# Helm vs Minikube

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Helm

| Attribute | Helm | Minikube |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 62.6 (41% (low)) | 49.5 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 5,000 | 4 |
| adoption.github_stars | 30,318 | 32,192 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"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. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://helm.sh","question":"What is Helm?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Helm is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://helm.sh","question":"Is Helm free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Helm supports Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://helm.sh","question":"What platforms does Helm support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Helm can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://helm.sh","question":"Can Helm be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Helm is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/helm/helm","question":"Is Helm open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"Minikube enables developers to run a local Kubernetes cluster on their machine for development and testing. It supports multiple operating systems and container runtimes, with GPU acceleration for AI workloads. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","question":"What is Minikube?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Minikube is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","question":"Is Minikube free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Minikube supports the web, Windows, macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","question":"What platforms does Minikube support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Minikube can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","question":"Can Minikube be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Minikube is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.","source":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube","question":"Is Minikube open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A package management system that simplifies the installation, configuration, and deployment of applications in Kubernetes environments. Similar to traditional package managers like apt or homebrew, Helm enables developers to define and manage reusable application packages called Charts across clusters. | Enables local development and testing of Kubernetes applications by running a Kubernetes cluster on your computer |
| features.capabilities | `{"arm_support":true,"cncf_maturity":"graduated","pricing_model":"free_open_source","architecture_model":"open_source_cli","mit_or_apache_permissive_oss_license":true}` | `{"hosting":"both","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","gpu_scheduling":true,"k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true,"managed_control_plane":false,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 5 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Google Cloud Build"},{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"CRI-O"},{"name":"containerd"},{"name":"NVIDIA"},{"name":"AMD"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://helm.sh","retrievedAt":"2026-10-13T22:34:17.644Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://minikube.sigs.k8s.io","retrievedAt":"2026-09-13T19:34:10.079Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | 5 | 72 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.3.0","date":"2026-09-09T23:51:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.22.0","date":"2026-09-10T00:08:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.22.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.3.0-rc.1","date":"2026-08-31T22:09:46Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v4.3.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.22.0-rc.1","date":"2026-08-31T22:56:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v3.22.0-rc.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.2.4","date":"2026-08-13T15:33:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.21.4","date":"2026-08-14T14:55:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.21.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.2.3","date":"2026-07-09T20:56:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.21.3","date":"2026-07-09T21:20:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.21.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.21.2","date":"2026-06-20T04:36:23Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.21.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.2.2","date":"2026-06-17T20:50:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.2.1","date":"2026-06-12T15:06:26Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.21.1","date":"2026-06-12T14:51:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.21.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.2.0","date":"2026-05-14T01:13:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.21.0","date":"2026-05-14T01:22:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.4","date":"2026-04-09T06:01:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.20.2","date":"2026-04-09T21:17:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.20.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.3","date":"2026-03-11T23:01:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.20.1","date":"2026-03-12T00:26:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.20.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.1","date":"2026-02-09T18:33:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.0","date":"2026-01-21T22:31:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.1.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.39.0","date":"2026-09-02T21:09:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.39.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.38.1","date":"2026-02-19T19:41:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.38.0","date":"2026-01-29T07:22:18Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.38.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.37.0","date":"2025-09-09T21:54:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.37.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.36.0","date":"2025-05-22T18:26:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.35.0","date":"2025-01-16T01:12:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.34.0","date":"2024-09-09T18:48:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.1","date":"2024-05-13T21:35:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.0","date":"2024-04-19T23:21:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.33.0-beta.0","date":"2024-03-26T16:39:49Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.33.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.32.0","date":"2023-11-08T17:21:51Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.32.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.32.0-beta.0","date":"2023-10-28T01:28:10Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.32.0-beta.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.2","date":"2023-08-16T22:32:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.1","date":"2023-07-20T17:46:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.31.0","date":"2023-07-18T17:25:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.31.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.30.1","date":"2023-04-04T22:19:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.30.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.30.0","date":"2023-04-03T18:11:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.30.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.29.0","date":"2023-01-27T19:37:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.28.0","date":"2022-11-04T20:54:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube/releases/tag/v1.27.1","date":"2022-10-08T03:28:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.27.1"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | - | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.scorecard | 8.8 | 4.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":24,"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"}` | `{"count":1,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=k8s.io%2Fminikube&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Helm | Minikube |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | - | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | - | Cloud + self-hosted |
| **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 | - | ✓ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T21:42:15.195Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*