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Cloud · head to head

K3s vs Scaleway

K3s logo

K3s

Cloud

Lightweight certified Kubernetes distribution in a single binary

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Scaleway logo

Scaleway

Cloud

European cloud for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: K3s the SQLite default is single-server only; highly available control planes need etcd or an external datastore, which removes much of the simplicity; Scaleway no free tier or trial period mentioned on homepage
  • They diverge on capability: K3s covers Single binary, Scaleway covers Virtual Instances.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which K3s and Scaleway actually diverge.

Attributes where K3s and Scaleway differ
AttributeK3sScaleway
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeusage-based
PlatformsLinux, ARM, Self-hostedWeb, Api, Cli
FoundedUnknown1999

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

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 K3s

  • Single binary
  • SQLite by default
  • Certified conformant
  • Batteries included
  • Low resource footprint
  • Simple install

Only in Scaleway

  • Virtual Instances
  • Bare Metal
  • Kubernetes Kapsule
  • Object Storage
  • Serverless Functions
  • Managed Databases
  • Container Registry
  • Load Balancer

What people use each for

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

K3s

  • Kubernetes on edge sites and IoT hardware where full clusters will not fitnot Scaleway
  • Development and CI clusters that must start fast and cost nothingnot Scaleway
  • Small production clusters where full Kubernetes is more operations than the workload justifiesnot Scaleway
  • Teaching and learning Kubernetes without cloud spendnot Scaleway

Scaleway

  • Web hostingnot K3s
  • Container orchestrationnot K3s
  • Development environmentsnot K3s
  • Data storagenot K3s

Where each one falls short

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

K3s

  • The SQLite default is single-server only; highly available control planes need etcd or an external datastore, which removes much of the simplicity
  • Bundled components such as Traefik are opinionated defaults that larger teams often strip out and replace
  • Removed in-tree cloud provider integrations mean cloud-specific features need external controllers
  • Aimed at small and edge clusters, so very large deployments are better served by a standard distribution

Scaleway

  • No free tier or trial period mentioned on homepage
  • Specific pricing requires navigating to individual product category pages
  • Base pricing starts at 4.99 EUR per month but varies significantly by service type

Pricing, plan by plan

K3s

Free
  • K3sFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Scaleway

Free
  • DEV1-S$7.99/month
    • 2 vCPU
    • 2GB RAM
    • 20GB SSD

Which should you pick?

Choose K3s if

  • You need single binary.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, ARM, Self-hosted.
  • You also want sqlite by default.
K3s review

Choose Scaleway if

  • You need virtual instances.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal.
Scaleway review

Questions people ask

Is K3s or Scaleway better?
Neither clearly leads. K3s starts at Free and Scaleway at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, K3s or Scaleway?
K3s starts at Free and Scaleway at Free.
Does K3s or Scaleway run on more platforms?
K3s runs on Linux, ARM, Self-hosted. Scaleway runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use K3s for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is K3s best used for?
K3s is most often used for kubernetes on edge sites and iot hardware where full clusters will not fit, development and ci clusters that must start fast and cost nothing, small production clusters where full kubernetes is more operations than the workload justifies, teaching and learning kubernetes without cloud spend. Of those, kubernetes on edge sites and iot hardware where full clusters will not fit and development and ci clusters that must start fast and cost nothing are not what Scaleway is typically brought in for.
What can K3s do that Scaleway cannot?
K3s covers Single binary, SQLite by default, Certified conformant, Batteries included. Scaleway covers Virtual Instances, Bare Metal, Kubernetes Kapsule, Object Storage.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

K3s: Is K3s free?

Yes. K3s is open source with no licence fee. SUSE sells commercial support around Rancher separately.

Scaleway: Does Scaleway have a free tier?

Scaleway does not mention a free tier or trial period on its pricing or homepage. Users must select specific services to see rates.

Source
K3s: Is K3s real Kubernetes?

Yes. It is CNCF-certified conformant, so standard manifests, kubectl and Helm charts work without modification.

Scaleway: What is Scaleway's pricing model?

Scaleway uses transparent, usage-based pricing that varies by service. Different categories (bare metal, compute, AI, storage, network) have separate pricing. Dedibox servers start at 4.99 EUR per month.

Source
K3s: Why is K3s smaller than Kubernetes?

It strips legacy, alpha and in-tree cloud provider code, packages everything as one binary, and defaults to SQLite instead of etcd.

Scaleway: How does Scaleway billing work?

Scaleway emphasizes transparent, predictable billing where customers know exactly what they'll pay. Users must select products and view pricing within each category.

Source
K3s: Can K3s run in production?

Yes, and it does, particularly at the edge and for small clusters. For a highly available control plane you need to move off the SQLite default to etcd or an external datastore.

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