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Google Kubernetes Engine vs Rancher Labs comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 13, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Google Kubernetes Engine
Ranking in Container Management
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Rancher Labs
Ranking in Container Management
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Data Storage for Kubernetes (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Google Kubernetes Engine is 3.0%, down from 3.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Rancher Labs is 8.4%, up from 8.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

Abhilash Gopidas - PeerSpot reviewer
Mar 13, 2024
The auto-scaling feature helps during peak hours, but the support is not great
We use the solution for running microservices for different healthcare workflows like authorization claims and adjudication with no downtime and to do continuous deployments Earlier, we used an on-premise solution, so we faced downtimes. It was a monolithic architecture. Google Kubernetes Engine…
RyanVassallo - PeerSpot reviewer
Apr 24, 2024
Offers an open-source version along with a good UI
The product has multiple good features. One of the solution's good features is that it is the GitOps functionality known as Rancher fleet, which is used for continuous delivery. The tool's UI is very convenient enough to help you manage multiple clusters in the cloud or on-premises, making it a product with which you can manage different clusters and locations. The tool also has a feature that is still kind of maturing, but I think it has very good potential. This new feature is named Harvester, which is allows users to have virtual machines managed by Kubernetes engine. This is very new technology in the market. I think that Harvester needs to mature as a product, and I think that in the future, it will be very powerful. You have one tool that does many things for you.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Before using this solution, it was a lot of manual tasks and a lot of people participated in the process."
"Google Kubernetes Engine's most valuable feature is container deployment."
"I am satisfied with the stability offered by the solution."
"The deployment of the cluster is very easy."
"It's easy to manage and deploy. It's the best."
"Stability-wise, this solution is really good."
"The main advantage of GKE is that it is a managed service. This means that Google is responsible for managing the master node in the Kubernetes cluster system. As a result, we can focus on deploying applications to the slaves, while Google handles any updates and security patches. The fact that GKE is fully integrated into the Google ecosystem, including solutions such as BigQuery and VertexAI. This makes it easier for us to integrate these tools into our process. This integration ultimately speeds up our time to market and reduces the time and effort spent on managing infrastructure. The managed aspect of GKE allows us to simply deploy and utilize it without having to worry about the technicalities of infrastructure management."
"The initial setup is very easy. We can create our cluster using the command line, or using our console."
"A great UI with very good integrations."
"The tool's UI is very convenient enough to help you manage multiple clusters in the cloud or the company, making it a product with which you can manage different clusters and locations."
"This solution is not vendor-locked, which means that we we are able to use it across all of our resources; this feature is of great value to us."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an open-source solution that is easy to deploy."
"The scalability potential is very good."
"The most valuable feature of Rancher Labs is its user interface, which makes it easier to work with containers and deployment."
"The initial setup is simple and straightforward."
"The product is simple to use for a beginner."
 

Cons

"While the GKE cluster is secure, application-level security is an essential aspect that needs to be addressed. The security provided by GKE includes the security of communication between nodes within the cluster and the basic features of Kubernetes security. However, these features may not be sufficient for the security needs of an enterprise. Additional security measures must be added to ensure adequate protection. It has become a common practice to deploy security tools within a Kubernetes cluster. It would be ideal if these tools were included as part of the package, as this is a standard requirement in the industry. Thus, application-level security should be integrated into GKE for improved security measures."
"The network configuration has to be simplified."
"The user interface is a bit confusing sometimes. You need to navigate between the various consoles we have. It's hard to figure out where things are. It's frustrating. The documentation could be a bit better."
"I would like to see the ability to create multiple notebook configurations."
"One of the things I missed a bit is the visibility and availability of solutions. If I compare it to a different solution, it is a bit behind."
"The pricing could be more competitive. It should be cheaper."
"The product’s visible allocation feature needs improvement."
"I use the Firebase tool with GKE and it would be helpful if the solution can give notifications when we reach the budget limit."
"They should improve application visibility along with code visibility."
"If you have poor infrastructure, you will have issues with the tool."
"The biggest room for improvement in Rancher Labs would be to have a proper upgrading plan."
"We're looking for something that is even easier to use. It's a bit complicated."
"While Rancher Labs provides some level of security, it's not considered very robust."
"We'd like their monitoring tool to be integrated by default."
"Could be more intuitive."
"I can't migrate to the newer version."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The tool's licensing costs are yearly."
"Initially, Google Kubernetes Engine was a little bit cheaper, but now its prices have been increased compared to the pricing model and the features that are made available by its competitors."
"We are planning to use external support, and hire a commercial partner for it."
"I would rate the solution's pricing a nine out of ten. The tool costs around 3000 dollars per month. There are no additional costs apart from these."
"The price for Google Kubernetes Engine could be lower - I'd rate its pricing at three out of five."
"Its pricing is good. They bill us only per user. That's nice."
"The solution's price is reasonable."
"It is competitive, and it is not expensive. It is almost competitive with AWS and the rest of the cloud solutions. We are spending around 3K USD per month. There are four projects that are currently running, and each one is incurring a cost of around 3K USD."
"The solution is free and open source but there is a fee for support."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"There is an annual subscription. The price of the solution should be cheaper and have better pricing flexibility."
"The pricing of the solution sits in the mid range, not high and not low. It has a fixed price that you pay every month."
"Although Rancher Labs is an open-source solution, they also offer a paid version, where you buy the support when needed."
"The cost is reasonable since it's open source. Rancher effectively addresses container orchestration trends, especially for those with some Kubernetes knowledge."
"There are no hidden charges attached to the product unless a user opts for the premium support offered by the solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
23%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Kubernetes Engine?
I'm aware of the normal pricing, but it's not on top of my head. AWS is generally cheaper than GCP for most use cases. Costing fluctuates based on different purposes and sizes.
What needs improvement with Google Kubernetes Engine?
The primary area for improvement would be the complexity involved when working with Google Kubernetes Engine, especially when using Terraform. It can be more complex compared to AWS. Additionally, ...
What do you like most about Rancher Labs?
The tool's UI is very convenient enough to help you manage multiple clusters in the cloud or the company, making it a product with which you can manage different clusters and locations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rancher Labs?
The cost is reasonable since it's open-source. Rancher effectively addresses container orchestration trends, especially for those with some Kubernetes knowledge.
What needs improvement with Rancher Labs?
While Rancher Labs provides some level of security, it's not considered very robust. We found it to offer basic security features, which met some of our requirements, but we also relied on other op...
 

Also Known As

GKE
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Philips Lighting, Alpha Vertex, GroupBy, BQ
Albert Heijn, Bell, BMC, Samsung, WindStream, Johnson & Johnson
Find out what your peers are saying about Google Kubernetes Engine vs. Rancher Labs and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.