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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

Rami Varis - PeerSpot reviewer
Simplifies management for continuous operations with seamless setup and maintenance
The platform is easy to set up, maintain, and update. It is easier to manage compared to other solutions and allows for running in a stable environment. The web-scale platform enables easy scalability, providing value for both enterprise-level and medium-sized companies. It helps businesses solve management and stability challenges in Kubernetes environments.
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

"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 platform is easy to set up, maintain, and update."
"The most valuable feature is its comprehensive support, easy resource scaling, compatibility with various OEMs, and seamless service integration."
"A great UI with very good integrations."
"The most valuable feature of Rancher Labs is its user interface, which makes it easier to work with containers and deployment."
"The scalability potential is very good."
"The initial setup is simple and straightforward."
"The product is simple to use for a beginner."
"This solution is not vendor-locked, which means that we we are able to use it across all of our resources; this feature is of great value to us."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it is an open-source solution that is easy to deploy."
 

Cons

"There are some limitations with the non-air gap version as it requires complete internet access, which poses restrictions due to government regulations."
"They have to improve their marketplace offering for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) which is currently limited."
"One area for improvement in Rancher Labs is the development aspect."
"Could be more intuitive."
"We have found that the auto-secure feature of this solution doesn't always work, and could be improved to be more reliable, particularly when working with business critical applications."
"While Rancher Labs provides some level of security, it's not considered very robust."
"There needs to be an improvement in observability and microservice monitoring tools in Rancher Labs."
"We're looking for something that is even easier to use. It's a bit complicated."
"If you have poor infrastructure, you will have issues with the tool."
"I can't migrate to the newer version."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
10%
Retailer
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
39%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
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)?
I lack the technical knowledge to identify specific areas of improvement. However, I wonder whether all software currently used by companies supports Nutanix Kubernetes Platform or if they need alt...
What is your primary use case for Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
Customers use Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) ( /products/nutanix-kubernetes-platform-nkp-reviews ) to manage the Kubernetes ( /products/kubernetes-reviews ) platform, providing ease of managemen...
What advice do you have for others considering Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP)?
I would rate the platform nine out of ten. My expertise in sales limits my technical evaluation capabilities, but based on research, it earns a high score.
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.
864,053 professionals have used our research since 2012.