Comparison

Helm vs K3s

On the evidence we track, Helm leads this comparison with a composite score of 67/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

Machine formatsJSONMarkdownGraphQLor send Accept: application/json
Helm67
K3s51
Score
Vioscale score
Helm67 / 100medium · 60%updating
K3s51 / 100low · 46%updating
Pricing
Free tier
Helm
K3s
Price level
Helmfree
K3sfree
Transparent
Helm
K3s
Integrations
Count
Helm
K3s9
Adoption
Dependent repos
Helm5,000
K3s11
Github stars
Activity
Commits last 30d
Helm100
K3s32
Release
Cadence days
Helm2
K3s
History
License
Language
Primary
HelmGo
K3sGo
Market
Availability

Capabilities

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

Core
Orchestration scope
Helm-
K3sKubernetes
Deployment
Hosting
Helm-
K3sSelf-hosted only
Standards
OCI / CRI compliant
Helm-
K3s-
CNCF Certified Kubernetes conformant
Helm-
K3s
Security
Rootless operation
Helm-
K3s
Architecture
Daemonless architecture
Helm-
K3s-
Platform
Windows containers
Helm-
K3s-
ARM architecture support
Helm
K3s
Workloads
GPU scheduling
Helm-
K3s-
Stateful workloads
Helm-
K3s
Networking
Built-in networking / CNI
Helm-
K3s
Ops
Vendor-managed control plane
Helm-
K3s
Ecosystem
CNCF maturity
HelmGraduated
K3sSandbox
UX
GUI dashboard
Helm-
K3s-

What each one is

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

Helm

Leader

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

K3s

K3s is a certified Kubernetes implementation that maintains full conformance while streamlining deployment through bundled components, simplified storage options, and a single-binary installation model suitable for resource-constrained environments and edge computing scenarios.

Independently observed

Pricing

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

Helm

Leader
Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

K3s

Open sourceFree tier
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

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

Platforms
macOS
Helm
K3s
Windows
Helm
K3s
Linux
Helm
K3s
CLI
Helm
K3s
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
Helm
K3s
Self-hosted
Helm
K3s
On-premise
Helm
K3s

Integrations

What each product connects to. Counts come from the vendor's own integration directory where one exists.

Helm

Leader

Not documented yet.

K3s

9 total
  • Traefik
  • CoreDNS
  • Helm
  • etcd
  • Local Path Provisioner
  • MariaDB
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
Independently observed

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