Brainboard Alternatives: Cloudcraft, Firefly, Former2, Spacelift, env0

Short answer: Brainboard combines three things: a visual designer for cloud architecture, Terraform generated from that design, and a CI/CD engine that deploys it. Most alternatives cover one or two of those well. Pick by the part you actually use.

We make one of the tools below, so we have tried to say plainly where each one fits better than ours. Vendor features and pricing change often: check each vendor's documentation before you decide.

What Brainboard does

Brainboard lets you draw an architecture on a canvas for AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or OCI and get Terraform for it. Paid plans add Git integration, a visual CI/CD engine, a remote backend, and drift detection. It has a free plan; Pro is listed at $99 per user per month, and Enterprise adds SSO, self-hosted runners, and import from existing AWS and Azure accounts.

Teams look elsewhere when:

• They start from code, not a canvas. Applications already exist, and drawing them again is extra work.
• They need to bring existing cloud resources under IaC. That is a different job from designing new ones.
• Per-user pricing adds up as more engineers need access.
• They already have a runner and only want design or generation.

At a glance

Cloudcraft

A diagramming tool, now part of Datadog. It scans live AWS and Azure accounts and draws the architecture, with cost estimates beside the diagram.

• Choose it over Brainboard when you want accurate pictures of what is already deployed, for documentation, reviews, or audits.
• Watch for no IaC output. It shows infrastructure; it does not generate or deploy it.

Firefly

A cloud asset management platform. It inventories resources across clouds, shows which are managed by IaC and which are not, and generates Terraform and other IaC for the unmanaged ones. It also detects drift.

• Choose it over Brainboard when most of your infrastructure already exists and was built by hand, and you need to bring it under code.
• Watch for a different starting point: it begins from the cloud account, not a design.

Former2

An open-source tool that reads existing AWS resources and generates CloudFormation, Terraform, and other formats. It runs in the browser or as a CLI and only makes read calls.

• Choose it over Brainboard when you are on AWS, want a free way to turn a few existing resources into Terraform, and are happy to clean up the output.
• Watch for AWS only, and output that needs editing: generated code recreates resources rather than importing them. For Terraform 1.5 or later, import blocks with terraform plan -generate-config-out are the native way to adopt existing resources, and OpenTofu supports the same workflow.

Spacelift and env0

Both run Terraform, OpenTofu, and other IaC tools for a team, with policy, approvals, and drift detection. Neither is a visual designer.

• Choose one over Brainboard when the part you use is the CI/CD engine, and you write Terraform by hand or with another tool.
• Watch for no design or generation step. More detail in Spacelift alternatives and Terraform Cloud alternatives.

OrchesTerra

OrchesTerra starts from code instead of a canvas. It reads an application repository (Dockerfiles, Helm charts, existing Terraform, CI deploy targets), infers the services and their dependencies, shows the topology for review, and generates Terraform or OpenTofu. After deployment it handles drift detection and reconciliation, risk-based approval workflows, and policy packs across AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI.

• Choose it over Brainboard when your applications already exist in repositories and you want infrastructure generated from them, with governance after deployment.
• Watch for a different way of working. If your team designs new architectures on a whiteboard first, a canvas-first tool such as Brainboard fits that habit better.

Plans start with a free 14-day trial, then Starter at $99 a month. See pricing.

Diagram first or code first

The main difference between these tools is where the source of truth starts.

• Diagram first (Brainboard): design the architecture, then generate code from it. Good for new systems designed by an architect.
• Cloud first (Firefly, Former2, Cloudcraft): read what already exists, then draw it or codify it. Good for estates built by hand.
• Repository first (OrchesTerra): read the application, then generate the infrastructure it needs. Good for teams whose applications exist but whose infrastructure code does not.

Whichever you choose, the diagram is only a view. The plan file is what will change your cloud, so review the plan, not the picture. See visual Terraform: from repo to plan.

How to choose

1. Do you design new systems or adopt existing ones? New: Brainboard. Existing in the cloud: Firefly or Former2. Existing as application code: OrchesTerra.
2. Do you need IaC output, or only diagrams? Diagrams only: Cloudcraft.
3. Do you already have a runner? If yes, you only need design or generation. If not, choose a tool that runs plans, or add Spacelift, env0, or Atlantis.
4. How will drift be handled after deployment? Read the Terraform drift detection guide before you decide.

For worked examples of generated Terraform, see the Terraform examples.