vioscaleAI
Container Orchestration ToolsUnclaimed

k0s

A lightweight, single-binary Kubernetes distribution designed for simple, rapid cluster deployment across diverse environments.

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Also known as
k0s

What is k0s?

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.

Independently observed

k0s pricing

Plans, per-tier features and add-ons, dated and linked to live pricing. Pricing changes often; always verify at source before you rely on it.

Pricing as of verify at live pricing ↗Independently observed
Open sourceFree tier

100% open source & free

k0s

Free
Free

100% open source & free for personal or commercial use

What k0s does

The capabilities that matter for container orchestration tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.

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
✗
Independently observed

Platform & deployment

Independently observed
Platforms
  • Linux
Deployment
  • Cloud / SaaS
  • Hybrid
  • On-premise
  • Self-hosted

Integrations (2)

Independently observed
  • Kube-Router
  • Calico

Security & compliance

Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality

k0s FAQ

Common questions about k0s, answered from independent, dated evidence.

What is k0s?

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

Is k0s free to use?

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

What platforms does k0s support?

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

Can k0s be self-hosted?

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

k0s alternatives

Other container orchestration tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.

All k0s alternatives, ranked →

Independent · unbought · dated

The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence

Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for k0s, not the verdict.

Balanced composite 46 / 100
low · 44%
Signal contributions to the composite score
SignalScoreWeightContributionEvidence
Development activity630.095.9✓
Capabilities670.064.2✓
Security score590.042.5✓
Stars720.031.9✓
Integrations140.071.0✓
Dependent projects50.060.3✓
Release cadence00.050.0-
Security posture00.120.0-
Package downloads00.140.0-
Developer Q&A activity00.060.0-

Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.

All data & sourcesshow ↓

Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.

Activity

AttributeValueEvidence
Commits last 30d100mediumsource · 2026-09-11 · 65%

Adoption

AttributeValueEvidence
Github stars6,473highsource · 2026-09-11 · 90%
Dependent repos1highsource · 2026-09-11 · 85%

Content

AttributeValueEvidence
Faq4 itemsmediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60%

Features

AttributeValueEvidence
CapabilitiesHosting: both · Arm support: Yes · Cncf maturity: graduated · Gui dashboard: No · Orchestration: kubernetes · K8s conformant: Yesmediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60%

Integrations

AttributeValueEvidence
Count2mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60%

Language

AttributeValueEvidence
PrimaryGohighsource · 2026-09-11 · 90%

Pricing

AttributeValueEvidence
Free tierYesmediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60%
Modelopen_sourcemediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60%
Price levelfreemediumsource · 2026-09-14 · 60%
TransparentYesmediumsource · 2026-08-13 · 60%

Release

AttributeValueEvidence
History20 itemsmediumsource · 2026-09-11 · 70%

Security

AttributeValueEvidence
Scorecard5.9highsource · 2026-09-11 · 90%
VulnerabilitiesCount: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2Fk0sproject%2Fk0s&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0highsource · 2026-09-11 · 90%
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