# Helm vs Portainer

**Leader by Vioscale score:** Helm

| Attribute | Helm | Portainer |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 66.9 (60% (medium)) | 56 (32% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 100 | - |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 5,000 | - |
| adoption.github_stars | 30,177 | - |
| deployment.options | `{"self_hosted":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"on_prem":true,"air_gapped":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | 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. | A container orchestration management platform that provides centralized governance, deployment automation, and operational control across multi-cluster Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and edge environments. It enables IT and operations teams to manage containerized applications at scale with simplified workflows, role-based access control, and GitOps integration. |
| features.capabilities | `{"arm_support":true,"cncf_maturity":"graduated","pricing_model":"free_open_source","architecture_model":"open_source_cli"}` | `{"hosting":"self","gui_dashboard":true,"orchestration":"kubernetes","windows_containers":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 18 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Active Directory"},{"name":"LDAP"},{"name":"OAuth"},{"name":"Helm"},{"name":"Git repositories"},{"name":"Kubernetes (EKS, AKS, GKE)"},{"name":"Docker"},{"name":"Swarm"},{"name":"Podman"},{"name":"Talos"},{"name":"Omni"},{"name":"S3-compatible storage"},{"name":"OPC connectivity"},{"name":"MQTT"},{"name":"Argo"},{"name":"Flux"},{"name":"Docker Hub"},{"name":"Matomo Analytics"}]` |
| language.primary | Go | - |
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"NZ","primaryMarkets":["US","EU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"mac":true,"linux":true,"windows":true}` | `{"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://helm.sh","retrievedAt":"2026-08-21T13:42:13.702Z"}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Starter","summary":"$105/month or $1045/year, annual commitment. Limited to organizations ≤$50M revenue.","features":["Community support","Max 16 vCPUs per node","Online purchase only"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":105,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":1045,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Small teams getting started with container management","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"16"}},{"free":false,"name":"Scale","summary":"$209/month or $2095/year, annual commitment. Limited to organizations ≤$100M revenue.","features":["9x5 next business day support","Vendor onboarding","Reseller purchases","Max 24 vCPUs per node"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":209,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":2095,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Growing teams requiring higher performance and team support","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"24"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing via contact sales","features":["Prioritized 9x5 support","Production/Non-production node options","Customizable license agreement","Assigned support engineer","Security assessment report","TAA compliance certificate","Managed platform services option","24/7 support option"],"description":"Business-critical deployments with priority support and compliance coverage","contactSales":true,"includedLimits":{"max_vCPUs_per_node":"32 to unlimited"}}],"summary":"From $105/month. Business Edition free for 3 nodes. Annual commitment required.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.portainer.io/business-iiot-pricing","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:39:31.629Z","startingPrice":{"amount":105,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | free | high |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 2 | - |
| release.history | `[{"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/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.20.0","date":"2026-01-21T23:27:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.20.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.0.5","date":"2026-01-14T23:46:31Z","type":"stable","version":"v4.0.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v3.19.5","date":"2026-01-15T00:30:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.19.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/helm/helm/releases/tag/v4.1.0-rc.1","date":"2026-01-12T19:54:05Z","type":"prerelease","version":"v4.1.0-rc.1"}]` | - |
| security.disclosure_policy | yes | - |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 9 | - |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":23,"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"}` | - |

## Capabilities (Container Orchestration Tools)

| Capability | Helm | Portainer |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Orchestration scope | - | Kubernetes |
| **Deployment** |  |  |
| Hosting | - | 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: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T17:20:20.323Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*