Which Kubernetes platform is right for Scaleway?

If you only use Scaleway, Clusterward gives you a platform that controls Kapsule, Managed Database and Object Storage directly. If you run several clouds in parallel, Qovery serves you better; if you want to build everything yourself and have the team for it, DIY does.

Why is Clusterward so much cheaper than Qovery?

Clusterward doesn’t fund its own cloud abstraction, build infrastructure or multi-cloud maintenance. It controls one provider and sells no compute; you pay only by the number of clusters.

What can Qovery do that Clusterward can’t?

Preview environments per pull request, one interface for multiple cloud providers, and the Enterprise plan’s compliance evidence such as HIPAA or DORA.

What can DIY do that Clusterward can’t?

Arbitrary Kubernetes objects such as operators, service meshes and custom CRDs, as well as other clouds or on-premises. Clusterward only renders what it knows, and it stays with Scaleway.

In terms of licensing, yes. The costs are in the work: Terraform modules, charts, onboarding scripts, upgrades, certificates and onboarding new colleagues – usually all resting on one person, who then can’t go on vacation.

Can I switch from Qovery or a DIY setup without rebuilding?

Yes. You connect existing Kapsule clusters via kubeconfig and move them over service by service. The old solution keeps running until the last service has moved.

Where is the data on each of the three paths?

On all three paths, application data lives in your Scaleway project. The difference is the platform itself: Qovery is a vendor in France, Clusterward is developed in Hannover and operated in the EU.

How current are the prices in the comparison?

The Qovery figures come from the public pricing page, as of September 2026, Business plan billed annually. Check the provider’s current prices before making a decision.

Comparison

Kubernetes platforms compared: Clusterward, Qovery or DIY?

If you run Kubernetes on Scaleway, you have three options: build it yourself, buy a multi-cloud platform like Qovery, or use a control plane built only for Scaleway. Here you can see all three side by side – with numbers, and with the places where the others are better.

Clusterward vs. Qovery Clusterward vs. DIY

Three ways compared: DIY, Qovery and Clusterward by cost, clusters, customer onboarding, clouds and strengths — Three ways to run Kubernetes on Scaleway. Qovery prices per qovery.com/pricing (Business, annual contract), as of September 2026

In brief

What is a Kubernetes platform?

Comparing Kubernetes platforms means checking three things: what they cost, what they take off your team’s plate and where your data lives. A Kubernetes platform is the layer above the cluster that manages deployments, databases, domains, certificates and access – bought, like Qovery and Clusterward, or built yourself from Terraform, Helm and scripts.

The cluster itself is the same on all three paths: Scaleway Kapsule in your project. The difference is who does the work on top of it – and what that costs.

Three paths at a glance

DIY: Terraform, Helm, scripts, wiki
Qovery: Multi-cloud platform with CI/CD
Clusterward: Control plane for Scaleway only
Same for all: Kapsule, standard Kubernetes
Biggest difference: Price and customer onboarding

Criterion by criterion

How do Clusterward, Qovery and DIY differ?

Qovery figures from the public pricing page (Business plan, billed annually), as of September 2026. The details are in the two individual comparisons.

Criterion	DIY	Qovery	Clusterward
Price per month	No license, but staff time	$2,999	From €99
Clusters	Any number	3, each additional $399	10 for €299, unlimited for €799
Users	Any number	20	Unlimited
Cloud providers	Any	AWS, GCP, Azure, Scaleway	Scaleway
Customer onboarding	Script, usually without rollback	Not provided	Pipeline with offboarding and backup
Preview environments	If someone builds it	Yes	No
Secrets	Manual	Variables per environment	Secret manager with rotation
Monitoring	Your own stack	Observe package, $299 per cluster	Logs, uptime, alerts included
Data sovereignty	However it was built	Vendor in France	Vendor in Hannover, EU

Clusterward vs. Qovery

Qovery Business costs $2,999 per month for three clusters and twenty users; Clusterward Team costs €299 for ten clusters and unlimited users. Plus data sovereignty, cloud coverage and the migration path.

Read the comparison

Clusterward vs. DIY

The most common competitor is your own stack. What it means in terms of work, which safety nets are usually missing, and the three cases in which it is still the better choice.

Read the comparison

An honest assessment

When is which path the right one?

Every path has cases where it wins. We say the same three things in the demo.

DIY, if …

… you need operators, service meshes or custom CRDs, also run AWS, Hetzner or on-premises, or have an ops team that enjoys running Kubernetes itself and has the time for it.

Qovery, if …

… you run several cloud providers in parallel, need preview environments per pull request, or require evidence such as HIPAA or DORA from the Enterprise plan.

Clusterward, if …

… you run on Scaleway, want to create customers via a pipeline and tear them down cleanly again, have a small team without an ops department and need predictable costs.

Costs

What do three, ten and twenty clusters cost?

Platform fee only, per month, excluding cloud resources. Scaleway costs are the same on all three paths, because the resources are created in your own project. DIY costs no license, but it costs your team’s hours.

Clusters	DIY	Qovery Business	Clusterward
3	Staff time	$2,999	€299 (Team)
10	Staff time	$5,792	€299 (Team)
20	Staff time	$9,782	€799 (Platform)
Users included	Any number	20	Unlimited

Standards

What stays the same on every path?

Kubernetes
Standard objects on Scaleway Kapsule, readable with kubectl and usable without Clusterward.
Helm and cert-manager
Charts from the library, certificates from cert-manager, nothing proprietary in the cluster.
Your Scaleway project
Clusters, databases and buckets belong to your project and your bill, in every scenario.

Next steps

What comes after the comparison?

If you use Qovery today, you’ll find the migration path under Migrating from Qovery; if you’re coming from AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, see Moving from AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.

The plans with all their details are on Pricing, and the Glossary explains the terms from both comparisons. If you want to try Clusterward right away, start with Getting started.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about comparing Kubernetes platforms

If you only use Scaleway, Clusterward gives you a platform that controls Kapsule, Managed Database and Object Storage directly. If you run several clouds in parallel, Qovery serves you better; if you want to build everything yourself and have the team for it, DIY does.

Can’t find your question? Write to us – we usually reply on the same business day.

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Comparison on a real cluster

In the demo, we compare Clusterward with your current solution – on your applications instead of on spreadsheets.

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