Is Portworx or SST better?

Neither clearly leads. Portworx starts at $0.33/node hour and SST at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Portworx or SST?

SST has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.33/node hour for Portworx and Free for SST.

Does Portworx or SST run on more platforms?

Portworx runs on Linux. SST runs on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.

Can I use SST for free?

Yes. SST has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Portworx starts at $0.33/node hour.

What is Portworx best used for?

Portworx is most often used for running a production postgresql or cassandra cluster on kubernetes and needing the data to survive node loss, a platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal kubernetes platform, failing over stateful applications between clusters in different regions as a disaster recovery position, an openshift estate where the built-in storage option does not meet the availability requirement for stateful sets. Of those, running a production postgresql or cassandra cluster on kubernetes and needing the data to survive node loss and a platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal kubernetes platform are not what SST is typically brought in for.

What can Portworx do that SST cannot?

Portworx covers Container-native volumes, Failure domain placement, Volume encryption, Database automation. SST covers Single config file, Resource linking, Local development, Multi-cloud support.

Cloud · head to head

Portworx vs SST

Portworx

Cloud

Kubernetes-native storage and data services, priced by the node hour

From: $0.33/node hour
Rated: -

Full review Website

SST

Cloud

Build full-stack apps on your own infrastructure

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only SST has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Portworx bare metal nodes are charged at 1.11 USD per node hour against 0.33 for virtual nodes, so a bare metal cluster costs more than three times a virtualised one for identical capability.; SST primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
They diverge on capability: Portworx covers Container-native volumes, SST covers Single config file.
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Portworx and SST actually diverge.

Attributes where Portworx and SST differ
Attribute	Portworx	SST
Starting price	$0.33/node hour	Free
Pricing model	Per node hour	Unknown
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Linux	AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js

Identical on both: 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 Portworx

Container-native volumes
Failure domain placement
Volume encryption
Database automation
Disaster recovery
Autopilot capacity management
Hardware independence

Only in SST

Single config file
Resource linking
Local development
Multi-cloud support
Multiple deployment stages
VPC tunneling

What people use each for

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

Portworx

Running a production PostgreSQL or Cassandra cluster on Kubernetes and needing the data to survive node lossnot SST
A platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal Kubernetes platformnot SST
Failing over stateful applications between clusters in different regions as a disaster recovery positionnot SST
An OpenShift estate where the built-in storage option does not meet the availability requirement for stateful setsnot SST

SST

Deploying Next.js frontends with serverless backendsnot Portworx
Managing databases and storage alongside application codenot Portworx
Creating staging environments for feature testingnot Portworx

Where each one falls short

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

Portworx

Bare metal nodes are charged at 1.11 USD per node hour against 0.33 for virtual nodes, so a bare metal cluster costs more than three times a virtualised one for identical capability.
A 1,000 node hour monthly minimum applies, which means small or intermittent clusters pay for capacity they do not consume.
Replicating volumes across nodes consumes real capacity and network bandwidth, so the underlying infrastructure cost rises alongside the licence in a way the node hour rate does not show.
Pure Storage ownership means roadmap priorities are set by an array vendor, and buyers should confirm that hardware independence remains contractual rather than assumed.
Operating it well requires Kubernetes storage expertise, and teams that adopted Kubernetes to simplify operations often find they have added a distributed storage system to run.

SST

Primarily optimized for AWS with Cloudflare support
Learning curve for developers unfamiliar with infrastructure concepts
Limited documentation for some advanced use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Portworx

$0.33/node hour

Portworx Enterprise on virtual machine nodes$0.33/node hour
- Minimum 1,000 node hours per month
- Replicated persistent volumes
- Encryption and disaster recovery
Portworx Enterprise on bare metal nodes$1.11/node hour
- Minimum 1,000 node hours per month
- Same capabilities on bare metal clusters
- Higher rate reflects node density

SST

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SST review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Portworx if

You need container-native volumes.
You work on Linux.
You also want failure domain placement.

Portworx review

Choose SST if

You need single config file.
You want to start without paying.
You work on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
You also want resource linking.

SST review

Questions people ask

Is Portworx or SST better?: Neither clearly leads. Portworx starts at $0.33/node hour and SST at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Portworx or SST?: SST has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $0.33/node hour for Portworx and Free for SST.
Does Portworx or SST run on more platforms?: Portworx runs on Linux. SST runs on AWS, Cloudflare, Node.js.
Can I use SST for free?: Yes. SST has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Portworx starts at $0.33/node hour.
What is Portworx best used for?: Portworx is most often used for running a production postgresql or cassandra cluster on kubernetes and needing the data to survive node loss, a platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal kubernetes platform, failing over stateful applications between clusters in different regions as a disaster recovery position, an openshift estate where the built-in storage option does not meet the availability requirement for stateful sets. Of those, running a production postgresql or cassandra cluster on kubernetes and needing the data to survive node loss and a platform team offering self-service databases to developers on an internal kubernetes platform are not what SST is typically brought in for.
What can Portworx do that SST cannot?: Portworx covers Container-native volumes, Failure domain placement, Volume encryption, Database automation. SST covers Single config file, Resource linking, Local development, Multi-cloud support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Portworx: Is Portworx tied to Pure Storage hardware?

No. It runs on any Kubernetes distribution over any underlying storage, though Pure has owned it since 2020 and sets the roadmap.

SST: Is SST free?

Yes, SST is open source and free. You only pay for cloud resources from AWS and other providers.

Source

Portworx: What does a real cluster cost?

At 0.33 USD per virtual node hour, twenty nodes running continuously is roughly 4,800 USD a month. Bare metal at 1.11 USD per node hour is around 16,000 USD for the same node count.

SST: What cloud providers does SST support?

SST supports over 150 providers through built-in AWS and Cloudflare components, plus Pulumi and Terraform providers.

Source

Portworx: Is backup included?

No. Portworx Backup is a separately priced product covering Kubernetes application backup.

Portworx vs SST

Portworx

SST

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Portworx

Only in SST

What people use each for

Portworx

SST

Where each one falls short

Portworx

SST

Pricing, plan by plan

Portworx

SST

Which should you pick?

Choose Portworx if

Choose SST if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Portworx

More on SST

Keep looking

Other head to heads