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Instead of Google Kubernetes Engine

Google Kubernetes Engine alternatives

Google Kubernetes Engine runs containerized applications in a managed Kubernetes environment. It handles each cluster’s control-plane lifecycle, and Autopilot can also provision and scale nodes, schedule workloads, right-size capacity, and charge per pod. Teams can manage nodes themselves instead. GKE supports GPU and TPU workloads, offers visibility into cluster risks and vulnerabilities, and provides workload isolation and multi-cluster organization. It also supports scheduled backups and conformant Kubernetes clusters attached to its management environment. A free tier is available, with paid service from $9/mo and a $0.10 monthly cluster management fee. Windows Server node images and containers are unavailable in Autopilot mode.

1. 1 V

   Velero

   Free plan APILinuxMac+2

   Open-source Kubernetes backup and cross-cluster migration — Velero focuses on Kubernetes backup, restore, and migration, while GKE also manages cluster control planes and nodes.

   Open source Visit site
2. 2

   Afi Kubernetes Backup

   Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

   Automated protection for distributed Kubernetes applications — Afi adds full-text backup search and automated resource discovery, with recovery to same or different environments.

   From $140/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
3. 3 K

   KubeSphere Backup

   Free plan Web

   Console-based hybrid-cloud Kubernetes disaster recovery — KubeSphere Backup centers on console-managed disaster recovery across clouds and Kubernetes versions.

   Free plan · paid from $65/mo Visit site
4. 4

   Plakar

   by Plakar

   Free plan Open source APILinuxMac+3

   File-based computer backup on desktop platforms — Plakar is a computer backup product for files on desktop platforms, rather than a Kubernetes cluster management service.

   Free plan Visit site
5. 5

   Storware Backup & Recovery

   Free plan APILinuxMac+3

   Policy-driven backup across containers and virtual machines — Storware protects Kubernetes alongside virtual machines and cloud workloads through one console and a universal license.

   Free plan · 60-day trial Visit site
6. 6 V

   Veeam Agent for Mac

   by Veeam Agent for Mac

   Free plan APIMacSelf-hosted

   Mac file backup with ransomware protection — Veeam Agent for Mac backs up Mac files, rather than managing Kubernetes clusters or workloads.

   Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
7. 7 V

   Vinchin Backup & Recovery

   by Vinchin Backup & Recovery

   Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWeb+1

   Mixed-scope backup for Windows and Linux environments — Vinchin offers mixed-scope backup and restore for Windows and Linux, not managed Kubernetes cluster operations.

   Free plan · 60-day trial Visit site
8. 8

   KubeSphere

   Free plan Open source APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
   8.9 Free plan Visit site
9. 9

   Docker Swarm

   Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
   7.5 Open source Visit site
10. 10

    HashiCorp Nomad

    Free plan APILinuxMac+3
    7.4 Free plan Visit site
11. 11

    Charmed Kubernetes

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
    7.3 Free plan Visit site
12. 12

    Kubermatic Kubernetes Platform

    Free plan APILinuxMac+3
    7.3 Open source Visit site
13. 13

    Kubernetes

    Free plan APILinuxMac+2
    7.3 Free plan Visit site
14. 14 M

    MicroK8s

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1
    7.3 Free plan Visit site
15. 15

    Exoscale Scalable Kubernetes Service

    Free plan APIWeb
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
16. 16

    k0s

    Free plan LinuxSelf-hostedWindows
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
17. 17 K

    K3s

    Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
18. 18

    OKD

    Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
    7.2 Free plan Visit site
19. 19

    Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Registry

    Free plan APILinuxWeb
    7.0 Free plan Visit site
20. 20 R

    Rancher

    Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
    7.0 Free plan Visit site
21. 21 C

    Civo Kubernetes

    Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1
    6.5 Free plan · paid from $5.43/mo Visit site
22. 22 A

    Azure Kubernetes Service

    Free plan Web
    6.4 Free plan Visit site
23. 23 A

    Amazon EKS Anywhere

    Free plan LinuxMac
    6.3 Free plan · paid from $1,500/mo Visit site
24. 24 I

    IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service

    Free plan Web
    6.2 Free plan Visit site
25. 25

    Mirantis Kubernetes Engine

    Free trial APILinuxSelf-hosted+2
    6.1 Pricing on request Visit site
26. 26

    Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service

    Paid APILinuxMac+2
    6.0 Free plan · paid from $1,500/mo Visit site
27. 27 O

    OVHcloud Managed Kubernetes

    Free plan Web
    5.9 Free plan · paid from $0.10 Visit site
28. 28

    Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines

    Free trial APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
    5.9 Pricing on request Visit site
29. 29

    Palette

    Free trial APISelf-hostedWeb
    5.8 Pricing on request Visit site
30. 30 S

    Scaleway Kapsule

    Free plan Web
    5.6 Free plan · paid from €80/mo Visit site
31. 31

    Rafay Kubernetes Operations Platform

    Paid APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
    5.4 Pricing on request Visit site

Some teams may prioritize backup, recovery, or migration over managed cluster operations. The alternatives here include an open-source Kubernetes backup tool, services with console-based protection, and products whose scope extends to virtual machines or computer files. Compare supported workloads and storage, restore and migration options, and whether a cloud-hosted, hybrid, or self-hosted approach suits your environment. GKE combines cluster management with backup capabilities; a dedicated protection tool may be a better fit when recovery workflows or cross-cluster movement are the central need. Consider each product’s price and trial alongside that difference.

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