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Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs Rancher Labs comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on May 18, 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

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform...
Ranking in Container Management
16th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
4.8
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Rancher Labs
Ranking in Container Management
9th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
Data Storage for Kubernetes (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Tushar Pimple - PeerSpot reviewer
Implementation and management ease improve efficiency, while marketplace expansion could enhance adaptability
It is all about day one, which is all about implementation or deployment of a Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) cluster. Ease of deployment is the first thing which I appreciate because I can actually use something called Commander user interface. Using that, I can easily deploy Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) workload clusters. That is the beauty of it. Those options are available from the UI itself, so ease of management is present. The logging and monitoring capabilities deserve an eight out of ten because they have integration with many open-source tools and they are actually providing that as a logging and monitoring bundle where Nutanix is responsible for a single point of support. Though native encryption is available in the product, it depends on customer use cases whether they want to use their own encryption or proceed with the native encryption available in the tool.
RyanVassallo - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers an open-source version along with a good UI
The product has multiple good features. One of the solution's good features is that it is the GitOps functionality known as Rancher fleet, which is used for continuous delivery. The tool's UI is very convenient enough to help you manage multiple clusters in the cloud or on-premises, making it a product with which you can manage different clusters and locations. The tool also has a feature that is still kind of maturing, but I think it has very good potential. This new feature is named Harvester, which is allows users to have virtual machines managed by Kubernetes engine. This is very new technology in the market. I think that Harvester needs to mature as a product, and I think that in the future, it will be very powerful. You have one tool that does many things for you.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 platform is easy to set up, maintain, and update."
"The platform is stable."
"The product is simple to use for a beginner."
"The scalability potential is very good."
"The customized deployment process is the most valuable feature in Rancher Labs."
"The solution is stable."
"Rancher Labs is a very user-friendly tool."
"The initial setup is simple and straightforward."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an open-source solution that is easy to deploy."
"The solution has a lot of good features, such as you can access the console and edit through the GUI. The dashboard and the UI are designed well, user-friendly, and easy to manage, and access."
 

Cons

"They have to improve their marketplace offering for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) which is currently limited."
"There are some limitations with the non-air gap version as it requires complete internet access, which poses restrictions due to government regulations."
"We're looking for something that is even easier to use. It's a bit complicated."
"The solution could improve by adding more features in the dashboard, such as monitoring, scanning, and security. This would be a great benefit."
"Could be more intuitive."
"We'd like their monitoring tool to be integrated by default."
"One area for improvement in Rancher Labs is the development aspect."
"They should improve application visibility along with code visibility."
"The biggest room for improvement in Rancher Labs would be to have a proper upgrading plan."
"If you have poor infrastructure, you will have issues with the tool."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available
"There is an annual subscription. The price of the solution should be cheaper and have better pricing flexibility."
"There are no hidden charges attached to the product unless a user opts for the premium support offered by the solution."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs involved."
"The pricing of the solution sits in the mid range, not high and not low. It has a fixed price that you pay every month."
"The solution is free and open source but there is a fee for support."
"The cost is reasonable since it's open source. Rancher effectively addresses container orchestration trends, especially for those with some Kubernetes knowledge."
"Although Rancher Labs is an open-source solution, they also offer a paid version, where you buy the support when needed."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Retailer
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
40%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
The reviewer indicated they would love to see improvements in support for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) to reach a higher level.
What is your primary use case for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
The reviewer did not directly answer what purposes they are using Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) in their company.
What advice do you have for others considering Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
The system is flexible and there haven't been any challenges. The organization is very happy with the solution. On a scale of 1-10, the reviewer rates Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) an 8.
What do you like most about Rancher Labs?
The tool's UI is very convenient enough to help you manage multiple clusters in the cloud or the company, making it a product with which you can manage different clusters and locations.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Rancher Labs?
The cost is reasonable since it's open-source. Rancher effectively addresses container orchestration trends, especially for those with some Kubernetes knowledge.
What needs improvement with Rancher Labs?
While Rancher Labs provides some level of security, it's not considered very robust. We found it to offer basic security features, which met some of our requirements, but we also relied on other op...
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Albert Heijn, Bell, BMC, Samsung, WindStream, Johnson & Johnson
Find out what your peers are saying about Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs. Rancher Labs and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
865,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.