Side by side

Carvel kapp-controller vs Flux CD

Both stand on gitops tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.

Carvel kapp-controller

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

kapp-controller combines application lifecycle management, package resources, and multiple configuration sources for Kubernetes. Check its version compatibility guidance if using Kubernetes v1.24.

Visit Carvel kapp-controller

Flux offers GitOps delivery and progressive rollout tools for Kubernetes, with support for multiple repositories and clusters. Account for its cluster-admin installation requirement and lack of a built-in UI.

Visit Flux CD

The facts

	Carvel kapp-controller	Flux CD
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Open source	Not published	Not published
Runs on	Linux, Self-hosted	API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Windows
Lowest paid plan	Free or on request	Free or on request
Plans published	1	1
Maker	Not published	Not published
Website	carvel.dev	fluxcd.io
On gitops tools	#10 of 35	#6 of 35

Carvel kapp-controller: what it does well

Declarative application installation, management, and upgrades
Fetches from Git, ConfigMaps, Helm charts, and OCI registries
Supports ytt and Helm templates
Packages can be relocated for air-gapped use
Free under the Apache 2.0 license

What to know first

Linux and self-hosted platforms only
Versions at or below v0.36.1 have a Kubernetes v1.24 limitation
No free trial

Flux CD: what it does well

Reconciles Kubernetes clusters with configuration sources.
Flagger supports canary, feature-flag, and A/B rollouts.
Supports multi-repository and multi-cluster management.
CLI and controller images are signed.

What to know first

The project does not provide its own UI.
Installation requires cluster-admin rights.
Older end-of-life Kubernetes versions are unsupported.
Vulnerability handling is described as best effort.

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