Headlamp
7.5#4 in container management softwareFree planFree planWebAPIExtensionLinux
VisitHeadlamp vs KubeSphere
KubeSphere
8.1#1 in container orchestration softwareFrom $65 a monthFree planWebAPILinuxSelf-hosted
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Headlamp | KubeSphere |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Headlamp plans
- HeadlampFree
- Open-source HeadlampFree
KubeSphere plans
- KubeSphere Backup FreeFree
- 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
Pick Headlamp if…
Headlamp suits Kubernetes users who want a graphical way to manage multiple clusters while seeing actions allowed by their RBAC role. Its deployment and plugin options may also fit teams with specific workflows.
Pick KubeSphere if…
KubeSphere suits infrastructure, development, and operations teams deploying applications on Kubernetes. Enterprise options may suit organizations that need multi-tenant permissions and professional technical support.