Gardience vs Ansible Automation Platform: Windows and Linux
A fair comparison of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform and Gardience for teams that manage Windows and Linux servers: connection model, patching and compliance, AI, Terraform, pricing, and when each is the better choice.
Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform (AAP) and Gardience overlap on one job, running automation across a fleet, and differ on almost everything around it. This comparison is for teams with Windows and Linux servers deciding where their day-two operations should live.
The core difference#
- AAP is an automation platform built on Ansible: a controller that connects into machines (SSH for Linux, WinRM or SSH for Windows) and runs playbooks, plus Event-Driven Ansible, the Lightspeed assistant, and Red Hat's certified content.
- Gardience is a fleet console built on open-source Salt: agents on each machine dial out to the server and stay connected, and the console adds patching, a compliance baseline, governance, and evidence on top. It also runs your existing Ansible playbooks over that connection.
What it costs#
At 1,000 servers, AAP Premium lists at $192,500 a year (AWS Marketplace, October 2026). Gardience Team is $15,000 a year, flat, Windows and Linux included. That is nearly 13 times less: $177,500 back every year, or $532,500 over three years. AAP is billed per node, so the bill climbs with every server you add; Gardience is priced per fleet, and adding servers inside your tier costs nothing. Every price, with sources.
Side by side#
| Ansible Automation Platform | Gardience | |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | Ansible | Open-source Salt (3006, 3007, 3008) |
| Windows connection | WinRM, or SSH on Server 2022+ | Agent dials out; no WinRM, no inbound port |
| Existing Ansible playbooks | Native | Run over the Salt connection, Windows and Linux |
| Patching and STIG/CIS baseline | Built from playbooks and content you choose | Built in, scored, with one-click fixes and drift repair |
| Event-driven automation | Event-Driven Ansible (rulebooks on outside events) | Event rules on events from the machine itself (service, disk, join) |
| Approvals and change control | Workflow approvals | Two-person approval, change windows, locks, change-ticket checks, break-glass |
| Audit evidence | Activity stream and job logs | Tamper-evident audit log, signed evidence pack with an offline verifier |
| AI assistant | Lightspeed intelligent assistant (generally available on OpenShift with a Red Hat-hosted model) | Built in; Claude, OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, or a self-hosted model; nothing runs until a person approves |
| MCP server for AI agents | Technology preview | Built in, requests wait for approval |
| Terraform | Official provider (runs job templates from Terraform) | Provider: machines enroll and get their state on first boot, removed on destroy |
| Air-gapped | Disconnected install documented | Fully offline bundle, signed releases, SBOM per image |
| Price at 1,000 servers | $192,500 a year (Premium list), per node | $15,000 a year, flat per fleet |
When AAP is the better choice#
- Your team is deep in Ansible and Red Hat, and most of your fleet is Linux.
- You rely on certified collections and Red Hat's support relationship across RHEL and OpenShift.
- You automate network devices and cloud services as much as servers.
When Gardience is the better choice#
- A large share of your fleet is Windows, and WinRM is a cost you would rather not carry.
- Patching, a STIG/CIS baseline, and audit evidence are the main jobs, not general orchestration.
- Per-node pricing grows faster than your budget. At 1,000 machines, Gardience Team is $15,000 a year.
- You want approvals, locks, and a tamper-evident record on every change by default.
Running both#
Some teams keep AAP for provisioning and orchestration and use Gardience for Windows and Linux day-two operations, patching and compliance. Gardience runs the same playbooks, so the move can be gradual.
See also: AAP per-node pricing and the full comparison page.
Questions#
Is Gardience a replacement for Ansible?#
For day-two operations on Windows and Linux servers (patching, compliance, governed changes), it can be. It runs existing Ansible playbooks, so you keep your automation.
Does Gardience need Red Hat Enterprise Linux?#
No. Gardience installs on any Linux server with Docker (amd64 or arm64), and is tested on fresh Ubuntu 24.04, Debian 12 and Oracle Linux 9 servers.
Can I try both on the same machines?#
Yes. Gardience's agents do not conflict with an Ansible controller connecting to the same machines.
Try Gardience on your own machines
One supported console for Windows and Linux on open-source Salt: patching, a scored STIG/CIS-aligned baseline, drift repair, event-driven automation, two-person approval and a tamper-evident audit log. Flat yearly pricing, not per node.
Free 90-day trial (25 nodes)See it work Compare