Comparison

Google Kubernetes Engine vs Helm

On the evidence we track, Google Kubernetes Engine leads this comparison with a composite score of 70/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Google Kubernetes Engine full profile →Helm full profile →

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★Google Kubernetes Engine70

Helm61

Attribute comparison across 2 tools
Attribute	Google Kubernetes EngineLeader	Helm
vioscaleAI score	70 / 100low · 40%	61 / 100low · 41%
Pricing
Free tierpricing.free_tier	✓	✓
Modelpricing.model	freemium	open_source
Price levelpricing.price_level	low	free
Transparentpricing.transparent	✗	✓
Security
Disclosure policysecurity.disclosure_policy	-	✓
Gdprsecurity.gdpr	✓	-
Scorecardsecurity.scorecard	-	9.1
Vulnerabilitiessecurity.vulnerabilities	-	Count: 23 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=helm.sh%2Fhelm%2Fv3&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH
Reliability
Sla pctreliability.sla_pct	99.95	-
Status pagereliability.status_page	✓	-
Adoption
Dependent reposadoption.dependent_repos	-	5,000
Github starsadoption.github_stars	-	30,234
Activity
Commits last 30dactivity.commits_last_30d	-	100
Release
Cadence daysrelease.cadence_days	-	5
Historyrelease.history	-	20 items
License
Spdxlicense.spdx	-	Apache-2.0
Language
Primarylanguage.primary	-	Go
Market
Availabilitymarket.availability	Available worldwide	Available worldwide
Content
Faqcontent.faq	5 items	5 items

Score

vioscaleAI score

Google Kubernetes Engine70 / 100low · 40%

Helm61 / 100low · 41%

Pricing

Free tier

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✓

Model

Google Kubernetes Enginefreemium

Helmopen_source

Price level

Google Kubernetes Enginelow

Helmfree

Transparent

Google Kubernetes Engine✗

Helm✓

Security

Disclosure policy

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm✓

Gdpr

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm–

Scorecard

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm9.1

Vulnerabilities

Google Kubernetes Engine–

HelmCount: 23 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=helm.sh%2Fhelm%2Fv3&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 1 · Max severity: HIGH

Reliability

Sla pct

Google Kubernetes Engine99.95

Helm–

Status page

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm–

Adoption

Dependent repos

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm5,000

Github stars

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm30,234

Activity

Commits last 30d

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm100

Release

Cadence days

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm5

History

Google Kubernetes Engine–

Helm20 items

License

Spdx

Google Kubernetes Engine–

HelmApache-2.0

Language

Primary

Google Kubernetes Engine–

HelmGo

Market

Availability

Google Kubernetes EngineAvailable worldwide

HelmAvailable worldwide

Content

Faq

Google Kubernetes Engine5 items

Helm5 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for container orchestration tools. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capability comparison for Container Orchestration Tools
Capability	Google Kubernetes Engine	Helm
Core
Orchestration scope	Kubernetes	-
Deployment
Hosting	Cloud only	-
Standards
OCI / CRI compliant	-	-
CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant	✓	-
Security
Rootless operation	-	-
Architecture
Daemonless architecture	-	-
Platform
Windows containers	-	-
ARM architecture support	-	✓
Workloads
GPU scheduling	✓	-
Stateful workloads	✓	-
Networking
Built-in networking / CNI	-	-
Ops
Vendor-managed control plane	✓	-
Ecosystem
CNCF maturity	-	Graduated
UX
GUI dashboard	✓	-

Core

Orchestration scope

Google Kubernetes EngineKubernetes

Helm-

Deployment

Hosting

Google Kubernetes EngineCloud only

Helm-

Standards

OCI / CRI compliant

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm-

CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm-

Security

Rootless operation

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm-

Architecture

Daemonless architecture

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm-

Platform

Windows containers

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm-

ARM architecture support

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm✓

Workloads

GPU scheduling

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm-

Stateful workloads

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm-

Networking

Built-in networking / CNI

Google Kubernetes Engine-

Helm-

Ops

Vendor-managed control plane

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm-

Ecosystem

CNCF maturity

Google Kubernetes Engine-

HelmGraduated

GUI dashboard

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

Google Kubernetes Engine

Leader

A fully-managed Kubernetes service that handles node scaling, security, and cluster lifecycle management. Offers automatic infrastructure provisioning with per-pod pricing and supports both cloud and on-premises deployment of containerized workloads.

Independently observed

Helm

Helm provides a templated configuration system and package manager for Kubernetes applications, allowing users to define complex multi-component deployments as reusable, versioned, and shareable packages.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

Google Kubernetes Engine

Leader

from $0.10/moUsage-basedFree tier

Free tier provides $74.40/month credit. Cluster management fee: $0.10/cluster/hour. New customers receive $300 in free credits. Compute costs based on Autopilot per-pod or Standard per-node pricing.

Autopilot$0.10/cluster/hour cluster management fee plus per-pod compute costs
- Automated cluster lifecycle management
- Pod and cluster autoscaling
- Cost visibility
- Automated infrastructure cost optimization
- Multi-cluster management
- +3 more
Standard$0.10/cluster/hour cluster management fee plus Compute Engine instance pricing
- Flexible cluster management
- Node-based billing
- Compute Engine pricing applies
- Committed use discounts available

as of 2026-08-05verify ↗

Helm

Open sourceFree tier

as of 2026-08-21verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platform and deployment support comparison
Supports	Google Kubernetes Engine	Helm
WebPlatforms	✓	✗
CLIPlatforms	✗	✓
Cloud / SaaSDeployment	✓	✗
Self-hostedDeployment	✓	✓
On-premiseDeployment	✓	✗
HybridDeployment	✓	✗

Platforms

Web

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✗

CLI

Google Kubernetes Engine✗

Helm✓

Deployment

Cloud / SaaS

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✗

Self-hosted

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✓

On-premise

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✗

Hybrid

Google Kubernetes Engine✓

Helm✗

Still deciding?

Google Kubernetes Engine or Helm: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.