# k0s vs kind

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** kind

| Attribute | k0s | kind |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 46.8 (44% (low)) | 52.2 (54% (medium)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 24 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 1 | 2,126 |
| adoption.github_stars | 6,530 | 15,550 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"An open-source Kubernetes distribution packaged as a single binary with minimal dependencies, designed to run on any infrastructure including bare metal, cloud platforms, and edge environments with simple configuration. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://k0sproject.io","question":"What is k0s?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"k0s is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://k0sproject.io","question":"Is k0s free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"k0s supports Windows, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://k0sproject.io","question":"What platforms does k0s support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. k0s can be deployed cloud / SaaS, hybrid, on-premise, air-gapped and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://k0sproject.io","question":"Can k0s be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"kind enables developers to set up isolated Kubernetes clusters locally using Docker for testing, development, and CI/CD purposes. Originally built for testing Kubernetes itself, it provides CNCF-conformant Kubernetes clusters on a single machine. It is indexed under Container Orchestration Tools.","source":"https://kind.sigs.k8s.io","question":"What is kind?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"kind 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://kind.sigs.k8s.io","question":"Is kind free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"kind 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://kind.sigs.k8s.io","question":"What platforms does kind support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. kind can be deployed self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://kind.sigs.k8s.io","question":"Can kind be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. kind 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-sigs/kind","question":"Is kind open source?","confidence":0.95}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source Kubernetes implementation designed to reduce complexity and friction in deploying Kubernetes clusters. It works across diverse infrastructure environments including edge, cloud, and data centers, with full CNCF certification and upstream Kubernetes compliance. | nerdctl is a command-line tool for managing containers on containerd. It enables Docker Compose workflows, rootless container execution, image encryption, lazy-pulling, and multi-platform builds. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"both","arm_support":true,"cncf_maturity":"graduated","gui_dashboard":false,"orchestration":"kubernetes","k8s_conformant":true,"stateful_workloads":true,"managed_control_plane":false,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` | `{"hosting":"self","rootless":true,"arm_support":true,"gui_dashboard":false,"orchestration":"kubernetes","gpu_scheduling":true,"k8s_conformant":true,"windows_containers":true,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| integrations.count | 2 | 4 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Kube-Router"},{"name":"Calico"}]` | `[{"name":"Docker Compose"},{"name":"Kubernetes"},{"name":"IPFS"},{"name":"CNI"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | - | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"linux":true}` | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"k0s","description":"100% open source & free for personal or commercial use"}],"summary":"100% open source & free","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://k0sproject.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T14:26:13.706Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://kind.sigs.k8s.io","retrievedAt":"2026-09-11T19:12:06.667Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | open_source |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | - |
| release.cadence_days | - | 85 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.4%2Bk0s.1","date":"2026-09-19T21:23:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.4+k0s.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.35.8%2Bk0s.1","date":"2026-09-19T11:37:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.8+k0s.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.34.11%2Bk0s.1","date":"2026-09-19T10:00:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.11+k0s.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.4%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-08-31T12:44:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.4+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.35.8%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-08-31T07:01:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.8+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.34.11%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-08-28T14:23:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.11+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.3%2Bk0s.2","date":"2026-08-12T10:59:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.3+k0s.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.3%2Bk0s.1","date":"2026-08-07T13:05:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.3+k0s.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.3%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-07-27T14:22:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.3+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.35.7%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-07-27T14:15:43Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.7+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.34.10%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-07-27T14:11:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.10+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.33.13%2Bk0s.1","date":"2026-07-27T08:36:02Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.13+k0s.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.37.0-alpha.1%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-30T14:23:55Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v1.37.0-alpha.1+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.36.2%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-30T11:27:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.2+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.35.6%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-29T13:32:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.6+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.34.9%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-29T13:30:19Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.9+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.33.13%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-29T13:26:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.13+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.35.5%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-16T13:06:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.5+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.34.8%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-16T09:43:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.8+k0s.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/k0sproject/k0s/releases/tag/v1.33.12%2Bk0s.0","date":"2026-06-16T07:11:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.12+k0s.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.33.0","date":"2026-08-26T21:58:46Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.33.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.32.0","date":"2026-06-02T17:34:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.32.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.31.0","date":"2025-12-18T00:56:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.31.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.30.0","date":"2025-08-27T17:45:58Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.30.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.29.0","date":"2025-05-21T01:54:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.29.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.28.0","date":"2025-05-16T23:36:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.28.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.27.0","date":"2025-02-15T00:54:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.27.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.26.0","date":"2024-12-16T22:02:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.26.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.25.0","date":"2024-11-08T20:37:49Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.25.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.24.0","date":"2024-08-15T16:39:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.24.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.23.0","date":"2024-05-14T02:02:39Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.23.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.22.0","date":"2024-02-14T23:30:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.22.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.21.0","date":"2024-02-02T20:31:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.21.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.20.0","date":"2023-06-15T03:18:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.19.0","date":"2023-05-17T00:46:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.19.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.18.0","date":"2023-03-30T19:33:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.18.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.17.0","date":"2022-10-26T15:53:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.17.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.16.0","date":"2022-09-22T19:33:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.16.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.15.0","date":"2022-09-02T01:31:50Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.15.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kind/releases/tag/v0.14.0","date":"2022-05-19T20:58:38Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.14.0"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fk0sproject%2Fk0s&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=sigs.k8s.io%2Fkind&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | k0s | kind |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | Kubernetes | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud + self-hosted | Self-hosted 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 | ✗ | ✗ |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:27:50.229Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*