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Backup · head to head

HYCU vs Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

HYCU logo

HYCU

Backup

Backup as a service spanning SaaS applications as well as infrastructure

From
On request
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.
  • Each has a real cost: HYCU pricing is quoted with different billing units for different services, so an estate spanning virtual machines, cloud and SaaS is billed three ways and annual forecasting becomes guesswork.; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: HYCU covers R-Cloud platform, 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 HYCU and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes actually diverge.

Attributes where HYCU and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes differ
AttributeHYCUVeeam Kasten for Kubernetes
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotePer worker node
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Linux, WindowsKubernetes, Linux

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 HYCU

  • R-Cloud platform
  • SaaS application backup
  • Nutanix and VMware backup
  • Cloud infrastructure backup
  • R-Graph
  • Development kit
  • Immutable backup targets

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.

HYCU

  • An organisation that has just realised its Okta, Jira and GitHub data is not covered by any backup product it ownsnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • A Nutanix environment needing agentless backup that understands the platform rather than treating it as generic virtual machinesnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • A mid-market IT team wanting one vendor across on premises virtual machines, cloud workloads and SaaS applicationsnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Building an immutable off-site copy with object lock to satisfy a cyber insurance requirementnot 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 HYCU
  • Migrating a stateful application from on-premises OpenShift to a managed cloud Kubernetes servicenot HYCU
  • Protecting Kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backupsnot HYCU
  • A team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capturenot HYCU

Where each one falls short

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

HYCU

  • Pricing is quoted with different billing units for different services, so an estate spanning virtual machines, cloud and SaaS is billed three ways and annual forecasting becomes guesswork.
  • Backup storage and cloud egress on restore are billed by your cloud provider rather than by HYCU, which means the recovery cost of a large incident appears on a different invoice and is rarely modelled in advance.
  • SaaS integration depth varies considerably by application, and a source appearing on the supported list does not guarantee that every object type within it is captured; verify the specific data you need.
  • Integrations built with the development kit may come from partners rather than HYCU, so the support path for a given source is worth establishing before you rely on it.
  • The product's Nutanix heritage still shows in feature depth, and organisations with predominantly VMware or physical estates often find the incumbent backup vendors more mature for those workloads.

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

HYCU

On request
  • HYCU R-Cloud$undefined/year
    • Consumption pricing by virtual machine, tebibyte or gibibyte depending on service
    • Different units for different data sources under one agreement
    • Cloud storage target costs billed separately by your provider

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 HYCU if

  • You need r-cloud platform.
  • You work on Web, Linux, Windows.
  • You also want saas application backup.
HYCU 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 HYCU or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes better?
Neither clearly leads. HYCU starts at On request 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, HYCU or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for HYCU and Free for Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes.
Does HYCU or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes run on more platforms?
HYCU runs on Web, Linux, Windows. 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. HYCU starts at On request.
What is HYCU best used for?
HYCU is most often used for an organisation that has just realised its okta, jira and github data is not covered by any backup product it owns, a nutanix environment needing agentless backup that understands the platform rather than treating it as generic virtual machines, a mid-market it team wanting one vendor across on premises virtual machines, cloud workloads and saas applications, building an immutable off-site copy with object lock to satisfy a cyber insurance requirement. Of those, an organisation that has just realised its okta, jira and github data is not covered by any backup product it owns and a nutanix environment needing agentless backup that understands the platform rather than treating it as generic virtual machines are not what Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is typically brought in for.
What can HYCU do that Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes cannot?
HYCU covers R-Cloud platform, SaaS application backup, Nutanix and VMware backup, Cloud infrastructure backup. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Policy engine, Immutable targets, Restore transformation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

HYCU: Is pricing published?

No. It is consumption based by virtual machine, tebibyte or gibibyte depending on the service, and quoted. Ask specifically which unit applies to each data source in your estate.

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.

HYCU: Does it really back up SaaS applications?

Yes, that is the main differentiator, with a long supported source list. Confirm the depth of coverage for the specific objects you need in each application.

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.

HYCU: Who holds the encryption keys?

Ask directly and get it in writing. Key custody differs by deployment model and it determines whether you can render backup copies unreadable independently of the vendor.

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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