Side by side
OpenChoreo vs Substrate
Both stand on internal developer platforms. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APILinuxMac+3
Choose OpenChoreo if your team wants an open-source Kubernetes platform with developer self-service, delivery workflows, GitOps, and integrated observability. It requires a Kubernetes deployment and self-hosting, so teams seeking a hosted service should look elsewhere.
Visit OpenChoreo Free plan APIWeb
Substrate pairs multi-cluster operations and cost optimization with detailed access, secret, and account security controls. The free plan covers a small footprint; teams needing more clusters or members must move to a paid tier.
Visit SubstrateThe facts
| OpenChoreo | Substrate | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | API, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Starter: $299 a month |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | openchoreo.dev | substratecore.com |
| On internal developer platforms | #8 of 27 | #12 of 27 |
OpenChoreo: what it does well
- Golden paths let developers deliver applications without directly managing Kubernetes complexity.
- Supports deployments across multiple clusters and cloud providers.
- Combines built-in Argo Workflows CI with support for external CI pipelines.
- Maps logs, metrics, traces, and alerts to the application model.
- Includes role-based authorization and tenancy boundaries.
What to know first
- The platform is self-hosted on Kubernetes.
- The quick start recommends Docker Engine 26.0 or newer.
- WorkflowPlane installation recommends 8 GB RAM and 4 CPUs for optimal performance.
Substrate: what it does well
- Supports AWS EKS, Google GKE, Azure AKS, and standalone Kubernetes.
- Deploys workloads across multiple clusters.
- AI engine offers rightsizing, spot migration, and scale-to-zero.
- Secrets use AES-256 encryption at rest.
- Free plan includes one BYOC cluster and basic monitoring.
What to know first
- Free plan is limited to one cluster and one team member.
- Starter costs $299 per month.
- Growth costs $999 per month.
- Enterprise pricing is custom and not listed.
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