Scalr review

Scalr is a SaaS platform for running Terraform and OpenTofu workflows. It positions itself as a drop-in replacement for Terraform Cloud, with billing based on runs rather than managed resources. Teams connect their infrastructure workflows to Scalr and can use self-hosted agents to run them on private infrastructure; the homepage says those agents cost nothing extra.

The platform includes pull request workflows, drift detection, policy checks and account-level reporting. Its PR-native GitOps features include apply-before-merge, run summaries on pull requests, slash commands and branch-aware state protection. Policy checks support Open Policy Agent, Checkov, or both. Reporting covers runs, versions, providers, modules, resources, drift, stale workspaces and API tokens.

The pricing page lists a free plan with up to 50 runs per month and a Business plan at $0.99 per run. Both include core features without separate charges for users, resources, concurrency or self-hosted agents.

The clearest advantage is a pricing model that does not charge separately for seats, managed resources, concurrency or self-hosted agents. For a team that wants to run Terraform or OpenTofu workflows on its own infrastructure, the pricing page lists those capabilities as included rather than add-ons.

The free tier is useful for evaluating a real workflow: it includes all core features and up to 50 runs per month, not just a limited feature preview. Business adds usage-based billing at $0.99 per run, with volume discounts available. That gives teams a straightforward way to start small and pay as run volume grows.

Scalr also covers several parts of the infrastructure workflow in one platform:

• Drift detection for Terraform and OpenTofu workspaces, with remediation support and drift dashboards.
• Pull request runs and summaries, apply-before-merge, slash commands and branch-aware state protection.
• Policy checks through Open Policy Agent, Checkov, or both.
• Reporting across runs, versions, providers, modules, resources, drift, stale workspaces and API tokens.

That breadth may reduce the need to stitch together separate tools for routine IaC checks and reporting.

Run-based billing is easy to understand, but it still makes cost depend on workflow activity. The free plan stops at 50 runs per month; after that, the listed Business rate is $0.99 per run. Runs beyond prepaid plans also cost $0.99 each, billed at the end of the subscription period. Teams with frequent plans, retries or other run-heavy workflows should estimate usage before switching.

The price is not the whole budget picture. Scalr says volume discounts are available, but does not publish their thresholds or rates. Annual plans are available, but annual prices are not published either, so buyers cannot compare those costs from the listed pricing alone.

Enterprise pricing is custom and starts at 20,000 runs per year. The listed package includes enterprise features, a Technical Account Manager, a shared Slack support channel and higher dedicated CPU and memory resources, but no price is shown. The published information also does not specify a free-trial term or additional run caps beyond the stated plan limits. Get a quote and confirm expected run volume before treating the headline rate as your likely bill.

Scalr’s Free plan costs $0 and includes up to 50 runs per month, all core features, and no charge for users, resources, concurrency, or self-hosted agents. Business is $0.99 per run, with volume discounts available; it also includes the core features without those extra charges. That is the main price jump: once a team exceeds the free allowance, runs are metered rather than billed by managed resources.

The pricing page says runs beyond prepaid plans cost $0.99 each and are billed at the end of the subscription period. Business annual plans are available, but their prices are not published, so forecast costs are harder to compare upfront. Enterprise pricing is custom and starts at 20,000 runs per year. It includes enterprise features, a Technical Account Manager, a shared Slack channel, and higher dedicated CPU and memory resources; the price is not published. Scalr’s per-run model may suit predictable usage, but teams should estimate run volume before switching.

Scalr is positioned as a Terraform Cloud replacement and supports Terraform and OpenTofu workflows, but the published material does not describe a migration tool, migration steps, or typical migration effort. Before switching, map the workspaces and run workflows you depend on, then confirm how your state, policies, agents, and pull request processes will carry over. Scalr lists self-hosted agents, policy checks, and branch-aware state protection, but that does not establish that an existing setup transfers automatically.

Lock-in and exit planning need the same scrutiny. The published material does not say what data export options Scalr provides or how to move state and run history elsewhere. Ask Scalr for the export details before committing, especially if you expect to switch platforms later. The published material also includes no Reddit posts or comments, so we can’t report user-sourced reasons people leave Scalr. For teams considering a move away, verify export and state-handling options directly rather than assuming a Terraform-compatible workflow makes the exit automatic.