Managed Kubernetes providers
These are the 12 managed Kubernetes providers we track, sorted by control-plane cost (cheapest first). Providers with a free control plane — Azure AKS (free tier), DigitalOcean, Akamai/Linode, OVHcloud, Scaleway, Civo, Vultr and Oracle (basic) — let you pay only for worker nodes. The hyperscalers AWS EKS and Google GKE charge $0.10/cluster/hour (~$73/month). Click any provider for its full pricing breakdown.
Data as of June 2026.
| Provider | Control plane | Est. control-plane/mo | Cheapest node/mo | Free control plane? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akamai LKE | Free | Free | $12/mo | Yes |
| Azure AKS | Free | Free | $30/mo | Yes |
| Civo Kubernetes | Free | Free | $10/mo | Yes |
| DigitalOcean DOKS | Free | Free | $12/mo | Yes |
| Hetzner (self-managed) | Free | Free | $4/mo | Yes |
| Oracle OKE | Free | Free | $30/mo | Yes |
| OVHcloud MKS | Free | Free | $20/mo | Yes |
| Scaleway Kapsule | Free | Free | $7/mo | Yes |
| Vultr VKE | Free | Free | $10/mo | Yes |
| Amazon EKS | $0.10/hr | ~$73/mo | $30/mo | No |
| Google GKE | $0.10/hr | ~$73/mo | $24/mo | No |
| IBM Cloud Kubernetes | Varies | Varies | $60/mo | No |
Source: Provider pricing pages. Data as of June 2026.
Pricing snapshot captured June 2026. Verify each figure on the vendor's pricing page.
All providers
Akamai (Linode) · control plane Free · node from $12/mo
Azure AKSMicrosoft Azure · control plane Free · node from $30/mo
Civo KubernetesCivo · control plane Free · node from $10/mo
DigitalOcean DOKSDigitalOcean · control plane Free · node from $12/mo
Hetzner (self-managed)Hetzner Cloud · control plane Free · node from $4/mo
Oracle OKEOracle Cloud · control plane Free · node from $30/mo
OVHcloud MKSOVHcloud · control plane Free · node from $20/mo
Scaleway KapsuleScaleway · control plane Free · node from $7/mo
Vultr VKEVultr · control plane Free · node from $10/mo
Amazon EKSAmazon Web Services · control plane $0.10/hr · node from $30/mo
Google GKEGoogle Cloud · control plane $0.10/hr · node from $24/mo
IBM Cloud KubernetesIBM Cloud · control plane Varies · node from $60/mo
Looking for a specific question? See free-control-plane providers, the cheapest managed Kubernetes, the head-to-head comparisons, or estimate your bill with the calculator.
Last updated: 2026-06-20