# Helm vs Kubernetes

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Helm

| Attribute | Helm | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 77.1 (10% (low)) | 75.7 (16% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | 100 |
| adoption.github_stars | 30,069 | 124,092 |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | Helm is the best way to find, share, and use software built for Kubernetes. Helm helps you manage Kubernetes applications through Charts that define, install, and upgrade even complex applications. | An open source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. |
| features.capabilities | `{"cncf_maturity":"graduated"}` | `{"hosting":"both","orchestration":"kubernetes","stateful_workloads":true,"built_in_networking_cni":true}` |
| language.primary | Go | Go |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | - |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | - |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://helm.sh","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:09:36.746Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://kubernetes.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-05T14:10:13.865Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | 1 |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | yes |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Helm | Kubernetes |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-08-07T00:01:25.391Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*