Stop Paying for Kubernetes: 5 Providers with Free Control Planes (2026)
Azure, AWS, and GCP charge £45-58/month for Kubernetes control planes. 5 providers offer them free. Save £700/year instantly.
Here's a quick win for anyone running Kubernetes in the cloud: you might be paying £45-58 per month just for the control plane. That's £540-696 per year - per cluster - for something five providers offer completely free.
If you're running multiple clusters (development, staging, production), you could be spending over £2,000 annually on control planes alone. This guide shows you how to eliminate that cost.
What is a Kubernetes control plane and why does it cost money?
The Kubernetes control plane is the brain of your cluster. It consists of:
- API Server: The central management interface for all cluster operations
- etcd: The distributed key-value store holding cluster state
- Scheduler: Decides which nodes run which pods
- Controller Manager: Maintains desired state (replicas, deployments, etc.)
Running these components reliably requires:
- Multiple redundant instances (typically 3 for high availability)
- Persistent, fast storage for etcd
- Continuous monitoring and automatic failover
- Security patches and version upgrades
Hyperscalers (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud) charge for this managed infrastructure. Their argument: you're paying for reliability, security, and the operational burden they handle.
But alternative providers have discovered a different model: offer free control planes as a competitive differentiator, then profit from worker node compute.
The Kubernetes control plane tax
Here's what the major hyperscalers charge for managed Kubernetes control planes:
| Provider | Control plane cost | Annual cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure AKS | £58/month | £696/year | Per cluster |
| AWS EKS | £57/month (~$72) | £684/year | Per cluster |
| Google Cloud GKE | £58/month (~$73) | £696/year | Standard mode only |
Important: These are just control plane fees. You pay separately for worker nodes, storage, networking, and egress.
A typical small production cluster on Azure AKS:
Control plane: £58/month
Worker nodes (2x): £24/month (t3.small equivalent)
─────────────────────────────
Total: £82/month
The control plane represents 71% of that cost for a minimal cluster.
5 providers with free Kubernetes control planes
1. DigitalOcean DOKS
Control plane cost: Free
Minimum worker node: £9.48/month (1 vCPU, 2GB RAM)
UK data centre: Yes (London)
DigitalOcean Kubernetes Service (DOKS) offers a fully managed control plane at no cost. You only pay for worker nodes and attached resources.
What you get:
- Managed, auto-upgrading control plane
- Integrated container registry (also free for basic usage)
- Simple load balancer integration
- Excellent documentation
Catch: High-availability control plane is optional at £31.60/month - but the standard single control plane is perfectly fine for most production workloads.
Best for: Teams wanting simplicity with UK data presence
Try DigitalOcean Kubernetes - New accounts receive free credit.
2. Linode/Akamai LKE
Control plane cost: Free
Minimum worker node: £9.48/month (2GB shared CPU)
UK data centre: Yes (London)
Linode Kubernetes Engine (LKE) was early to the free control plane model. Since Akamai's acquisition in 2022, they've added CDN integration as a bonus.
What you get:
- Managed control plane with automatic updates
- Access to Akamai's global CDN network
- 24/7 support included on all plans
- Hourly billing with monthly caps
Catch: LKE-Enterprise (HA control plane) costs £237/month - overkill for most users.
Best for: Teams wanting CDN integration and included support
3. OVHcloud MKS
Control plane cost: Free
Minimum worker node: ~£18/month (B2-7, 2 vCPU, 7GB RAM)
UK data centre: Yes (London)
OVHcloud's Managed Kubernetes Service offers European data sovereignty with a UK presence - rare for providers with free control planes.
What you get:
- EU-owned infrastructure
- London data centre option
- Free £175 credit for new users
- Strong GDPR compliance
Catch: Worker nodes start larger than competitors (but you get more resources for the price).
Best for: UK businesses needing European data sovereignty
4. Scaleway Kapsule
Control plane cost: Free
Minimum worker node: £11/month (DEV1-M, 3GB RAM, 2 cores)
UK data centre: No (Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw)
Scaleway's Kubernetes offering stands out for its sustainability commitment - 100% renewable energy across all data centres.
What you get:
- Multi-region availability
- Cost-optimised instances (ARM options available)
- Strong Terraform support
- Simple, transparent pricing
Catch: No UK data centres (Paris/Amsterdam are 15-25ms from UK - acceptable for most applications).
Best for: Environmentally conscious organisations comfortable with EU data residency
5. Vultr VKE
Control plane cost: Free
Minimum worker node: £9.48/month (2GB regular performance)
UK data centre: Yes (London)
Vultr Kubernetes Engine (VKE) focuses on performance with NVMe storage and high-frequency CPU options.
What you get:
- 32 global locations
- NVMe SSD storage across all nodes
- DDoS protection included
- High-frequency compute options
Catch: Managed database pricing uses a 3x multiplier on compute costs (can get expensive).
Best for: Performance-critical workloads
Side-by-side comparison
| Provider | Control plane | Min worker | UK data centre | Annual savings vs Azure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Free | £9.48/month | Yes | £696 |
| Linode/Akamai | Free | £9.48/month | Yes | £696 |
| OVHcloud | Free | £18.33/month | Yes | £696 |
| Scaleway | Free | £11.00/month | No (EU) | £696 |
| Vultr | Free | £9.48/month | Yes | £696 |
All five providers save you the same amount on control plane fees. The difference is in worker node pricing, additional services, and geographic availability.
The real cost comparison
Let's compare a realistic small production cluster:
Azure AKS (standard approach)
Control plane: £58.00/month
Worker node (D2s v3): £24.00/month
─────────────────────────────────────────
Monthly total: £82.00
Annual total: £984.00
DigitalOcean DOKS (free control plane)
Control plane: £0.00/month
Worker node (Basic 2GB): £9.48/month
─────────────────────────────────────────
Monthly total: £9.48
Annual total: £113.76
Annual savings: £870.24 (88% reduction)
Even if you add DigitalOcean's HA control plane option:
HA Control plane: £31.60/month
Worker node (Basic 2GB): £9.48/month
─────────────────────────────────────────
Monthly total: £41.08
Annual total: £492.96
Annual savings with HA: £491.04 (50% reduction)
When free isn't actually free
Before you migrate everything, consider these trade-offs:
Ecosystem limitations
Alternative providers have fewer integrated services. On Azure, you get seamless integration with:
- Azure Active Directory
- Azure DevOps
- Azure Policy and Governance
- Azure Monitor and Log Analytics
Replicating this on DigitalOcean or Vultr requires third-party tools or self-hosted solutions.
Compliance certifications
Azure, AWS, and GCP have extensive compliance certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, etc.). Alternative providers typically have fewer certifications - check against your specific requirements.
SLA differences
| Provider | Kubernetes SLA | Compute SLA |
|---|---|---|
| Azure AKS | 99.95% (with AZs) | 99.99% |
| AWS EKS | 99.95% | 99.99% |
| DigitalOcean | 99.95% | 99.99% |
| Vultr | 100%* | 100%* |
*Vultr's SLA is credit-based, similar to others
SLAs are comparable, but hyperscalers typically have more sophisticated monitoring and faster incident response.
When to pay for hyperscaler Kubernetes
Keep Azure/AWS/GCP when:
- You need specific compliance certifications
- Deep integration with other hyperscaler services is required
- Your organisation has enterprise agreements with negotiated pricing
- You're running hundreds of clusters at scale (volume discounts kick in)
Migration considerations
Switching Kubernetes providers is less painful than you might expect if you're following good practices:
What transfers easily
- Terraform configurations: All providers have official Terraform providers. Resource names differ, but patterns are similar.
- Kubernetes manifests: YAML files work identically across providers. No changes needed for deployments, services, configmaps, etc.
- Helm charts: Work without modification.
- Container images: Push to the new provider's registry (or use Docker Hub as a neutral middleman).
What needs attention
- Cloud-specific integrations: Load balancer annotations, storage classes, and CSI drivers vary by provider.
- Secrets management: If using Azure Key Vault or AWS Secrets Manager, you'll need alternatives.
- Monitoring: Datadog, Prometheus, and Grafana work everywhere, but native integrations (Azure Monitor, CloudWatch) won't transfer.
Recommended migration path
- Start with non-production: Move a development or staging cluster first
- Document dependencies: Identify every Azure-specific integration
- Test thoroughly: Run parallel environments until confident
- Phase the cutover: DNS switching with low TTLs allows quick rollback
- Keep the old cluster running: Don't delete until the new environment proves stable
Quick wins: reduce your Kubernetes costs today
1. Consolidate clusters
Do you really need separate clusters for dev, staging, and production? Namespaces with resource quotas can isolate workloads within a single cluster.
Potential savings: £696-1,392/year per consolidated cluster
2. Use spot/preemptible nodes for non-critical workloads
All major providers offer discounted compute that can be reclaimed:
- Azure: Spot VMs (up to 90% discount)
- DigitalOcean: No spot instances, but low base prices
- Vultr: No spot instances
Mix spot nodes for batch workloads with on-demand for critical services.
3. Right-size your worker nodes
Most clusters are over-provisioned. Use these tools to identify waste:
kubectl top nodes- Real-time resource usage- Kubernetes Metrics Server
- Goldilocks or VPA (Vertical Pod Autoscaler) recommendations
4. Consider managed node pools
Some providers offer autoscaling that can scale to zero during off-hours. Azure AKS and GCP GKE support this - though savings are limited if your control plane still costs £58/month.
Action steps
Audit your current spend: How much are you paying for Kubernetes control planes across all clusters?
Identify migration candidates: Development and staging clusters are low-risk starting points
Trial a free control plane provider:
- DigitalOcean - Best documentation, UK data centre
- Vultr - Performance focus, UK data centre
- Linode - Akamai CDN bonus, UK data centre
Calculate your total savings: Control plane fees × number of clusters × 12 months
Plan the migration: Start small, validate thoroughly, then expand
Summary
The Kubernetes control plane tax is optional. Five providers offer free control planes with comparable reliability:
| Provider | Best for |
|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Simplicity + UK data centre |
| Linode/Akamai | CDN integration + included support |
| OVHcloud | European sovereignty + UK data centre |
| Scaleway | Sustainability + EU data residency |
| Vultr | Performance + global presence |
For a typical small cluster, switching from Azure AKS to DigitalOcean DOKS saves approximately £870 per year - and that's per cluster. If you're running multiple environments, the savings compound quickly.
The hyperscaler Kubernetes tax made sense when managed Kubernetes was new and differentiating. Today, it's a legacy pricing model that alternative providers have eliminated. Unless you need specific Azure/AWS/GCP integrations or compliance certifications, there's little reason to keep paying it.
Need help optimising your Kubernetes costs?
We help teams assess their container infrastructure and plan migrations to more cost-effective platforms. Schedule a consultation to discuss your Kubernetes architecture.
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Last updated: January 2026
Cloud pricing changes frequently. We recommend verifying current prices on provider websites before making decisions.