ControlMonkey vs HCP Terraform: cloud disaster recovery compared
ControlMonkey scores 66.3 and HCP Terraform scores 41.7 on this site's weights, so ControlMonkey ranks higher overall. ControlMonkey wins on infrastructure coverage, recovery automation, cross-region and cross-account rebuild, drift and change history, restore as code and data protection; HCP Terraform wins on pricing transparency.
Ranking current as of September 2026 · By the Cloud Resilience Vendors research desk
Verdict by criterion
| Criterion | ControlMonkey | HCP Terraform | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure coverage beyond data COV 20% | 86 | 40 | ControlMonkey |
| Recovery automation AUTO 16% | 76 | 45 | ControlMonkey |
| Cross-region and cross-account rebuild XREG 14% | 70 | 50 | ControlMonkey |
| Drift and change history DRIFT 12% | 88 | 80 | ControlMonkey |
| Restore as code (IaC generation) IAC 10% | 85 | 30 | ControlMonkey |
| Data protection depth and cloud DR track record DATA 18% | 20 | 5 | ControlMonkey |
| Pricing transparency PRICE 10% | 45 | 60 | HCP Terraform |
| Weighted total | 66.3 | 41.7 | ControlMonkey |
ControlMonkey wins 6, HCP Terraform wins 1, ties 0
- DATA
- Not covered or not published Configuration only.
- CONFIG
- Restored Daily cloud configuration snapshots on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- NETWORK
- Partial or not itemized Part of cloud configuration; not itemized.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Okta and Entra ID configuration; cloud IAM not itemized.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Cloudflare configuration; cloud DNS not itemized.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- Data
- Not covered or not published Configuration only.
- Configuration
- Restored Daily cloud configuration snapshots on AWS, Azure, GCP.
- Network
- Partial or not itemized Part of cloud configuration; not itemized.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Okta and Entra ID configuration; cloud IAM not itemized.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Cloudflare configuration; cloud DNS not itemized.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- DATA
- Not covered or not published No data protection.
- CONFIG
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- NETWORK
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
- Data
- Not covered or not published No data protection.
- Configuration
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- Network
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- IAM
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
- DNS
- Partial or not itemized Only what is already in Terraform code.
What the vendor's public material says it restores. Not a test result. Hatched = partial or not itemized.
How do ControlMonkey and HCP Terraform differ in approach?
ControlMonkey is ranked in the configuration backup and recovery category, with the ranking note "Best for cloud and SaaS configuration snapshots". HCP Terraform is ranked as an IaC baseline, with the ranking note "The baseline: re-apply code you already have".
ControlMonkey
- Describes itself as an AI-powered cyber resilience platform that continuously captures cloud and SaaS configuration.
Source: ControlMonkey home page · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Daily snapshots of cloud and SaaS stacks, with a time-machine restore to a known-good state.
Source: ControlMonkey home page · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Drift detection with granular alerting, and Terraform generation for resources not in code.
Source: ControlMonkey home page · Reviewed Sep 2026
HCP Terraform
- Health assessments detect drift and run continuous validation, in HCP Terraform Standard and Premium only.
Source: HashiCorp docs: Health assessments · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Stores current and historical state versions, with a UI rollback to a previous state version; HashiCorp warns this can orphan or duplicate resources.
Source: HashiCorp docs: State · Reviewed Sep 2026
- Pricing is pay-as-you-go with a $500 credit, Flex plans or Enterprise Self Managed.
Source: HashiCorp pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026
Where does each one score higher?
ControlMonkey
- Infrastructure coverage beyond data: 86 vs 40. Daily snapshots of cloud configuration on AWS, Azure and GCP plus SaaS configuration for Okta, Entra ID, Cloudflare, Cisco Meraki and Zscaler.
- Recovery automation: 76 vs 45. A time-machine restore to a known-good state; the recovery speed claim (85% faster) is a customer figure without an RTO.
- Cross-region and cross-account rebuild: 70 vs 50. Secondary region replication is listed in the Pro tier; cross-account rebuild is not detailed.
- Drift and change history: 88 vs 80. Drift detection with granular alerting and a ClickOps scanner are core features.
- Restore as code (IaC generation): 85 vs 30. Discovers resources that are not in code and generates Terraform for them.
- Data protection depth and cloud DR track record: 20 vs 5. Configuration only; ControlMonkey does not position itself as a data backup product.
HCP Terraform
- Pricing transparency: 60 vs 45. Pay-as-you-go with a $500 credit is published; per-resource rates sit in an IBM pricing table.
What does each one cost?
| Vendor | Published pricing | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ControlMonkey | Free Resilience Assessment for up to 50,000 cloud assets. Pro (50,000 protected resources) and Enterprise: Contact sales. A free resilience assessment is published with limits; Pro and Enterprise are Contact sales. | Source: ControlMonkey pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026 |
| HCP Terraform | Pay-as-you-go with a $500 credit; Flex plans; Enterprise self-managed. Per-resource rates are in IBM's pricing table. Pay-as-you-go with a $500 credit is published; per-resource rates sit in an IBM pricing table. | Source: HCP Terraform pricing · Reviewed Sep 2026 |
Model your own inputs in the calculator.
Which should you choose?
Choose ControlMonkey if you need a continuous record of what changed and drift detection against a known-good state, or you need the widest capture of cloud infrastructure beyond data: networking, identity, DNS and SaaS configuration. ControlMonkey scores 88 on drift and change history and 86 on infrastructure coverage.
Choose HCP Terraform if you need to model the cost from public pricing before a sales call. HCP Terraform scores 60 on pricing transparency against 45 for ControlMonkey.
Frequently asked questions
Is ControlMonkey or HCP Terraform better for cloud disaster recovery?
On this site's weights ControlMonkey scores higher (66.3 vs 41.7). HCP Terraform is ahead on pricing transparency. Which fits better depends on how much those criteria matter to you; the calculator lets you re-weight them. Open the calculator.
Do ControlMonkey and HCP Terraform publish their prices?
ControlMonkey: Free Resilience Assessment for up to 50,000 cloud assets. Pro (50,000 protected resources) and Enterprise: Contact sales. HCP Terraform: Pay-as-you-go with a $500 credit; Flex plans; Enterprise self-managed. Per-resource rates are in IBM's pricing table.
Do ControlMonkey and HCP Terraform back up data?
ControlMonkey: Not covered or not published, configuration only. HCP Terraform: Not covered or not published, no data protection. Most teams pair an infrastructure recovery tool with a data backup product.