Compare 20+ Cloud Orchestrators in 2025

82% of organizations stated in a survey that they plan to replace their legacy automation tools or add cloud orchestration software.¹ Yet, picking the correct cloud orchestration tool is a challenge since there are more than 20 cloud orchestrators and various tool types.

Screen 20+ cloud orchestrators, explore their categories and compare the top 10 based on B2B user reviews:

• Service orchestration and automation: ActiveBatch & RunMyJobs
• Container orchestration: Kubernetes
• DevOps automation: Chef & Microsoft Azure Data Factory
• Infrastructure provision & orchestration: AWS CloudFormation, OpenStack, Red Hat Ansible & Terraform
• Monitoring and management: New Relic

Leading cloud orchestration tools

* IT orchestration tools cover all orchestration requirements while others are more focused on specific domains. More info on each orchestration approach is provided under its section below.

Sorting is in alphabetical order within each tool category, with the exception of sponsors (i.e. products with links to their websites), that are placed at the top of the list.

Selection criteria contains:

1. Employee count: 10+ employees on LinkedIn.
2. Presence on B2B review sites: 1+ reviews on B2B user review sites.

Here are the top 10 tools selected from the list above based on the number of B2B reviews and employees:

Service orchestration and automation

Service orchestration platforms, also known as IT orchestration tools, automate and streamline the management of cloud and on-premises resources.

1. ActiveBatch

ActiveBatch is workload automation tool that can automate workflows and coordinate tasks and dependencies across both on-premises and cloud environments. It offers a flexible and scalable hybrid cloud management platform to monitor, manage and optimize virtual machines, and private and public-cloud resources and environments while minimizing cloud costs. 

ActiveBatch offers:

• Low-code/no-code drag-and-drop visual interface to design, execute, and monitor workflows.
• Managed smart queues feature to automatically allocate temporary cloud virtual machines to handle high-volume workloads.
• Out-of-the-box integrations to connect with major cloud providers, including Informatica Cloud, VMware, Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure.
•  Low-code REST API adapter to build integrations and connectors to any application or service without the need for custom scripting.

Check out strength and weaknesses of ActiveBatch.

2. RunMyJobs

RunMyJobs by Redwood is a Cloud Security Alliance STAR Level 1 certified cloud orchestration tool. It supports hybrid cloud deployment, manage jobs across distributed cloud environments and integrate to various systems, such as: SAP, Oracle, Amazon S3 and Azure.

Some of its key features and benefits include:

• Single-tenant cloud architecture ensures dedicated resources for each user and includes maintenance and uptime, providing reliability and minimal downtime.
• Flexible load balancing and process prioritization allows easy adjustments across applications to prevent delays and slowdowns, enhancing performance and efficiency.
• Self-updating lightweight agents enable virtual machine setup and script execution on multiple operating systems (e.g. Windows, Linux, AIX, HPUX, macOS, OpenVMS, and Solaris) with minimal resource use and no need for local hardware, ensuring seamless and quick system upgrades. With these agents, RunMyJobs upgrades are completed with a single click in minutes, unlike manual upgrades that take months and require significant resources.
• Entire cloud platform redundancy that duplicates critical parts, so if one fails, another takes over seamlessly, ensuring continuous operation without downtime.

Explore Pros & Cons of RunMyJobs.

3. Stonebranch

Stonebranch provides enterprise automation and orchestration solutions for managing IT workflows across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Stonebranch capabilities include:

1. Multi-cloud orchestration to automate workloads and transfer data across AWS, GCP, Azure, SaaS apps, and on-prem tools.
2. Cloud infrastructure orchestration to centrally manage server provisioning and integrate with tools.
3. Hybrid cloud data transfer between local servers, cloud providers, and storage platforms.
4. Schedule and manage containerized microservices with integration into platforms like OpenShift.

4.Fortra’s JAMS

Fortra’s JAMS is an enterprise job scheduling and workload automation solution that streamlines IT operations across on-premises and cloud environments. JAMS supports hybrid cloud management, allowing organizations to orchestrate workflows across diverse infrastructure and optimize resource utilization. JAMS offers:

• Pre-built connectors for applications like Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, SAP, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure.
• Centralized job scheduling capability to schedule, monitor, and manage jobs across cloud, on-premises, and hybrid environments.
• Cross-platform automation via native support for Windows, Linux, UNIX, and cloud platforms.
• Advanced job dependencies and triggers to optimize execution order and reduce processing delays.

Container orchestration

Container orchestration tools manage deployment, scaling and operation of containerized applications across cloud environments.

5. Kubernetes

Kubernetes is a container orchestration tool that automates containerized applications’ deployment, scaling, and management across diverse cloud environments. This way, it facilitates coordination of microservices, resource utilization, and dynamic scaling based on demand. Kubernetes offers features like self-healing capabilities, service discovery, and multi-cloud portability.

DevOps automation

DevOps automation helps automate software development and deployment processes, enhancing efficiency, consistency, and speed in the DevOps lifecycle.

6. Chef

Chef, specializing in configuration management and automation, allows users to automate the configuration, deployment, and management of infrastructure and applications in cloud environments. This ensures consistency, compliance, and scalability through code-driven configuration management. Key features include infrastructure-as-code practices, role-based access control, and a large library of pre-built cookbooks.

7. Microsoft Azure Data Factory

Microsoft Azure Data Factory is a cloud-based data integration service that enables creating and orchestrating data workflows across various data sources. As an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) solution, it allows users to design and manage data pipelines without handling underlying hardware. Integrating within the Azure ecosystem simplifies cloud orchestration and ensures scalable data operations.

Infrastructure provision & orchestration

Infrastructure orchestration tools enable the provisioning, configuration, and management of cloud infrastructure, ensuring efficient resource deployment and operation.

8. AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation streamlines cloud orchestration by enabling the provisioning and management of cloud resources through templated configurations. It facilitates the automation of infrastructure deployment, updates, and version control, ensuring consistency and scalability. AWS CloudFormation integrates with AWS services, allowing users to leverage multiple tools from the same cloud service provider.

9. OpenStack

OpenStack provides a platform for building and managing private and public cloud infrastructure. It offers cloud services for computing, storage, networking, and orchestration, enabling integration and automation of cloud resources. OpenStack provides users with multi-tenancy support, self-service provisioning, and integration with various cloud technologies.

10. Red Hat Ansible

Red Hat Ansible enables cloud orchestration by automating the provisioning, configuration, and deployment of infrastructure and applications across cloud environments. It offers agentless architecture, simplifying orchestration tasks, and ensuring consistent configurations. Ansible’s features include integration capabilities and support for heterogeneous environments.

11. Terraform

Terraform facilitates cloud orchestration by provisioning and managing infrastructure across multiple cloud providers using declarative configuration files. It enables automation of resource provisioning, dependency management, and state tracking for consistent infrastructure deployment. Some of its features include dependency graph visualization and immutable infrastructure.

Monitoring and management

These tools provide visibility into cloud infrastructure and application performance, enabling proactive management and optimization.

12. New Relic

New Relic provides visibility into application performance across cloud infrastructure. It helps optimize resource utilization, troubleshoot performance issues, and scaling. Its key features include real-time monitoring, distributed tracing, and AI-driven insights for proactive optimization.

Other orchestration tools

There are other orchestration tools beyond cloud orchestrators, such as:

• Process orchestration tools
• Data orchestration tools
• IT orchestration tools

Why use cloud orchestrators?

There has been an interest in cloud orchestration platforms since more companies invest in cloud platforms and hybrid cloud environments. For instance, in a survey by a workload automation vendor, 68% of respondents operate in a hybrid cloud environment, 13% use exclusively private and public clouds, and 18% rely solely on on-premises infrastructure. ⁵

However, cloud infrastructure can be complex, requiring coordination and integration of diverse systems. Based on the same report above ⁶ , 95% of IT team members report that they are involved in cloud management activities, such as pipeline management or ETL. To overcome this challenge: 

• 82% of organizations to plan to replace legacy automation tools or add new platforms to achieve effective orchestration. 
• 50% of companies target cloud automation for optimizing resource utilization, improving service delivery, and maintaining competitive advantage.

These new tools aim to bridge the gap between disparate environments, ensuring a unified and efficient operational workflow.

However, those companies that want to choose a cloud orchestrator face several significant challenges as 2024 Global Report indicates⁷ : 

• 30% of users lack full integration between their automation tools and cloud/SaaS technologies, 
• 91% of organizations have established IT automation teams, a notable increase from 77% in 2023,
• Some users prioritized service orchestration and automation platforms by 35% since such orchestration tools can coordinate complex workflows and integrate various automation tools and cloud services.

How to choose the best cloud orchestrator

1. Assess Your Requirements: Identify your specific needs and goals, such as the types of environments you operate (e.g., hybrid cloud, multi-cloud), the complexity of your workflows, integration needs, scalability requirements, and compliance considerations.
2. Evaluate Features and Capabilities:Compare the features of various cloud orchestration tools, focusing on:
   • Automation capabilities
   • Support for different cloud providers
   • Integration with existing tools and services
   • Ease of use and user interface
   • Security features and compliance support
   • Support for hybrid cloud management
3. Consider Scalability and Flexibility: Ensure the tool can scale with your business needs and adapt to future changes. Evaluate whether it can:
   • Handle increasing workloads
   • Integrate with new and emerging technologies
   • Support multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments effectively
4. Check Vendor Support and Community:Investigate the support options available, including:
   • Vendor-provided support (response times, service level agreements)
   • Documentation and training resources
   • Size and activity of the user community (forums, user groups)
   • A strong support system and active community can be crucial for troubleshooting, learning best practices, and staying updated with the tool’s capabilities.
5. Review B2B User Reviews and Scores: Check B2B review sites and user scores to gather feedback from current users. Pay attention to reviews that discuss:
   • User experience and ease of implementation
   • Reliability and uptime
   • Customer support quality and responsiveness
   • Overall satisfaction and whether the tool meets expectations
6. Cost Analysis: Analyze the total cost of ownership, including:
   • Licensing fees and subscription costs
   • Implementation and onboarding expenses
   • Maintenance and support costs
   • Potential hidden costs (e.g., data transfer fees, overage charges)
   • Compare these costs against your budget and expected return on investment (ROI) to ensure the tool is a financially viable option for your organization.

Further reading

Explore more on orchestration tools through our comprehensive and data-driven benchmarks, such as:

• Analyze Best 10+ Container Orchestration Tools Based on 2000+ Reviews
• Compare 12 Data Orchestration Tools Based on 800+ Reviews

External resources

• 1. “2024 Global State of IT Automation Report.” Stonebranch. 2024 Accessed at May 24, 2024.
• 2. Chapter 2. Software | Red Hat Product Documentation.
• 3. Unleashing the Potential of Multi-Cloud Automation with Ansible and Terraform. Red Hat
• 4. Terraform Architecture Overview – Structure and Workflow.
• 5. “2024 Global State of IT Automation Report.” Stonebranch. 2024 Accessed at May 15, 2024.
• 6. Ibid.
• 7. Ibid.