Kubernetes vs Portainer comparison

Kubernetes and Portainer are both solutions in the Container Management category. Kubernetes is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.7, while Portainer is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0. Kubernetes holds a 4.8% mindshare in CM, compared to Portainer’s 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Kubernetes users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Portainer users who would recommend it.

Kubernetes

Read 78 Kubernetes reviews

5,251 Views
3,470 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Portainer

Read 1 Portainer review

906 Views
821 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Kubernetes

Portainer

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Kubernetes and Portainer based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Amazon Web Services (AWS), VMware and others in Container Management.

To learn more, read our detailed Container Management Report (Updated: November 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Container Management

November 2024

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Categories and Ranking

Kubernetes

Ranking in Container Management

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Portainer

Ranking in Container Management

14th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Kubernetes is 4.8%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Portainer is 3.1%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Container Management

Featured Reviews

Venu Boddu

AWS DevOps Engineer at Hexaware Technologies Limited

Manage infrastructure automation and smooth application deployment with robust auto-scaling capabilities

Kubernetes is highly valuable for its node-based setup, which allows for the running of multiple pods. This feature is essential for infrastructure automation and application deployment. Kubernetes also offers rollback control and auto-scaling capabilities, which are crucial for maintaining an application's availability even if nodes or pods go down. Additionally, Kubernetes supports load balancing to distribute traffic efficiently across multiple pods.

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Elio-Bonazzi

Developer with 1-10 employees

A GUI solution that helps to administer a docker using a browser

The first time using Portainer involves a learning curve. It takes longer as you're unfamiliar with the processes and might be lazy to consult the manual. Initially, you may rely on intuition within the GUI. However, after repeating the same tasks three or four times, the process becomes much quicker.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The solution is easy to use."

"All the current features are quite harmonic."

"Provision of a managed platform as a service."

"The self-serving feature allows our developers to grab a container and complete testing."

"Kubernetes is scalable and the elasticity is sustainable."

"The ease of use if the solution is a very valuable aspect for us."

"The most valuable feature of the platform is the ability to load some of the containers that were previously managed by humans."

"We use this solution for the hosting of micro-services. Kubernetes helps us to orchestrate all the containers hosting these micro-services."

More Kubernetes pros

"Portainer comes with the ability to take the information of docker definition. Using it, I can visually observe how the container has been created. It allows me to create networks. I can also visually generate volumes and working stacks."

Cons

"They need to focus on more security internally."

"It would be great if Kubernetes could handle a level of data backup."

"There is room for improvement in this area, as Kubernetes could benefit from having more integrations, such as for scanning vulnerabilities."

"They should make documentation simpler for learning."

"The user-interface in regards to the other solution can be improved."

"Community-based Kubernetes is quite hard to set up."

"We faced a challenge while migrating and upgrading versions of Kubernetes. After the upgrade, some pods were not up as expected, leading to downtime."

"They should update Kubernetes more regularly."

More Kubernetes cons

"Portainer needs to be more intuitive."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Microsoft provides reasonable costs for Kubernetes."

"The price of Kubernetes could be lower. However, it is less expensive than VMware Tanzu. Additionally, technical support is expensive. The overall cost of the solution is approximately $1,000 annually."

"There is no licensing fee."

"The solution is affordable."

"Kubernetes is free; it's open-source software."

"The management layer is free, which is perfect. You don't need to pay money for the management layer, but in AWS develop service, you need to pay. I think it is €75 per month for the management layer. It is free here, so you can have as many Kubernetes clusters as you need. You are paying just for the workload, that is, for the machine, CPU, memory, and everything."

"I am using the solution's open-source version."

"Pricing isn't a major concern for us. Since we resell Kubernetes services and focus on providing support, integration, and education, we don't usually have pricing issues. Our customers are more concerned with getting the right support and services than the cost. So, the value we provide is more important than the actual pricing. Pricing might change in the future, but it’s not a big issue for us right now."

More Kubernetes pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

13%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kubernetes?

There are many good features. I feel that the scale-out features, like replica sets, are very good. The number of running containers can be autoscaled.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kubernetes?

Since we use Kubernetes on-premises, the costs are related to our expertise and the personnel we hire.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Kubernetes?

Although we face issues when migrating to new versions of Kubernetes, such as misunderstandings on using new features or integration with proxy services, these issues can be addressed with proper p...

See all answers

What do you like most about Portainer?

Portainer comes with the ability to take the information of docker definition. Using it, I can visually observe how the container has been created. It allows me to create networks. I can also visua...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Portainer?

Portainer needs to be more intuitive.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Portainer?

The tool is a GUI that helps to administer a docker using a browser.

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Kubernetes

Compared 40% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Kubernetes

Compared 22% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform vs Kubernetes

Compared 8% of the time

Google Kubernetes Engine vs Kubernetes

Compared 6% of the time

NGINX Ingress Controller vs Kubernetes

Compared 4% of the time

More Kubernetes Competitors

Komodor vs Portainer

Compared 25% of the time

Rancher Labs vs Portainer

Compared 21% of the time

HashiCorp Nomad vs Portainer

Compared 13% of the time

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Portainer

Compared 12% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Engine NKE vs Portainer

Compared 8% of the time

More Portainer Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Kubernetes

December 2024

Download Kubernetes product report

Buyer's Guide

Container Management

November 2024

Download Portainer product report

Also Known As

No data available

Learn More

Kubernetes

Portainer

Overview

Kubernetes (K8s) is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
It groups containers that make up an application into logical units for easy management and discovery. Kubernetes builds upon 15 years of experience of running production workloads at Google, combined with best-of-breed ideas and practices from the community.

Portainer offers a robust platform for managing Docker environments, streamlining containerized application deployments and simplifying complex processes. It provides scalability and efficiency for IT operations.

Portainer facilitates comprehensive management of containerized environments, increasing operational efficiency. Known for its intuitive interface and broad functionality, Portainer minimizes time spent on mundane management tasks. Users benefit from resource optimization and improved visibility in container orchestration. As organizations continue to embrace cloud-native technologies, Portainer becomes a reliable choice for those looking to harness the full potential of Docker while maintaining easy control and oversight of container workloads.

What key features does Portainer offer?

Container Management: Simplifies handling of Docker containers with an easy-to-use interface.
Application Templates: Provides pre-defined templates for faster deployment of applications.
Role-Based Access Control: Ensures secure access through detailed permission settings.
Support for Multi-Cluster: Allows managing multiple clusters from a single point.
Monitoring and Logging: Offers detailed insights and logging for efficient resource monitoring.

Which benefits should be expected from Portainer?

Time Savings: Reduces time spent on manual configurations with its streamlined processes.
Cost Efficiency: Maximizes resource utilization, potentially lowering operational costs.
Enhanced Security: Provides secure management of access and deployments.
Scalability: Supports growth with features that accommodate expanding infrastructures.

In industries like healthcare and finance, Portainer is deployed to manage sensitive data workflows, ensuring compliance and security. It's used in manufacturing for optimizing IoT integrations and in the tech industry to manage microservices efficiently, aligning with modern agile development practices.

Sample Customers

China unicom, NetEase Cloud, Nav, AppDirect

Information Not Available

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Amazon Web Services (AWS), VMware and others in Container Management. Updated: November 2024.

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