Comparing prices across every provider we track...
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Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) · $60/mo
Linode LKE HA at $60/mo is competitively priced for a managed Kubernetes control plane, but several alternatives offer lower entry costs or better value depending on workload size and bandwidth usage. The choice hinges on node count, data transfer patterns, and whether you need multi-region HA.
Free control plane and per-GB RAM pricing makes this extremely cheap for small clusters, though you pay for worker node compute separately.
Caveat: Intro pricing trap: renewal rates are 2-6x higher after contract; outbound bandwidth at $0.036/GB is steep; SLA is 99.99% but provider is less established in US market.
| Provider | Plan | Price | Specs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IONOS | Managed Kubernetes · K8s RAM - per GB | $1.94/mo | Worker node RAM, control plane free | Visit |
| DigitalOcean | Kubernetes · NVIDIA H100 GPU node | $3.39/mo | 80 GB GPU RAM, 240 GiB Droplet RAM, 20 vCPUs (billed hourly, shown as monthly-equivalent placeholder) | Visit |
| Kamatera | Managed Kubernetes · Worker node = Type A Cloud VM (min) | $4/mo |
Minimal worker node at $4/mo with no separate control-plane fee (likely bundled); total cost stays low for single-node or small clusters.
Caveat: Control-plane pricing is unspecified or hidden; Windows/SQL licensing adds undisclosed surcharges at checkout; SLA is only 99.95%; burstable CPU has overage charges.
Per-vCPU pricing ($5.55/mo per vCPU, 20 vCPU minimum) is transparent and scales linearly; no hidden control-plane fee.
Caveat: 20 vCPU minimum means $111/mo baseline; APAC regions lose free egress after mid-2026; Windows license surcharge is $0.039/vCore/hour extra.
Same $73/mo control-plane fee as Linode HA but includes 99.95% SLA with availability zones, autoscaling to 5,000 nodes, and stronger enterprise integration.
Caveat: Windows VM licensing adds cost; outbound bandwidth billed above 100 GB/month; Premium SSD IOPS billed separately; easy to overspend on storage tiers.
Identical $73/mo flat fee per cluster; GKE's sustained-use and committed-use discounts can reduce node costs significantly over time.
Caveat: Egress bandwidth billed per-GB after 200 GiB/month free tier; custom machine types carry 5% premium; easy to miss discount mechanisms when comparing.
Before you switch
| No separate K8s pricing published. Worker nodes are billed at standard Cloud VM rates by CPU type; this row mirrors the Type A minimum (1 vCPU/1GB) as the cheapest possible worker node. No control-plane fee found -- likely bundled or unspecified. |
| Visit |
| OVHcloud | Managed Rancher Service · OVHcloud Edition | $5.55/mo | Per vCPU/hour across all schedulable worker node vCPUs in downstream clusters. 20 vCPU minimum billed. | Visit |
| Microsoft Azure | Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) · Standard tier | $73/mo | SLA-backed control plane: 99.95% with availability zones, 99.9% without. Up to 5,000 nodes/cluster, API server autoscaling. Recommended for all production workloads. | Visit |
| Google Cloud | Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) · Cluster management fee | $73/mo | Flat fee per cluster regardless of mode/size/topology, billed per second | Visit |
| Oracle Cloud Infrastructure | Container Engine for Kubernetes (OKE) · Enhanced Cluster | $74.4/mo | $0.10/hour per cluster, capped at $74.40/month; financially-backed uptime SLA; advanced features (virtual nodes, workload identity). Worker nodes billed separately. | Visit |
| Fly.io | Fly Kubernetes (FKS) · FKS control plane | $75/mo | Per-cluster control plane fee. Node Machines and attached Volumes billed separately at standard Machines/Volumes rates. Single-source figure, not independently re-verified. | Visit |
| Scaleway | Kubernetes Kapsule · Dedicated Control Plane 4GB | $80/mo | Dedicated control plane, 4 GB RAM | Visit |
IONOS
Kamatera
View Linode (Akamai)'s plan
OVHcloud
Microsoft Azure
Google Cloud