Chocolatey
Chocolatey Software is a privately held, founder-owned company that develops Chocolatey, a Windows-native package manager built on PowerShell. It sells Chocolatey for Business (C4B) and Chocolatey Pro licenses to enterprise IT teams, system administrators, and DevOps engineers managing Windows software lifecycle at scale.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTopeka, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Chocolatey does
Chocolatey Software, Inc. is a privately held Delaware corporation headquartered in Topeka, Kansas, that develops and commercializes Chocolatey, a Windows-native software package manager built on PowerShell. The company was founded in 2016 as a spin-off from RealDimensions Software, LLC, building on the open-source Chocolatey project created by Rob Reynolds in 2011. The product provides a universal packaging format for managing the full lifecycle of Windows software, including native installers, zips, scripts, runtime binaries, and internal applications, using the nupkg package format. Chocolatey for Business (C4B) adds enterprise features such as Package Builder, Package Internalizer, Package Synchronizer, Package Audit, Package Reducer, Chocolatey Central Management (CCM), and Self-Service Anywhere.
The company operates a hybrid go-to-market model. The free open-source product drives community adoption and product-led growth, while the commercial Pro ($96/year for individuals) and C4B (starting at $18/node/year with a 100-node minimum, or perpetual licensing starting at $54/node) editions generate revenue through the BlueSnap self-service storefront, direct enterprise sales, an Azure Marketplace listing, and a reseller network. Customer segments include enterprise IT organizations, system administrators, DevOps engineers, and education and non-profit verticals, with named customers including Yelp, Netflix, Hulu, Swiss Re, Qualcomm, Puppet, Chef, and CME Group. The company is founder-owned, has no disclosed institutional venture capital backing (the only external funding was a 2014 Kickstarter campaign that raised $51,071 from 1,044 backers), and operates with a lean team of approximately 17 individuals based in the United States. Chocolatey is integrated with the broader enterprise Windows tooling ecosystem, including Puppet, Chef, Ansible, SaltStack, PowerShell DSC, Microsoft SCCM, Microsoft Intune, JFrog Artifactory, Sonatype Nexus, and Inedo ProGet.
Chocolatey firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Chocolatey
- Legal name
- Chocolatey Software, Inc.
- Website
- https://chocolatey.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Chocolatey Software is a privately held, founder-owned company that develops Chocolatey, a Windows-native package manager built on PowerShell. It sells Chocolatey for Business (C4B) and Chocolatey Pro licenses to enterprise IT teams, system administrators, and DevOps engineers managing Windows software lifecycle at scale.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Chocolatey is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Topeka
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Chocolatey business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Chocolatey for Business (C4B) Annual Subscription: Annual subscription-based licensing per node (machine) with tiered volume pricing. Minimum 100-node purchase required. Includes all C4B features, upgrades, and support. Standard Support included at 100+ nodes.
- Chocolatey Pro Individual License: Annual subscription for individuals at $96/year covering up to 8 personal machines. Includes enhanced functionality, Package Reducer, Package Throttle, Runtime Malware/Virus Protection, and Download CDN Cache.
- Perpetual License (C4B): One-time perpetual purchase option for C4B with annual maintenance/support fees for upgrades. Volume pricing available.
- Custom Packaging Services: Professional packaging services where Chocolatey builds software packages for customers. $500 per credit with maximum of 5 credits.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Open Source - Free tier for individuals and organizations |
| Subscription | Annual | Pro Individual - $96/year for personal named license |
| Subscription | Annual | Business (C4B) - Starting at $18.00/node/year |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Business (C4B) Perpetual - Starting at $54.00/node |
| Subscription | Annual | Support Add-ons |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
Chocolatey product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Chocolatey provides a universal Windows package manager built on PowerShell, packaged as a tiered product family: a free open source CLI, a $96/year Chocolatey Pro individual license, and Chocolatey for Business (C4B) — an enterprise edition with package lifecycle automation (Package Builder, Package Internalizer, Package Synchronizer, Package Audit, Package Reducer), Chocolatey Central Management (CCM) for organizational visibility and reporting, Self-Service Anywhere for non-admin installs, and the Quick Deployment Environment (QDE) virtual appliance.
Product overview
Chocolatey is a Windows software management solution comprising an open-source core product and two commercial tiers (Pro for individuals and Chocolatey for Business for organizations). The core Chocolatey Open Source provides a universal package manager for Windows. Chocolatey for Business (C4B) adds enterprise capabilities including Package Builder, Package Internalizer, Package Synchronizer, Package Audit, Package Reducer, Chocolatey Central Management with Deployments, Self-Service Anywhere, and the Quick Deployment Environment (QDE) virtual appliance. Pro adds enhanced features like Package Reducer, Package Throttle, Runtime Malware Protection, and Download CDN Cache. The products form a layered architecture: the open-source CLI as the foundation, C4B building on top with advanced automation, visibility, and security features for enterprise-scale Windows software management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chocolatey for Business (C4B): Complete Software Management enterprise offering focused on improved security, enhanced productivity features, and enabling more visibility. Built on top of the open source Chocolatey offering.
- Chocolatey Pro Edition
- Chocolatey Open Source
Products and services
- Chocolatey Open Source Free, open-source Windows package manager built on PowerShell that provides a universal packaging format (nupkg) for managing all aspects of Windows software — native installers, zips, scripts, runtime binaries, and in-house applications. Free for individuals and organizations, with access to 7,500+ community packages and integrations with config management tools.
- Chocolatey Pro Edition Individual annual license ($96/year) for personal use only (not for organizations), covering up to 8 personal machines. Adds Package Reducer, Package Throttle, Runtime Malware/Virus Protection, and Download CDN Cache on top of the open source foundation for enhanced reliability, security, and performance.
- Chocolatey for Business (C4B) Enterprise tier sold via annual subscription (minimum 100 nodes, tiered volume pricing from $18.00 to $16.50/node/year) or perpetual license ($54.00/node plus annual maintenance). Bundles Package Builder, Package Internalizer, Package Synchronizer, Package Audit, Package Reducer, Chocolatey Central Management (CCM) with Deployments, Self-Service Anywhere, and the Quick Deployment Environment (QDE) virtual appliance. Includes Standard Support at 100+ nodes and optional Premium Support at 1,500+ nodes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduce time spent on software management by 90%
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Chocolatey
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Chocolatey technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration22 records
Feature7 records
Chocolatey partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- PuppetcorePuppet is a configuration management tool with tight provider-based integration for Chocolatey. Puppet offers specific Chocolatey support in its configuration management platform, allowing users to manage Windows software alongside Linux infrastructure using similar skillsets.
- Chef (Chef Software, Inc.)coreChef provides integration with Chocolatey for Windows package management. The Chef Chocolatey Cookbook enables automated software installation and deployment using Chef's configuration management platform.
- AnsiblecoreAnsible provides win_chocolatey module for installing and managing Chocolatey packages. Enables automated Windows software management using Ansible playbooks.
- SaltStackcoreSaltStack configuration management tool integrates with Chocolatey for Windows software management.
- Microsoft SCCM (System Center Configuration Manager)coreSCCM integrates with Chocolatey for endpoint management and software deployment to Windows machines.
- Microsoft IntunecoreIntune integration allows quick onboarding of Windows software into Microsoft Intune endpoint management using two simple Chocolatey commands.
- JFrog ArtifactorycoreJFrog Artifactory serves as an internal/private package repository for Chocolatey packages in enterprise deployments.
- Sonatype NexuscoreSonatype Nexus Repository serves as an internal repository solution for hosting Chocolatey packages privately in enterprise environments.
- Inedo ProGetcoreProGet is a recommended repository solution for Chocolatey. Joint webinar in May 2025 on migration from Sonatype Nexus to ProGet. ProGet offers built-in migration tool for Chocolatey package infrastructure.
- PowerShell DSCcorePowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) integrates with Chocolatey using cChoco DSC resource for Windows software management.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Chocolatey competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Puppet: Puppet is a configuration management platform with native Chocolatey provider integration. Like Chocolatey, it serves enterprise IT and DevOps teams managing infrastructure at scale, and Puppet is both a partner integration and a named customer on Chocolatey's website.
- Ansible (Red Hat): Ansible is a configuration management and automation platform with the win_chocolatey module for managing Windows packages. It targets the same enterprise IT and DevOps buyer as Chocolatey and is one of Chocolatey's core integration partners.
- Inedo ProGet: ProGet is Inedo's package repository and artifact management product that Chocolatey recommends for internal package hosting. It competes in the adjacent repository and packaging infrastructure space that underpins Chocolatey deployments, and recently launched migration tooling for Chocolatey users.
- SaltStack (VMware): SaltStack is a configuration management and automation tool that integrates directly with Chocolatey for Windows software management. It targets the same system administrator and DevOps engineer personas in enterprise IT.
- PDQ Deploy (PDQ.com): PDQ Deploy is a Windows-focused software deployment tool used by IT administrators for silent application installs across endpoints. It targets the same Windows sysadmin persona as Chocolatey for Business and competes for the same per-seat budget line item.
- Chef (Progress Software): Chef provides configuration management with a dedicated Chocolatey Cookbook for Windows package management. Chef and Chocolatey serve overlapping enterprise IT and DevOps personas for automated software deployment across heterogeneous estates.
- Boxstarter: Boxstarter uses Chocolatey underneath to automate Windows environment provisioning and repeatable setup. It is integrated into the Chocolatey ecosystem and addresses overlapping use cases for Windows software deployment automation.
Broad incumbents
- Microsoft Intune: Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management suite that Chocolatey integrates with and partially competes against. As a bundled Microsoft solution, it represents the most credible alternative for organizations standardizing on Microsoft-native tooling.
- Microsoft SCCM (Configuration Manager): Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager is a long-established enterprise endpoint management suite. Chocolatey is designed to extend and integrate with SCCM for third-party patching, positioning SCCM as both a channel partner and a competitor depending on customer preference.
Emerging players
- Winget (Microsoft): Winget is Microsoft's first-party Windows package manager shipped with the Windows App Installer. It represents a potential long-term threat to Chocolatey's core open-source value proposition and is increasingly watched by IT teams evaluating free, OS-native alternatives.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Chocolatey social profiles
Digital presenceChocolatey financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Chocolatey leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Chocolatey funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Chocolatey M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Chocolatey
What does Chocolatey do?
Chocolatey provides a universal Windows package manager built on PowerShell, packaged as a tiered product family: a free open source CLI, a $96/year Chocolatey Pro individual license, and Chocolatey for Business (C4B) — an enterprise edition with package lifecycle automation (Package Builder, Package Internalizer, Package Synchronizer, Package Audit, Package Reducer), Chocolatey Central Management (CCM) for organizational visibility and reporting, Self-Service Anywhere for non-admin installs, and the Quick Deployment Environment (QDE) virtual appliance.
Is Chocolatey a public or private company?
Chocolatey is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Chocolatey founded?
Chocolatey was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Chocolatey based?
Chocolatey is headquartered in Topeka, United States, in the North America region.
How does Chocolatey make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Chocolatey for Business (C4B) Annual Subscription is the primary driver. The others are chocolatey Pro Individual License, perpetual License (C4B) and custom Packaging Services.
Who are Chocolatey's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Puppet, Ansible (Red Hat), Inedo ProGet, SaltStack (VMware), PDQ Deploy (PDQ.com), Chef (Progress Software) and Boxstarter. Broad incumbents are Microsoft Intune and Microsoft SCCM (Configuration Manager). Winget (Microsoft) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Chocolatey have an API?
No public API is recorded for Chocolatey.