# K9s vs Nirmata

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** Nirmata

| Attribute | K9s | Nirmata |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 44.7 (34% (low)) | 56 (41% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 32 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 4 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 34,818 | - |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Helps users view and manage Kubernetes clusters through a command-line interface, with real-time resource tracking and interactive management capabilities. It is indexed under Kubernetes Management.","source":"https://k9scli.io","question":"What is K9s?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"K9s 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://k9scli.io","question":"Is K9s free to use?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"K9s 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://k9scli.io","question":"What platforms does K9s support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. K9s 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/derailed/k9s","question":"Is K9s open source?","confidence":0.95}]` | `[{"answer":"A platform for enforcing security policies, compliance requirements, and governance across Kubernetes clusters at enterprise scale. Includes policy management, cost optimization, and compliance automation with centralized control over multi-cluster environments. It is indexed under Kubernetes Management.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"What is Nirmata?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Nirmata does not publish its prices. Pricing is quoted on request, across 1 plan (Nirmata Enterprise for Kyverno (N4K)), so the figure depends on your seat count and requirements. We record this as a pricing-transparency signal rather than guessing a number. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"How much does Nirmata cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Nirmata supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"What platforms does Nirmata support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Yes. Nirmata can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"Can Nirmata be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed 16 integrations for Nirmata, including GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Argo, Flux, Amazon EKS, Azure AKS and Google GKE, plus 8 more. This is what we could verify from public sources, so the vendor may support others we have not indexed.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"What does Nirmata integrate with?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2 and ISO 27001 for Nirmata. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Nirmata not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://nirmata.com/security-policy/","question":"What security certifications does Nirmata have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Nirmata is available worldwide. Its primary market is the United States.","source":"https://nirmata.com","question":"Where is Nirmata available?","confidence":0.5}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true}` |
| description.long | A CLI tool that assists with navigating and managing Kubernetes cluster resources and configurations. | A policy-as-code platform that automates security and compliance controls across AI agents, Kubernetes clusters, and cloud infrastructure, providing centralized audit logging and unified enforcement. |
| features.capabilities | `{"pricing_model":"open_source","cli_shell_access":true,"deployment_model":"desktop"}` | `{"iso_27001":true,"soc2_type_ii":true,"pricing_model":"freemium","cli_shell_access":true,"deployment_model":"saas","bundled_service_mesh":false,"centralized_sso_rbac":true,"eks_gke_aks_lifecycle":true,"cost_management_module":true,"edge_iot_scale_capable":false,"multi_cluster_config_sync":true,"bundled_observability_stack":false,"bare_metal_vsphere_provisioning":false}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 6 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Kubernetes","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"}]` | `[{"name":"GitHub"},{"name":"GitLab"},{"name":"Bitbucket"},{"name":"Argo"},{"name":"Flux"},{"name":"Amazon EKS"},{"name":"Azure AKS"},{"name":"Google GKE"},{"name":"Rancher"},{"name":"OpenShift"},{"name":"AWS"},{"name":"Okta"},{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"Dockerfile"},{"name":"Kyverno","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"AWS Marketplace","native":true,"direction":"outbound"},{"name":"Helm","native":false,"direction":"inbound"},{"name":"Azure","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"},{"name":"Google Cloud Platform","native":true,"direction":"bidirectional"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":["US"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"$5/month","summary":"$5/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$10/month","summary":"$10/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":10,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$25/month","summary":"$25/month sponsorship tier with roadmap advisor status","features":["Roadmap advisor status"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$50/month","summary":"$50/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":50,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$100/month","summary":"$100/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":100,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$500/month","summary":"$500/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":500,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"$1,000/month","summary":"$1,000/month sponsorship tier","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1000,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false}],"summary":"Open source with optional GitHub Sponsors tiers from $5–$1,000/month","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://k9scli.io","retrievedAt":"2026-09-14T18:12:18.561Z","startingPrice":{"amount":5,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Nirmata Essentials","summary":"$1,800/month","features":["Centralized Reporting","Kyverno Engine Health","Shift-Left Enforcement","AI Platform Assistant"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1800,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"For teams requiring centralized visibility and control","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Nirmata Advanced","summary":"$4,500/month","features":["Centralized Policy Sets","Automated Violation Assignment","Self-Service Exceptions","Compliance Automation","Managed Agents"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":4500,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Includes everything in Nirmata Essentials","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Nirmata Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Remediation Service Agent","GitHub / GitLab integration","Auto identity management (SCIM)","Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) AI","Air-gapped options"],"description":"For large enterprises; governance tailored to your DNA","contactSales":true},{"free":false,"name":"Nirmata Enterprise Kyverno","summary":"$1,250/month","features":["0-CVE images","18 month patch support","Long term version compatibility"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Trusted distribution and secure build of Kyverno","contactSales":false}],"summary":"From $1,800/month. 15-day free trial.","currency":"USD","freeTier":false,"sourceUrl":"https://nirmata.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-10-12T16:05:45.224Z","freeTrialDays":15,"startingPrice":{"amount":1250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":5,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":1250,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 5 | - |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.51.0","date":"2026-06-06T14:13:12Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.51.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.18","date":"2026-01-11T20:19:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.17","date":"2026-01-11T19:44:05Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.16","date":"2025-10-19T16:01:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.15","date":"2025-10-07T13:34:41Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.14","date":"2025-10-07T00:33:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.13","date":"2025-09-27T15:44:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.12","date":"2025-09-19T14:53:15Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.11","date":"2025-09-18T15:43:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.10","date":"2025-09-17T23:13:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.9","date":"2025-07-19T15:42:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.8","date":"2025-07-15T15:10:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.7","date":"2025-07-05T17:49:01Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.6","date":"2025-05-12T05:30:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.5","date":"2025-05-08T05:42:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.4","date":"2025-04-19T18:27:59Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.3","date":"2025-04-14T00:36:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.2","date":"2025-04-10T15:47:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.1","date":"2025-04-10T06:13:33Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/derailed/k9s/releases/tag/v0.50.0","date":"2025-04-09T06:01:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v0.50.0"}]` | - |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 4.4 | - |
| security.soc2 | - | yes |
| security.trust_center | - | https://nirmata.com/2025/02/19/automating-nis2-compliance-in-kubernetes-with-kyverno-a-practical-guide/ |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fderailed%2Fk9s&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

## Capabilities (Kubernetes Management)

| Capability | K9s | Nirmata |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Deployment model | Desktop | Saas |
| Eks gke aks lifecycle | - | ✓ |
| Bare metal vsphere provisioning | - | ✗ |
| Centralized SSO RBAC | - | ✓ |
| Multi cluster config sync | - | ✓ |
| Bundled observability stack | - | ✗ |
| Bundled service mesh | - | ✗ |
| Edge iot scale capable | - | ✗ |
| Cost management module | - | ✓ |
| CLI shell access | ✓ | ✓ |
| SOC2 type ii | - | ✓ |
| ISO 27001 | - | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Open source | Freemium |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T16:22:52.768Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*