6 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Poland | 5 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Switzerland | – | – | 4 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Brazil | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Norway | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Bulgaria | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Czechia | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Chef | share | HashiCorp Packer | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | 1,872 | 54% | 376 | 61% | HashiCorp Packer |
| IT operations & business systems | 899 | 26% | 137 | 22% | Chef |
| Engineering (non-software) | 103 | 3% | 15 | 2% | even |
| Data & AI | 77 | 2% | 9 | 1% | even |
| Sales | 44 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Product, program & project management | 42 | 1% | 3 | 0% | even |
| Customer service & success | 32 | 1% | 2 | 0% | even |
| Hospitality and food service | 16 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | 7 | 0% | 3 | 0% | even |
| Administration & office | 4 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Education & training | 4 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Construction and civil | 3 | 0% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Logistics warehouse and transport | – | – | 6 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Manufacturing and production | – | – | 6 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Design & UX | – | – | 3 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Retail & store operations | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Chef →
Companies using HashiCorp Packer →
iac config management ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
HashiCorp Packer is named by 201 companies in job postings and Chef by 778; 0 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/chef-vs-hashicorp-packer)
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.
Chef vs HashiCorp Packer: questions
Which is more used, Chef or HashiCorp Packer?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Chef (778) over HashiCorp Packer (201). By website-and-DNS footprint, HashiCorp Packer (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Chef?
42% of Chef companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 37% for HashiCorp Packer. 33% of Chef companies have over 1,000 employees, against 37% for HashiCorp Packer.
Do companies run both?
0 companies name both in their postings, usually Chef in marketing and HashiCorp Packer 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.
Get either list your way
The same data as a search, over MCP and the API, as bulk files, or pushed to you as it changes.
Every company on either tool,
with the person who owns it
Filter on Chef or HashiCorp Packer. Start free, no card.