Stakater Cloud vs hyperscaler-native OpenShift and Kubernetes.
Hyperscalers manage the cluster. Stakater Cloud manages the whole platform — GitOps, CI/CD, secrets, observability, multi-tenancy — and hosts it in the EU. Pick a service below for a side-by-side comparison.
Stakater Cloud vs every alternative, side by side.
Twelve capabilities across all seven alternatives. The fastest way to see where the gaps are — pick a card below for the detailed side-by-side.
| Capability | Stakater Cloud | ROSA | ARO | OSD | EKS | AKS | GKE | Self-managed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenShift control plane managed for you | ||||||||
| OpenShift (not vanilla Kubernetes) | ||||||||
| EU-based operator (no US parent) | Your choice | |||||||
| EU data residency by default | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | Your choice | |
| GitOps pre-configured (ArgoCD) | ||||||||
| CI/CD pre-configured (Tekton) | ||||||||
| Secrets management (OpenBao) | ||||||||
| Multi-tenancy (MTO) | ||||||||
| Full observability stack | Basic | Basic | Basic | Basic | ||||
| Flat monthly pricing | ||||||||
| No separate cloud account needed | Your choice | |||||||
| Time to first workload | < 15 min | Days–weeks | Days–weeks | Days–weeks | Months | Months | Months | Months |
Stakater Cloud column highlighted OSD = Red Hat OpenShift Dedicated
Same OpenShift. Different operator, different jurisdiction, different scope.
vs ROSA
Red Hat's OpenShift, operated by AWS. Stakater Cloud runs the same OpenShift control plane in the EU, adds the developer platform above it, and bills as a flat monthly fee instead of an AWS line item.
See the full comparisonvs ARO
Microsoft's OpenShift on Azure. Stakater Cloud removes the Azure dependency and US-jurisdiction exposure, hosts in the Netherlands, and pre-wires the developer platform.
See the full comparisonvs OpenShift Dedicated
Red Hat's own managed OpenShift on AWS or GCP — the default option for OpenShift on GCP, since there's no Red Hat + Google joint offering. Stakater Cloud hosts in the EU and removes the cloud-account dependency entirely.
See the full comparisonYou get a cluster. We give you the platform that runs on top of one.
vs EKS
Amazon's managed Kubernetes control plane. Stakater Cloud gives you OpenShift instead — with the platform layer built and operated for you, not 6–18 months of in-house engineering.
See the full comparisonvs AKS
Microsoft's managed Kubernetes. Stakater Cloud replaces it with enterprise OpenShift plus a full pre-wired platform, operated by a Red Hat Premier Partner in the EU.
See the full comparisonvs GKE
Google's managed Kubernetes — including Autopilot. Stakater Cloud swaps it for managed OpenShift with the full platform layer above the cluster, hosted in Amsterdam.
See the full comparisonAlready running OpenShift yourself? The platform team behind it might be your most expensive line item.
vs Self-managed OpenShift
The hidden cost of self-managed OpenShift isn't the Red Hat subscription — it's the 3–6 platform engineers behind it, the upgrade weekends, and the 6–18 months a self-built platform takes to reach production parity. Stakater Cloud is the same OpenShift, operated for you, with the developer platform included.
See the full comparisonWant a side-by-side review of your current setup?
Book a 30-minute call. We'll walk through how Stakater Cloud stacks up against your existing or shortlisted platform — no sales pitch, just an honest comparison.