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Kubernetes vs Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 24, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Kubernetes
Ranking in Container Management
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
78
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Nutanix Kubernetes Platform...
Ranking in Container Management
12th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.0
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Featured Reviews

Venu Boddu - PeerSpot reviewer
Manage infrastructure automation and smooth application deployment with robust auto-scaling capabilities
Kubernetes is highly valuable for its node-based setup, which allows for the running of multiple pods. This feature is essential for infrastructure automation and application deployment. Kubernetes also offers rollback control and auto-scaling capabilities, which are crucial for maintaining an application's availability even if nodes or pods go down. Additionally, Kubernetes supports load balancing to distribute traffic efficiently across multiple pods.
TAIYAB HASAN - PeerSpot reviewer
Has centralized microservices and enabled autonomous team operations through clustered access
I find everything useful in Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) scenario, especially now that we have management clusters separate from production clusters, which gives us more flexibility to work independently, allowing application teams, database teams, or web server teams to work without any involvement from the admin team. Before, it was a bit confusing for all the teams because it was a mix and match, but now it's clear, having multiple clusters running on NKP, with cluster-based access or role-based access, which is one of the best features now in NKP. Automation in Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) is one of the very useful features, as it allows us to define automation, so whether we are there or not, it works as per the requirement, reducing the need to involve everyone every time. The Nutanix intuitive interface looks good; it's not confusing because if you are working on Nutanix HCI, it's a different interface, and if you are working on Nutanix Kubernetes (NKP), it's also a different interface. If you've worked before on Kubernetes, it gives you the same feel and look, making it familiar as the Kubernetes app API is already inbuilt in NKP. The security features of Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) help protect applications; we are utilizing the security level provided by NKP and also using a third-party tool, Palo Alto, to protect in two ways.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"Kubernetes' most valuable features are scaling, deployment, and container management."
"The solution is easy to use."
"The tool's most valuable feature is the auto-scaling feature. However, Kubernetes is not used alone; it is part of a complete deployment pipeline integrated with DevOps. This pipeline includes automation and deployment capabilities."
"If you don't have resources, you can certainly add another worker node and expand the cluster."
"We find the smooth, instant fail-safes in this solution to be very useful, as this allows for easy revival of dying quads or failing applications."
"The most valuable aspect of the solution is the scalability."
"All the current features are quite harmonic."
"The most valuable features of Kubernetes have been autoscaling and its resilience mechanisms."
"Before working with Nutanix Kubernetes (NKP), I was working on Dockers, which required separate setups for each microservice, application, or web server, but now everything is under one umbrella, allowing us to manage it all without going here and there."
"The platform is stable."
"Migration from public cloud to private cloud and vice versa is actually seamless using Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), making it very handy when providing a Kubernetes platform for customers needing on-premises solutions during application modernization."
"The stability of Nutanix is exceptional; when operational, it performs flawlessly and demonstrates remarkable resilience."
"The platform is easy to set up, maintain, and update."
 

Cons

"They need to focus on more security internally."
"I think that the GUI dashboard in Kubernetes is very simple and that there are no great options."
"The network policies and RBAC management across multi-clusters could be improved. This is an issue we're trying to solve in the market."
"The solution can be quite complex for many users."
"The setup process could be improved as it's quite complex, especially for newbies."
"Currently has a very minimal UI for certain things."
"We faced a challenge while migrating and upgrading versions of Kubernetes."
"In the financial service sector, I'd rate scalability an eight out of ten. But do it in a controlled manner, not auto-scaling. If your application has a bug and you enable the autoscaler, it will spike your costs. If someone deploys an application with a bug, that's automatically a problem."
"In Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP), I believe the migration process needs to be much simpler, similar to other Kubernetes platforms we are using, with all steps being clear and direct to facilitate an easier experience for everyone."
"There are some limitations with the non-air gap version as it requires complete internet access, which poses restrictions due to government regulations."
"A significant limitation of the Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) is its requirement for extensive Kubernetes knowledge."
"They have to improve their marketplace offering for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) which is currently limited."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Kubernetes is an open-source solution that can be free. We have some distribution with licenses, such OpenShift and Tucows in Amazon. They are billing services."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs associated with its use."
"I would say the solution is worth the money, but it depends on the required workloads, the type of workload, and the scaling requirements etc."
"I am using the solution's open-source version."
"The solution is open source and has no fees."
"Kubernetes is open-source. Kubernetes is free, but we're charged for AWS utilization."
"Pricing isn't a major concern for us. Since we resell Kubernetes services and focus on providing support, integration, and education, we don't usually have pricing issues. Our customers are more concerned with getting the right support and services than the cost. So, the value we provide is more important than the actual pricing. Pricing might change in the future, but it’s not a big issue for us right now."
"Kubernetes is open source. But we have to manage Kubernetes as a team, and the overhead is a bit high. Compared with the platforms like Cloud Foundry, which has a much less operational overhead. Kubernetes, I have to manage the code, and I have to hire the developers. If someone has a product, a developer should know exactly what he's writing or high availability, and all those things may differ the costs."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Retailer
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise47
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Kubernetes?
There are many good features. I feel that the scale-out features, like replica sets, are very good. The number of running containers can be autoscaled.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Kubernetes?
Since we use Kubernetes on-premises, the costs are related to our expertise and the personnel we hire.
What needs improvement with Kubernetes?
Although we face issues when migrating to new versions of Kubernetes, such as misunderstandings on using new features or integration with proxy services, these issues can be addressed with proper p...
What needs improvement with Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
The interface in Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) deviates from Nutanix's claim of providing a single pane of glass experience. It presents a different GUI and management system, not integrated wi...
What is your primary use case for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
As an infrastructure professional, I work with Docker and Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) marginally, primarily using Acropolis as a virtual machine system. For container management, we utilized ...
What advice do you have for others considering Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
I have tested Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) two or three times. My last interaction with Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) was approximately six months ago. As a Nutanix partner, I would recomm...
 

Also Known As

K8
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

China unicom, NetEase Cloud, Nav, AppDirect
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Find out what your peers are saying about Kubernetes vs. Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
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