Developer Tools · head to head
Namespace vs Okteto
Namespace
Developer Tools
The dev platform for the next 100 billion commits
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Okteto
Developer Tools
Runs production-like development environments on your own Kubernetes cluster
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Namespace developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear; Okteto two of the three plans publish no price at all, with no currency and no billing period stated anywhere, so any budget above five seats requires a sales conversation before you can even compare it with an alternative.
- They diverge on capability: Namespace covers Devboxes, Okteto covers Cluster development environments.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Namespace and Okteto actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).
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 Namespace
- Devboxes
- GitHub Actions runners
- Docker builds
- Cross-invocation caching
- NVMe storage
- High-speed networking
- Multiple OS support
- Bazel and Turborepo support
Only in Okteto
- Cluster development environments
- File synchronisation
- Development containers
- Environment catalogue
- Preview environments
- Bring your own cloud
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Namespace
- Providing AI coding agents with cloud-based development environmentsnot Okteto
- Accelerating CI builds with faster GitHub Actions runnersnot Okteto
- Distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructurenot Okteto
- Scaling development velocity for monorepo organizationsnot Okteto
Okteto
- A microservices estate where no developer can run the full dependency graph on a laptopnot Namespace
- Giving each pull request a working environment reviewers can click rather than describenot Namespace
- Letting coding agents build and test against real databases and queues instead of mocksnot Namespace
- Removing a fleet of local Kubernetes installations that drift from production and produce false test resultsnot Namespace
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Namespace
- Developer plan is pay-as-you-go only; minimum usage unclear
- Team plan $100/mo is competitive but usage limits may be tight
- Devbox pricing separate at $0.004/minute could add up quickly
- Enterprise plan requires custom sales conversation
Okteto
- Two of the three plans publish no price at all, with no currency and no billing period stated anywhere, so any budget above five seats requires a sales conversation before you can even compare it with an alternative.
- The Apache-2.0 CLI is restricted to the development section of the manifest, so build services, user management and observability all require the commercial platform and the open licence provides very little continuity insurance.
- The last disclosed funding round is a 15 million US dollar Series A from February 2022 with nothing announced since, and the contributor base is dominated by company employees, which is concentrated risk for something embedded in every developer daily loop.
- You must bring and pay for the Kubernetes cluster, so node cost, capacity planning and version upgrades stay with your platform team on top of the licence fee.
- The 2026 repositioning towards AI agents means the classic developer inner loop is no longer what the marketing leads with, so a buyer purchasing that use case should confirm roadmap commitment rather than assume it.
Pricing, plan by plan
Namespace
Free- DeveloperFree
- Pay-as-you-go
- On-demand compute
- Docker builds
- Team$100/month
- 100,000 unit minutes
- 1,000 Docker builds
- Everything in Developer
- Business$250/month
- 250,000 unit minutes
- 2,500 Docker builds
- Everything in Team
- Enterprise$undefined/custom
- Custom compute/Docker build limits
- Audit log export
- Enterprise SSO
Okteto
Free- StarterFree
- 5 seats included
- Self-hosted deployment into your own cluster
- Community support
- Scale$undefined/year
- Contact sales, no price, currency or billing period published
- More seats and environments than Starter
- Self-hosted deployment
- Enterprise$undefined/year
- Contact sales, no price published
- Bring your own cloud deployment
- Available through Google Cloud and AWS marketplaces
Which should you pick?
Choose Namespace if
- You need devboxes.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux.
- You also want github actions runners.
Choose Okteto if
- You need cluster development environments.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, CLI, Kubernetes, Web.
- You also want file synchronisation.
Questions people ask
- Is Namespace or Okteto better?
- Neither clearly leads. Namespace starts at Free and Okteto at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Namespace or Okteto?
- Namespace starts at Free and Okteto at Free.
- Does Namespace or Okteto run on more platforms?
- Namespace runs on Cloud, Mac, Windows, Linux. Okteto runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, CLI, Kubernetes, Web.
- Can I use Namespace for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Namespace best used for?
- Namespace is most often used for providing ai coding agents with cloud-based development environments, accelerating ci builds with faster github actions runners, distributing builds across teams with managed infrastructure, scaling development velocity for monorepo organizations. Of those, providing ai coding agents with cloud-based development environments and accelerating ci builds with faster github actions runners are not what Okteto is typically brought in for.
- What can Namespace do that Okteto cannot?
- Namespace covers Devboxes, GitHub Actions runners, Docker builds, Cross-invocation caching. Okteto covers Cluster development environments, File synchronisation, Development containers, Environment catalogue.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Namespace: How is compute usage metered on the Developer plan?
Developer plan uses pay-as-you-go billing. Devboxes bill at $0.004 per minute. Storage and caching services have separate usage-based fees. A 30-day free trial is available to test usage patterns.
SourceOkteto: Is Okteto open source?
The CLI is Apache-2.0, but the README states it supports only the development section of the manifest. Everything operationally interesting, including builds, user management and observability, is in the commercial platform.
Namespace: What is the difference between Team and Business plans?
Team ($100/mo) includes 100,000 unit minutes and 1,000 Docker builds with email support. Business ($250/mo) includes 250,000 unit minutes, 2,500 Docker builds, and high concurrency with a dedicated Slack channel.
SourceOkteto: What does it cost?
Only the free Starter tier with five seats is published. Scale and Enterprise are both contact sales, with no price, currency or billing period disclosed on the pricing page.
Namespace: Can Namespace support AI coding agents?
Yes, Namespace Devboxes are specifically designed as feature-rich development environments for AI coding agents, with full tooling and performance optimization.
SourceOkteto: Do I need my own Kubernetes cluster?
Yes. Okteto installs into a cluster you provide and pay for, so capacity, upgrades and node costs remain your responsibility in addition to the licence.
Okteto: How is this different from running Kubernetes locally?
Environments run against the same managed databases, queues and service mesh as production, so a class of failures that only appears in a real cluster is caught before merge rather than after deploy.
Related pages
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