| Price from | — | $12.92/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 7 |
| Spec score · Kubernetes Management Platforms | 7.6 (#16) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Purpose | Gardener is a managed Kubernetes service framework for delivering fully managed clusters at scale through your own Gardener installation. | Portainer is a centralized multi-cluster management platform for managing Kubernetes clusters and container environments. |
| Security guidance | Gardener aims to follow DISA's Kubernetes Security Technical Implementation Guide and checks security-hardened shoot cluster configurations for every release. | Portainer recommends creating a non-default administrator name, enforcing HTTPS on port 9443, uploading trusted certificates and using a VPN instead of exposing the service publicly. |
| Support | The documentation directs users to community channels, GitHub Issues, and the Gardener community on Slack for assistance and questions. | The Scale plan includes 9x5 next business day support, while Enterprise offers prioritized 9x5 support with a 24/7 option. |
