# Azure Kubernetes Service vs CRI-O

**Leader by Vioscale score:** CRI-O

| Attribute | Azure Kubernetes Service | CRI-O |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 43.4 (49% (low)) | 55.5 (48% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | - | 43 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | - | 61 |
| adoption.github_stars | - | 5,654 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A cloud hosting platform for Kubernetes that eliminates much of the operational complexity. It supports building cloud-native applications and working with AI and open-source technologies. | A runtime implementation that enables Kubernetes to execute and manage containers, supporting OCI-compliant container images from any registry. |
| features.capabilities | `{"hosting":"cloud","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","managed_control_plane":true}` | `{"hosting":"self","oci_compliant":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","k8s_conformant":true,"built_in_networking_cni":false}` |
| language.primary | - | Go |
| license.spdx | - | Apache-2.0 |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"linux":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/kubernetes-service","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T14:24:21.781Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://cri-o.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:25:33.464Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | - |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | unknown | free |
| release.history | - | `[{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.36.4","date":"2026-08-24T16:56:10Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.7","date":"2026-08-24T17:02:07Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.12","date":"2026-08-24T17:05:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.36.3","date":"2026-08-04T00:43:08Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.6","date":"2026-08-04T00:46:04Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.11","date":"2026-08-04T00:45:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.36.2","date":"2026-07-02T00:58:30Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.5","date":"2026-07-02T12:07:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.10","date":"2026-07-02T00:57:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.36.1","date":"2026-06-03T01:09:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.4","date":"2026-06-03T01:09:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.9","date":"2026-06-03T01:09:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.33.13","date":"2026-06-03T01:09:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.3","date":"2026-05-05T00:48:17Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.8","date":"2026-05-05T00:47:44Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.33.12","date":"2026-05-05T00:47:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.36.0","date":"2026-05-05T18:29:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.36.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.35.2","date":"2026-04-02T00:36:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.35.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.34.7","date":"2026-04-02T00:36:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.34.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/cri-o/cri-o/releases/tag/v1.33.11","date":"2026-04-02T00:36:57Z","type":"stable","version":"v1.33.11"}]` |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.scorecard | - | 8.4 |
| security.vulnerabilities | - | `{"count":13,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fcri-o%2Fcri-o&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"HIGH"}` |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Azure Kubernetes Service | CRI-O |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | Kubernetes | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | Cloud only | 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 | - | - |
| **UX** |  |  |
| GUI dashboard | ✓ | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:01:23.064Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*