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Compare open source and free tiers

vCluster is available in multiple tiers to serve different use cases, from open source community projects to enterprise production deployments. This guide explains the differences between the Open Source (OSS) and Free tiers, and how to get started with the Free tier.

Overview​

vCluster Open Source is the foundation of the vCluster project - fully open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It provides core virtual cluster features for development, testing, and production workloads.

vCluster Free tier builds on top of the open source version with enhanced features specifically designed for teams and organizations. The Free tier includes all OSS features plus additional capabilities at no cost.

For detailed pricing information across all tiers, see the vCluster Pricing page.

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The Free tier requires connecting your virtual cluster to the vCluster Platform for license validation, but remains free to use with no credit card required.

Sidebar badges

Documentation pages show tier badges in the sidebar: FREE (blue) requires Platform activation, ENTERPRISE (orange) requires a paid license. Pages without badges are OSS features available to everyone.

What's included in open source​

vCluster OSS provides the essential building blocks for virtual Kubernetes clusters:

  • Virtual Kubernetes clusters: Run fully isolated Kubernetes environments within a host cluster
  • Resource syncing: Automatic synchronization of pods, services, configmaps, secrets, and other core resources
  • Multi-namespace mode: Support for workloads spanning multiple namespaces
  • Backing store options: Choose between deployed etcd or SQLite for storing cluster state
  • Multiple Kubernetes distributions: Run k3s, k0s, vanilla Kubernetes, or EKS distros

What's added in Free tier​

The Free tier includes all OSS features plus:

Free tier limits​

The Free tier includes usage limits to ensure fair use:

ResourceFree tier limitEnterprise
Virtual cluster instances2Unlimited
HA virtual cluster instances1Unlimited
Total vCPUs64Custom
Total GPUs32Custom
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These limits apply across all virtual clusters in your Platform account.

How licensing works​

The Free tier requires connecting your virtual cluster to the vCluster Platform for license validation. The Platform handles all license management automatically - you don't need to manually configure license keys.

For details on Platform connectivity and API keys, see Platform API Key configuration.

note

Virtual clusters never stop functioning due to license issues. In the worst case, they fall back to the OSS feature set, ensuring your workloads continue running.

Activate the free tier​

Activate the vCluster Free tier using these steps:

Prerequisites​

  • A Kubernetes cluster (host cluster) where you'll deploy virtual clusters
  • kubectl installed and configured
  • The vCluster CLI installed

Step 1: Install the vCluster Platform​

Install the vCluster Platform in your Kubernetes cluster. See the Platform installation guide for detailed instructions. No credit card is required for the Free tier.

Step 2: Connect your virtual cluster​

After installing the Platform, connect existing virtual clusters or create new ones.

For existing virtual clusters:

# Log in to the Platform
vcluster platform login

# Add an existing vCluster to the Platform
vcluster platform add vcluster my-vcluster

For new virtual clusters, create them through the Platform UI or CLI - Free tier features are automatically enabled.

Step 3: Deploy with Free tier features​

When creating virtual clusters through the Platform, Free tier features like embedded etcd are automatically available:

vcluster.yaml
# Use embedded etcd (Free tier feature)
controlPlane:
  backingStore:
    etcd:
      embedded:
        enabled: true

Deploy your virtual cluster:

vcluster create my-vcluster --values vcluster.yaml

Step 4: Verify Free tier activation​

Check that your virtual cluster is connected and licensed in the Platform UI, or use the CLI:

# List virtual clusters managed by Platform
vcluster platform list vclusters

You should see your virtual cluster listed with the Free tier license status.

Comparison with enterprise tier​

Beyond the Free tier, vCluster offers Enterprise tiers (Dev, Prod, Scale) for production and compliance use cases. Enterprise adds features like sleep mode, external databases, SSO/audit logging, FIPS compliance, and air-gapped deployments.

For detailed pricing and feature comparison, see the vCluster Pricing page.

Frequently asked questions​

Is the Free tier really free?​

Yes, the Free tier is completely free. Creating a vCluster Platform account is required, but no credit card or payment is necessary.

Can OSS be used in production?​

Yes, vCluster OSS is production-ready and many organizations run it successfully. However, paid tiers offer additional features like high availability, advanced security, and enterprise support that are often required for production deployments.

What happens if a Free tier license expires?​

Free tier licenses don't expire as long as the Platform account remains active. If connectivity issues prevent license validation, virtual clusters continue operating with a grace period.

Can you upgrade from Free to a paid tier?​

Yes, upgrades are possible at any time from the vCluster Platform account settings. Existing virtual clusters automatically receive the new license without requiring redeployment.

Does OSS require platform connectivity?​

No, vCluster OSS operates completely independently without requiring any connection to the vCluster Platform. Only Free and paid tiers require Platform connectivity for license validation.

Next steps​