EKS vs AKS vs GKE: Managed Kubernetes Compared
A practical comparison of Amazon EKS, Azure AKS and Google GKE: operational effort, integrations, SLAs and how each one charges.
EKS, AKS and GKE all run upstream Kubernetes with a managed control plane. GKE offers the most hands-off option through Autopilot, AKS has a free control plane tier for non-production clusters, and EKS fits teams already deep in AWS. Choose mainly by the cloud you already use, then compare operational effort and pricing structure.
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You have decided to run Kubernetes, and you have decided not to run the control plane yourself. Good call. Now you are choosing between Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), and every comparison you find either reads like a vendor pitch or is two years out of date.
All 3 are certified, upstream Kubernetes. Your Deployments, Services and Helm charts will run on any of them. The differences are in how much of the cluster you still manage, how deeply each plugs into its cloud, and how the bill is structured. This guide compares those 3 things directly.
The 30-second answer
- Already on AWS? Use EKS. Its IAM, networking and load balancer integrations are the reason to choose it, and EKS Auto Mode has narrowed the operations gap.
- Already on Azure or a Microsoft shop? Use AKS. Microsoft Entra ID integration and a free control plane tier for dev clusters are strong advantages.
- Starting fresh and want the least operational work? GKE, especially Autopilot mode, is the most hands-off of the 3. Google created Kubernetes, and GKE tends to adopt upstream features quickly.
Key takeaway: The cloud you already use matters more than the Kubernetes service. Identity, networking, data and billing all live in that cloud, and fighting them costs more than any feature difference between EKS, AKS and GKE.
If you are still choosing a cloud overall, start with our AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud comparison. If you are unsure whether you need Kubernetes at all, read Kubernetes explained first.
How managed Kubernetes splits the work
Every managed Kubernetes service runs the control plane for you: the API server, scheduler, controllers and etcd database. You don’t patch or back up those components.
What varies is the data plane, the worker nodes where your pods run. Each provider now offers 2 broad modes:
| Mode | You manage | Provider manages | EKS | AKS | GKE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard / node-based | Node pools, sizing, upgrades (with tooling help), autoscaling setup | Control plane | Managed node groups | AKS Standard (Base SKU) | GKE Standard |
| Automated / hands-off | Workloads and pod resource requests | Control plane plus node provisioning, scaling and upgrades | EKS Auto Mode | AKS Automatic | GKE Autopilot |
| Serverless pods | Pods only | Everything below the pod | AWS Fargate | Virtual nodes (Azure Container Instances) | Autopilot (per-pod billing) |
The automated modes are the biggest change in managed Kubernetes in recent years. AKS Automatic became generally available in September 2025, and Microsoft’s documentation now calls it the recommended production default for most workloads. EKS Auto Mode launches and manages EC2 instances for you. GKE Autopilot has been available for several years and bills by what your pods request.
Operational effort compared
| Factor | EKS | AKS | GKE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Out-of-the-box readiness | Historically the most assembly required (add-ons for networking, storage, load balancing); Auto Mode bundles much of this | Opinionated defaults; AKS Automatic preconfigures networking, scaling and upgrades | Strong defaults; Autopilot applies hardening and node management by default |
| Node upgrades | Managed node groups or Auto Mode handle rolling updates | Auto-upgrade channels and planned maintenance windows | Release channels with automatic upgrades |
| Kubernetes version support | 14 months standard plus 12 months extended support (extra fee) | Community support window; Premium tier adds 2-year Long Term Support | Release channels, including an Extended channel (extra fee during extended period) |
| Learning curve for newcomers | Steeper, especially IAM and VPC networking | Moderate; familiar for Azure admins | Gentlest, especially with Autopilot |
Version support matters more than it looks. Kubernetes releases new minor versions regularly, and every provider eventually forces upgrades or charges extra to stay behind. AWS lists extended support at an added fee after the 14-month standard window. Azure’s Premium tier adds 24-month Long Term Support. GKE’s Extended release channel adds a fee once a version enters its extended period. Budget for upgrades as a routine task, not a surprise.
Integrations: where the real differences live
EKS and AWS. EKS ties Kubernetes service accounts to AWS IAM roles so pods can call AWS services without stored keys. The AWS Load Balancer Controller provisions Application and Network Load Balancers from Kubernetes objects. Images usually come from Amazon ECR, and logs and metrics flow to CloudWatch. If your data lives in S3, DynamoDB or RDS, this integration is the main reason to pick EKS.
AKS and Azure. AKS integrates with Microsoft Entra ID for cluster sign-in and Kubernetes role-based access control, which suits organizations that already manage identities in Microsoft 365. Azure Container Registry, Azure Monitor and Azure Policy plug in directly. Windows Server containers are well supported, which helps .NET Framework teams.
GKE and Google Cloud. GKE connects pods to Google Cloud IAM through workload identity, sends logs and metrics to Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring by default and pulls images from Artifact Registry. Google says GKE includes multi-cluster features such as Fleets, Config Management and Policy Controller at no extra cost, which helps teams running many clusters.
All 3 work with the same open-source ecosystem: Helm charts, Argo CD and Flux for GitOps, Prometheus and OpenTelemetry for observability.
Pricing structure compared
Every service has 2 cost layers: a cluster management fee for the control plane, and compute for the nodes or pods. Compute is almost always the bigger number.
| Cost element | EKS | AKS | GKE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control plane fee | $0.10 per cluster per hour in standard support | Free tier: no control plane charge; Standard and Premium tiers: hourly per-cluster fee | $0.10 per cluster per hour, all modes |
| Free allowance | None | Free tier for dev/test (no SLA) | $74.40 monthly credit per billing account, about one zonal or Autopilot cluster |
| Extended version support | Raises fee to $0.60 per cluster per hour | Premium tier with Long Term Support (separate hourly rate) | Additional $0.50 per cluster per hour during extended period |
| Automated mode compute | Auto Mode: EC2 price plus a per-instance management fee | AKS Automatic: VM costs plus Standard tier fee | Autopilot: billed per pod resource requests, or per node with some compute classes |
| Serverless pods | Fargate: per vCPU and memory, per second | Virtual nodes via Container Instances | Autopilot |
| Commitment discounts | Savings Plans and Reserved Instances | Reservations and savings plan for compute | Committed use discounts |
EKS and GKE figures come from the Amazon EKS pricing page and the GKE pricing page. Microsoft lists AKS tier rates on its pricing page, and they vary by region. All prices change over time, so confirm current rates with each provider’s calculator.
A $0.10 hourly fee is about $73 a month per cluster, which is trivial for one production cluster and noticeable if every developer gets their own. That is where the AKS Free tier and the GKE free credit help. For the compute layer, see our guide to Reserved Instances vs Savings Plans and the FinOps guide.
Watch the hidden costs: load balancers, NAT gateways, cross-zone data transfer, public IPv4 addresses, persistent disks and log ingestion often add more than the control plane fee.
SLAs at a glance
| Service | Control plane SLA (per provider docs) |
|---|---|
| EKS | 99.95% for the standard control plane; 99.99% for the Provisioned Control Plane option |
| AKS | Standard and Premium tiers: 99.95% for the API server with availability zones, 99.9% without; Free tier has no financially backed SLA |
| GKE | 99.95% for Autopilot and regional Standard clusters; 99.5% for zonal Standard clusters; 99.9% for Autopilot pods in multiple zones |
These come from the EKS SLA, Microsoft’s AKS tier documentation and Google’s GKE pricing page. They cover the control plane, not your application. Your app’s availability depends on running multiple replicas across zones. Our guide on how to read a cloud SLA explains what credits you can actually claim.
How to choose: a step-by-step
- Start with your existing cloud. If most of your data, identity and networking already live in one provider, choose that provider’s service unless there is a strong reason not to.
- Decide how much node management you want. Small teams without dedicated platform engineers should start with the automated mode: EKS Auto Mode, AKS Automatic or GKE Autopilot.
- Count your clusters. Many small clusters make the control plane fee and free allowances matter. One or 2 large clusters make compute pricing and commitments matter.
- Check version and compliance needs. Regulated teams that upgrade slowly should compare extended support costs and AKS Long Term Support.
- Run a 2-week proof of concept. Deploy one real service with your actual CI/CD pipeline, ingress, secrets and monitoring. The friction you feel there is the best predictor.
- Keep portability cheap. Use Helm or Kustomize, store configuration in Git and avoid provider-specific annotations where you can. Our guide to avoiding cloud vendor lock-in covers the trade-offs.
Conclusion
EKS, AKS and GKE run the same Kubernetes, so the choice comes down to your cloud, your appetite for operations work and how your bill is structured. GKE Autopilot is the most hands-off, AKS has the friendliest entry pricing for dev clusters, and EKS rewards teams already built on AWS. Pick the one that matches your cloud, start with its automated mode, and spend your energy on the parts that are truly yours: workloads, security and cost.
Sources
- Amazon EKS pricing — cluster fees, extended support, Auto Mode and Fargate pricing models
- Amazon EKS Service Level Agreement — control plane uptime commitments and credit tiers
- Microsoft Learn: AKS Free, Standard and Premium pricing tiers — tier features, node limits, uptime SLA and Long Term Support
- Azure Kubernetes Service pricing — AKS tiers, AKS Automatic and purchase options
- Google Kubernetes Engine pricing — cluster management fee, free tier credit, extended period fee and SLA figures
Frequently asked questions
Which is cheapest: EKS, AKS or GKE?
It depends on cluster count and compute. EKS and GKE charge $0.10 per cluster per hour for the control plane, and GKE gives a $74.40 monthly credit per billing account. AKS has a Free tier with no control plane fee for dev and test clusters. For production, compute usually dominates, so compare node or pod pricing and commitment discounts for your actual workload.
Is GKE better than EKS?
GKE is generally easier to operate, especially in Autopilot mode, and has strong defaults. EKS is usually the better choice if your applications and data already run on AWS, because its IAM, networking and load balancer integrations save more effort than GKE's simplicity. Neither is better in general; the right pick depends on where the rest of your stack lives.
What is the difference between GKE Autopilot and Standard?
In Autopilot, Google manages the nodes, and you mostly pay for the CPU, memory and storage your pods request. In Standard, you create and manage node pools and pay for the underlying virtual machines. Both pay the same $0.10 per cluster per hour management fee. Autopilot suits teams that want less operations work; Standard gives more control.
Does AKS have a free tier?
Yes. The AKS Free tier has no charge for cluster management, so you pay only for the resources you use. Microsoft recommends it for development, testing and learning, and for clusters under about 10 nodes. It has no financially backed uptime SLA, so production clusters should use the Standard or Premium tier, or AKS Automatic.
Can I move workloads between EKS, AKS and GKE?
Yes, mostly. All 3 run conformant upstream Kubernetes, so standard manifests and Helm charts move between them. What doesn't move easily is the cloud-specific glue: IAM bindings, load balancer annotations, storage classes, secrets integrations and managed databases. Keeping configuration in Git and isolating provider-specific settings makes a later move much cheaper.
What is EKS Auto Mode?
EKS Auto Mode lets AWS launch, scale and manage the EC2 instances that run your pods, instead of you managing node groups yourself. You pay the normal EC2 price plus a separate Auto Mode management fee for each instance it manages, billed per second. It is AWS's answer to GKE Autopilot and AKS Automatic.
Do I need Kubernetes at all?
Not always. If you run a handful of services, a simpler platform such as a managed container service, a platform-as-a-service or serverless functions may cost less and need less expertise. Kubernetes pays off when you run many services, need portability or want a consistent platform across teams and environments.
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Manishdai
Manishdai writes about the technology that is reshaping every industry — from AI agents and cloud platforms to healthtech, fintech and the IT companies building it all across the United States.
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