#26 of 28 infrastructure automation tools · Updated October 2026
Digger review 2026
Digger (now OpenTaco) · Slow follower
Digger ranks #26 of 28 infrastructure automation tools in the Infrastructure Automation Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 42.8 out of 100. Digger, now OpenTaco, runs Terraform plans in your own CI and is adding state, drift and remote runs as an open-core startup without published pricing.
Scores
Source: Infrastructure Automation Ledger 2026, edition 2026-10-16. How each score works: methodology.
Pros
No domain scores 4 or higher out of 5.
Cons
- Configuration management depth0/5
- Bare metal and day-2 operations0/5
- AI assistance0/5
What the Ledger says
Digger started as the Atlantis alternative that runs inside your CI, and since the OpenTaco rename it is becoming a small platform with its own state service, drift detection and remote runs. The capability score is close to Atlantis today and will move if the Beta pieces land; the lock-in score is low because the orchestrator sits beside your CI rather than replacing it. The archetype reflects a thin public record (no roadmap, no pricing, a rename still half applied) rather than the release pace, which is fortnightly. Before depending on it, ask for the price list and the legal entity, neither of which is public, and note that owner stability carries the highest risk score of the six.
Digger has no AI feature and no MCP server in the sources read. The sandbox runner is infrastructure for remote execution, with no AI role stated.
Capability by area
Buying, lock-in and release record
Buying and licence (commercial risk)(lower is better)
- Price and licence volatility2
- MIT core with a proprietary ee/ directory; no price list published; the date the ee/ licence was introduced is not found
- Purchase constraints2
- Production use of ee/ needs a seat subscription; the core is free
- Channel and access1.5
- Open download of the core; ee/ source is readable; sales by contact
- Owner stability3.5
- Small startup; country, funding and investors not found; project renamed in 2025
- Cost of staying supported2
- No support lifecycle published
Technical lock-in(lower is better)
- Formats0.5
- Plain code and digger.yml
- Export path1
- Runs in your CI; state import and export through the backend interface (vendor claim)
- Stack coupling1.5
- Low for pull request automation; higher once OpenTaco state and remote runs are adopted
- Hardware / cloud coupling0.5
- Self-hostable; telemetry can be disabled
- Skills and tooling coupling1
- Standard Terraform skills; OPA for RBAC
Release credibility
- Cadence4
- Numbered releases about every two weeks in 2026 (v0.6.141 on 2026-01-21 to v0.6.154 on 2026-10-07); October 2025 to January 2026 not read
- Roadmap transparency2.5
- Open repository with 423 open issues; no roadmap read; the rename was announced in the README
- Say-do2.5
- Rename and widened scope shipped in part (repository and docs still say digger); remote runs still Beta
- Velocity3.5
- State service, token service, UI, drift service and sandbox runner within 2026
- Lifecycle stability2
- Project renamed 2025-11-07 with repository and docs still mixed; several component version lines
Partners and services
- Partner programme openness1.5
- No programme found
- Multi-tenancy and self-service1.5
- Not documented on the pages read
- API and infrastructure-as-code2.5
- CLI and orchestrator API; no Terraform provider found
- Skills and certification1
- None found
Alternatives to Digger
Questions about Digger
Is Digger any good?
Digger ranks #26 of 28 infrastructure automation tools in the Infrastructure Automation Ledger 2026, with a Ledger Index of 42.8 out of 100. Its weakest are configuration management depth, bare metal and day-2 operations, ai assistance.
What are the best alternatives to Digger?
The closest by Ledger Index are Metal3 (43.9), Cinc (41.6), Salt (47.5), MAAS (47.6).
How is Digger licensed and sold?
MIT core with a proprietary ee/ directory; no price list published; the date the ee/ licence was introduced is not found.
How much lock-in does Digger bring?
Digger scores 4.5 out of 25 on technical lock-in (lower is better). Export path: Runs in your CI; state import and export through the backend interface (vendor claim).
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