Headlamp vs KubeSphere
Headlamp
headlamp.dev
KubeSphere
kubesphere.ioSide by side
| Figure | Headlamp | KubeSphere |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $65/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 8 |
| Spec score · Container Management Software | 8.9 (#3) | 9.0 (#1) |
| Deployment | Headlamp can be deployed in a Kubernetes cluster using Helm or a YAML configuration. | The platform supports deployment on any infrastructure environment, online or offline installation, one-click upgrades and cluster scaling. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation has separate user, installation, platform, development, architecture, API, plugin, OIDC, testing, release, and learning sections. | The documentation includes quick starts, installation and upgrade procedures, air-gapped deployment, high availability, extensions, role management, DevOps pipelines, App Store, service mesh, federation, observability, FAQs, API reference, and release notes. |
| Integrations | Documented CNCF-related integrations include Backstage, Flux, Inspektor Gadget, Kompose, KubeScape, KubeVirt, OpenCost, Prometheus, and Trivy. | Official materials identify integrations or ecosystem collaboration with Jenkins, Grafana, Loki, Higress, KubeKey, OpenELB, KubeEye, Fluent Operator, and OpenFunction. |
| License | The source repository states that Headlamp is released under the Apache 2.0 license. | KubeSphere 4.x and later use Apache License 2.0 with extra conditions requiring producer permission or a commercial licence for third-party commercial offerings, SaaS, or removing the product identity. |
| Public API | Headlamp publishes API modules covering Kubernetes clients, resource endpoints, streaming, scaling, port forwarding, plugin libraries, Redux, and UI components. | The project publishes a REST API reference and an OpenAPI/Swagger specification with API-version discovery endpoints. |
| Purpose | Headlamp is a graphical user interface tailored to simplify Kubernetes cluster management. | KubeSphere is a Kubernetes-based distributed operating system for cloud-native application management with a plug-and-play architecture for third-party applications. |
| Rating on G2 | 0.0 out of 5 from 0 reviews; the G2 page is for a different product, Headlamp Health, rather than the Kubernetes project. | 4.3 out of 5 from 12 reviews. |
| Support | The project directs users to its documentation, community Slack, GitHub issues, and monthly community meeting for help. | KubeSphere Enterprise offers one-stop professional technical support services. |
| What it does | Headlamp is a graphical web interface for managing Kubernetes clusters and resources. | KubeSphere is a Kubernetes-based distributed operating system and multi-tenant container platform for managing cloud-native applications. |
Plans
KubeSphere
- KubeSphere Backup FreeFree
- KubeSphere Community EditionFree
- KubeSphere Community EditionFree
- KubeSphere Backup Basic$65 a month
- KubeSphere Backup Standard$200 a month
- KubeSphere Backup Enterprise$340 a month
- KubeSphere Backup ExclusivePriced on request
- KubeSphere EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
Headlamp
Headlamp is a free graphical interface for managing Kubernetes clusters, available as a browser-based application and a desktop app. It adjusts its controls to Kubernetes role-based permissions, so users see only actions their role allows. Users can monitor multiple clusters and switch between them in the interface. A plugin system extends core functionality for specific workflows, with integrations including Backstage, Flux, Inspektor Gadget, Kompose, Kubescape, KubeVirt, OpenCost, Prometheus, and Trivy. Headlamp can be deployed in a Kubernetes cluster using Helm or YAML configuration. Documented sign-in methods include client certificates, bearer tokens, and OIDC. The project says a user token may be stored in browser local storage, but not in its backend or server. Its plugin guidance warns that plugins share the main application’s JavaScript context and recommends installing only trusted plugins. Headlamp is available at no charge under Apache 2.0. The project says it tests its desktop app on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Support options include documentation, community Slack, GitHub issues, and monthly community meetings.
KubeSphere
KubeSphere is a Kubernetes-based platform for managing cloud-native applications, with a plug-in architecture for third-party applications and open-source tools. Its Community Edition is an open-source container platform and costs nothing, with free-forever availability for a self-managed Kubernetes platform. The platform supports multi-tenancy and multi-cluster management, with monitoring, event and audit-log queries, tenant log collection, alerting and notifications. Delivery features include Jenkins-based CI/CD and automated Source-to-Image and Binary-to-Image workflows. KubeSphere supports online or offline installation, one-click upgrades and cluster scaling across infrastructure environments. Its REST API backend includes an API server and controller manager. Enterprise adds image security hardening, two-factor authentication, vulnerability fixes and permission controls at platform, cluster and application levels. Enterprise is available by on-demand subscription or private deployment, with extensions available by subscription; pricing is available from sales. Its lightweight architecture can run with 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of memory.