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Backup · head to head

Dell EMC NetWorker vs Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Dell EMC NetWorker logo

Dell EMC NetWorker

Backup

Unified data protection for the enterprise

From
$80/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes logo

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Backup

Kubernetes-native backup, disaster recovery and application mobility

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • They diverge on capability: Dell EMC NetWorker covers ProtectPoint integration, Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dell EMC NetWorker and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes actually diverge.

Attributes where Dell EMC NetWorker and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes differ
AttributeDell EMC NetWorkerVeeam Kasten for Kubernetes
Starting price$80/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer worker node
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWindows, Linux, WebKubernetes, Linux
Founded1984Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Backup).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Dell EMC NetWorker

  • ProtectPoint integration
  • Instant access
  • Cloud tiering
  • Federated deduplication
  • Block-based backup
  • Virtual synthetic full
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Only in Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • Application-aware capture
  • Policy engine
  • Immutable targets
  • Restore transformation
  • Database hooks
  • Ransomware detection

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Dell EMC NetWorker

  • Data protectionnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Disaster recoverynot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Business continuitynot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Ransomware protectionnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Compliancenot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • A platform team that must prove to auditors it can restore a production namespace, not just its disksnot Dell EMC NetWorker
  • Migrating a stateful application from on-premises OpenShift to a managed cloud Kubernetes servicenot Dell EMC NetWorker
  • Protecting Kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backupsnot Dell EMC NetWorker
  • A team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capturenot Dell EMC NetWorker

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Dell EMC NetWorker

Nothing recorded yet. See the Dell EMC NetWorker review.

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • Licensing is per worker node, so clusters designed with many small nodes for scheduling flexibility pay considerably more than the same capacity in fewer large nodes.
  • The free Starter edition is scale limited and community supported, so it works for evaluation and small clusters but there is no gentle upgrade path when production grows past the limit.
  • Backup performance depends on the underlying CSI driver snapshot capability, so on storage without proper CSI snapshot support it falls back to slower generic copying.
  • Restores into a different cluster need matching custom resource definitions and operator versions present beforehand, so cross-cluster mobility is less automatic than the marketing suggests.
  • Kasten protects Kubernetes only, so organisations with mixed virtual machine and container estates run it alongside a separate backup product and manage two retention policies and two sets of evidence.

Pricing, plan by plan

Dell EMC NetWorker

$80/month
  • NetWorker$80/month
    • ProtectPoint
    • Instant access
    • Cloud tiering

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Functionally the same as Enterprise
    • Limited on scale and support
    • Intended for evaluation and small non-production clusters
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Licensed per worker node, quoted annually
    • Available through AWS, Azure and Google Cloud marketplaces
    • Vendor support with SLAs

Which should you pick?

Choose Dell EMC NetWorker if

  • You need protectpoint integration.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want instant access.
Dell EMC NetWorker review

Choose Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes if

  • You need application-aware capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Linux.
  • You also want policy engine.
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes review

Questions people ask

Is Dell EMC NetWorker or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes better?
Neither clearly leads. Dell EMC NetWorker starts at $80/month and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dell EMC NetWorker or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $80/month for Dell EMC NetWorker and Free for Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes.
Does Dell EMC NetWorker or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes run on more platforms?
Dell EMC NetWorker runs on Windows, Linux, Web. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes runs on Kubernetes, Linux.
Can I use Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes for free?
Yes. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Dell EMC NetWorker starts at $80/month.
What is Dell EMC NetWorker best used for?
Dell EMC NetWorker is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is typically brought in for.
What can Dell EMC NetWorker do that Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes cannot?
Dell EMC NetWorker covers ProtectPoint integration, Instant access, Cloud tiering, Federated deduplication. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Policy engine, Immutable targets, Restore transformation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dell EMC NetWorker: How much does Dell EMC Networker cost?

Pricing information for Dell EMC Networker is not publicly available online. Contact Dell directly for enterprise data protection software pricing and licensing options.

Source
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: Is Kasten K10 still a product?

It is now sold as Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes. The kasten.io domain redirects to Veeam and the documentation still lives at docs.kasten.io.

Dell EMC NetWorker: What licensing options does Dell EMC Networker offer?

Specific licensing options and pricing tiers for Networker are not disclosed on accessible web pages. Dell sales team provides custom quotes based on enterprise backup and recovery requirements.

Source
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: Is there a free edition?

Yes, the Starter edition is free and functionally complete but limited on scale and support, aimed at evaluation and small non-production clusters.

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes: How is Enterprise licensed?

Per worker node. Count your nodes, not your capacity, before comparing quotes, because node sizing directly changes the price.

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