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Backup · head to head

Rubrik Cloud Data Management vs Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Rubrik Cloud Data Management logo

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

Backup

Zero trust data security for modern enterprises

From
$100/varies
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: Rubrik Cloud Data Management requires substantial upfront investment with enterprise pricing models; 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: Rubrik Cloud Data Management covers Zero trust data security, 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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes actually diverge.

Attributes where Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes differ
AttributeRubrik Cloud Data ManagementVeeam Kasten for Kubernetes
Starting price$100/variesFree
Pricing modelUnknownPer worker node
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, On-Premises, HybridKubernetes, Linux
Founded2014Unknown

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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management

  • Zero trust data security
  • Instant recovery
  • Data classification
  • Compliance automation
  • API-first architecture
  • VMware
  • AWS
  • Azure

Only in Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • Application-aware capture
  • Policy engine
  • Immutable targets
  • Restore transformation
  • Database hooks

Both cover

  • Ransomware detection

What people use each for

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

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

  • Data protectionnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Disaster recoverynot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Business continuitynot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Ransomware protectionnot Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes
  • Compliancenot 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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • Migrating a stateful application from on-premises OpenShift to a managed cloud Kubernetes servicenot Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • Protecting Kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backupsnot Rubrik Cloud Data Management
  • A team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capturenot Rubrik Cloud Data Management

Where each one falls short

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

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

  • Requires substantial upfront investment with enterprise pricing models
  • Complex implementation and integration with existing infrastructure
  • Complex configuration with many options for policies, bulk operations limits, and error handling
  • Limited built-in analytics compared to some competitors

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

Rubrik Cloud Data Management

$100/varies

No published plan breakdown. See the Rubrik Cloud Data Management review.

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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management if

  • You need zero trust data security.
  • You work on Cloud, On-Premises, Hybrid.
  • You also want instant recovery.
Rubrik Cloud Data Management 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 Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes better?
Neither clearly leads. Rubrik Cloud Data Management starts at $100/varies 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, Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $100/varies for Rubrik Cloud Data Management and Free for Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes.
Does Rubrik Cloud Data Management or Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes run on more platforms?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management runs on Cloud, On-Premises, Hybrid. 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. Rubrik Cloud Data Management starts at $100/varies.
What is Rubrik Cloud Data Management best used for?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management is most often used for data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, ransomware protection. Of those, data protection and disaster recovery are not what Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is typically brought in for.
What can Rubrik Cloud Data Management do that Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes cannot?
Rubrik Cloud Data Management covers Zero trust data security, Instant recovery, Data classification, Compliance automation. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Policy engine, Immutable targets, Restore transformation. Both handle Ransomware detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: What ransomware protection does Rubrik offer?

Rubrik offers immutable backups that cannot be altered or deleted, providing zero trust data security. Enterprise customers receive a $10M ransomware recovery warranty for both on-premises and Rubrik managed cloud environments.

Source
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.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: How quickly can Rubrik recover from data loss?

Rubrik enables near-instantaneous recovery of virtual machines and databases, minimizing downtime. Global Real-Time Search provides Google-like search across all backups to quickly locate and restore specific files.

Source
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.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: What cloud platforms does Rubrik support?

Rubrik supports cloud mobility across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, enabling data migration and replication to various cloud platforms.

Source
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.

Rubrik Cloud Data Management: Does Rubrik reduce storage requirements?

Yes, Rubrik uses global deduplication to eliminate redundant data across all backups, significantly reducing storage requirements and optimizing storage efficiency.

Source
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