Helm
Helm is a free package manager for applications running in Kubernetes clusters.
What Helm is
Helm is a free package manager for applications running in Kubernetes clusters. It groups related Kubernetes resources into versioned charts that can be shared, installed, upgraded, or rolled back. Charts can include dependencies on other charts, and the same chart can use different settings for development, staging, and production. Helm manages applications such as databases, monitoring stacks, and ingress controllers. Its command-line client talks to the Kubernetes API server, while its library performs chart operations. Release details are kept in Kubernetes Secrets, so Helm does not need a separate database. Charts can reside on disk or come from remote repositories; Artifact Hub lists public charts. Plugins can extend Helm, including with custom chart download protocols. It runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows as a self-managed command-line tool under the Apache-2.0 license. Helm focuses on applications in a cluster; setting up and operating the cluster itself is outside its scope.
Good
- Free Apache-2.0 command-line tool.
- Charts support upgrades and rollbacks.
- Chart dependencies can be installed together.
- Release information is stored in Kubernetes Secrets.
- Available for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Watch out
- Does not cover standing up or operating Kubernetes clusters.
- Requires working with a Kubernetes cluster.
- Installation guidance recommends verifying checksums and PGP signatures.
Who it suits
Helm is suited to application operators, developers, distributors, and tool developers working with Kubernetes applications. It is not intended to handle cluster setup or operation.
Verdict
Helm organizes Kubernetes applications into reusable, versioned charts and handles their lifecycle in a cluster. Its scope stops at the applications, leaving cluster setup and operations outside the tool.
Plans and prices
From Helm's own pricing page, checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Helm | Free | Apache-2.0 license · command-line tool · self-managed |
The facts
Each one read from Helm's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Application management
- Helm installs and manages applications such as databases, monitoring stacks, and ingress controllers from charts.checked 1 Oct 2026
What it does
- Architecture
- The Helm client is a command-line tool that communicates with the Kubernetes API server, while the Helm library performs chart operations.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Charts
- Helm packages related Kubernetes resources into versioned charts that can be shared, installed, upgraded, and rolled back.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Configuration
- Helm supports supplying different values to the same chart for development, staging, and production environments.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Dependencies
- Helm charts can declare dependencies on other charts and install them together.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Governance
- Helm is a graduated Cloud Native Computing Foundation project maintained by the Helm community.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Plugins
- Helm plugins extend the core feature set and can provide custom chart download protocols.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Helm is the package manager for Kubernetes applications.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Repositories
- Charts can be stored on disk or fetched from remote chart repositories, with Artifact Hub listing publicly available charts.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Scope limit
- Helm focuses on applications running in a Kubernetes cluster, while standing up and operating the cluster itself is outside its scope.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Security
- Helm releases include cryptographic signatures, and the installation guide recommends verifying checksums and maintainer PGP signatures before installation.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Helm stores release information in Kubernetes Secrets and does not require its own database.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Support
- Community support is available through Kubernetes Slack channels, a mailing list, developer calls, Stack Overflow, and GitHub.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Supported installation
- Official installation methods include pre-built binary releases and an installer script; community methods include Homebrew, Chocolatey, Scoop, Winget, Apt, dnf/yum, Snap, and FreeBSD pkg.checked 1 Oct 2026
- Users
- Helm identifies application operators, application distributors, application developers, and supporting tool developers as user roles.checked 1 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2015checked 28 Sep 2026
Alternatives to Helm
- 1
HTTPie
Free planOpen sourceWebLinuxmacOSWindows8.3From $10 a month - 2
rclone
Free planAndroidWebAPILinux7.6Free plan - 3
restic
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.6Free plan - 4
Supabase
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.6From $25 a month - 5
GitHub CodeQL
Free planWebExtensionLinuxmacOS7.5From $30 a month - 6
Pulumi
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.4From $40 a month