Is Hasura or Rook better?

Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and Rook at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Hasura or Rook?

Hasura starts at Free and Rook at Free.

Does Hasura or Rook run on more platforms?

Hasura runs on Web. Rook runs on Linux, Kubernetes.

Can I use Hasura for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Hasura best used for?

Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what Rook is typically brought in for.

What can Hasura do that Rook cannot?

Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL. Rook covers Ceph operator, Block, file and object, Erasure coding, CSI driver.

APIs · head to head

Hasura vs Rook

Hasura

APIs

GraphQL engine that instantly creates production-ready GraphQL API from databases

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Rook

Cloud

Kubernetes operator that deploys and manages Ceph storage clusters

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Hasura active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly; Rook rook automates Ceph but does not abstract it, so an incident still demands Ceph expertise, and organisations without it end up hiring consultants at exactly the wrong moment.
They diverge on capability: Hasura covers GraphQL API, Rook covers Ceph operator.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Hasura and Rook actually diverge.

Attributes where Hasura and Rook differ
Attribute	Hasura	Rook
Pricing model	freemium	Open source, no licence fee
Platforms	Web	Linux, Kubernetes
Category	APIs	Cloud
Founded	2017	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Hasura

GraphQL API
Real-time subscriptions
Access control
PostgreSQL
MySQL
Webhooks
REST APIs
Cloud support

Only in Rook

Ceph operator
Block, file and object
Erasure coding
CSI driver
Automated upgrades
Multi-cluster mirroring

What people use each for

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

Hasura

Automatic GraphQL API generation from existing databasesnot Rook
Real-time data subscriptions for modern applicationsnot Rook
Backend infrastructure for web and mobile applicationsnot Rook
Event-triggered webhooks for database changesnot Rook

Rook

An on-premises Kubernetes platform needing block, shared filesystem and S3 storage without buying three productsnot Hasura
A team that already runs Ceph and wants its lifecycle managed declaratively inside Kubernetesnot Hasura
A large cluster where three-way replication overhead is unaffordable and erasure coding is requirednot Hasura
An organisation building a private cloud that cannot use managed cloud storage services for residency reasonsnot Hasura

Where each one falls short

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

Hasura

Active model definition: model/command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly
Private DDN requires Base or Advanced plan

Rook

Rook automates Ceph but does not abstract it, so an incident still demands Ceph expertise, and organisations without it end up hiring consultants at exactly the wrong moment.
There is no vendor and no SLA; the realistic commercial support routes are IBM Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation or an independent Ceph consultancy, both of which change the cost picture entirely.
Ceph is resource hungry, needing substantial memory and dedicated disks per OSD, so the hardware cost of a properly sized cluster is often underestimated.
Recovery and rebalancing after a disk or node failure generates heavy background input and output that can degrade application performance for hours, which surprises teams sizing for steady state.
Minimum viable clusters require several nodes with several disks each, so it is impractical at small scale and the entry hardware cost exceeds simpler alternatives.

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

Free

DDN FreeFree
- Unlimited models
- 1 supergraph developer
- 15-minute observability retention
DDN Base$5/month
- Per active model billing
- Unlimited developers
- 30-day observability retention
DDN Advanced$30/month
- Per active model billing
- Federated collaboration
- Multi-repo CI/CD

Rook

Free

RookFree
- Apache 2.0 licensed, no licence fee
- Graduated CNCF project
- Community support via GitHub and Slack only

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

You need graphql api.
You want to start without paying.
You also want real-time subscriptions.

Hasura review

Choose Rook if

You need ceph operator.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Kubernetes.
You also want block, file and object.

Rook review

Questions people ask

Is Hasura or Rook better?: Neither clearly leads. Hasura starts at Free and Rook at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hasura or Rook?: Hasura starts at Free and Rook at Free.
Does Hasura or Rook run on more platforms?: Hasura runs on Web. Rook runs on Linux, Kubernetes.
Can I use Hasura for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Hasura best used for?: Hasura is most often used for automatic graphql api generation from existing databases, real-time data subscriptions for modern applications, backend infrastructure for web and mobile applications, event-triggered webhooks for database changes. Of those, automatic graphql api generation from existing databases and real-time data subscriptions for modern applications are not what Rook is typically brought in for.
What can Hasura do that Rook cannot?: Hasura covers GraphQL API, Real-time subscriptions, Access control, PostgreSQL. Rook covers Ceph operator, Block, file and object, Erasure coding, CSI driver.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Hasura: How much does Hasura cost?

Hasura DDN Free is free. DDN Base starts at $5/active model/month, and DDN Advanced starts at $30/active model/month.

Source

Rook: Who supports it in production?

Nobody by default. IBM sells Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation, which is supported Rook and Ceph, and independent consultancies sell Ceph support. Decide this before deployment.

Hasura: What is an active model in Hasura pricing?

An active model is defined as any model or command accessed more than 1,000 times monthly.

Source

Rook: Does it need Ceph knowledge?

Yes. Rook handles deployment and routine operations, but troubleshooting a degraded cluster is a Ceph skill and there is no way around it.

Hasura: Is there a free version of Hasura?

Yes, Hasura DDN Free is always free and includes unlimited models, 1 supergraph developer, and 15-minute observability retention.

Source

Rook: Can it replace an object storage appliance?

Functionally yes, through the RADOS gateway, but you take on the operations that an appliance vendor would otherwise carry.

Hasura vs Rook

Hasura

Rook

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Hasura

Only in Rook

What people use each for

Hasura

Rook

Where each one falls short

Hasura

Rook

Pricing, plan by plan

Hasura

Rook

Which should you pick?

Choose Hasura if

Choose Rook if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Hasura

More on Rook

Keep looking

Other head to heads