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Backup · head to head

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes vs Zerto

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes logo

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

Backup

Kubernetes-native backup, disaster recovery and application mobility

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zerto logo

Zerto

File Storage

Continuous data protection with near-zero RPO

From
$5/month
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: 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.; Zerto zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
  • They diverge on capability: Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Zerto covers Continuous data protection.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes and Zerto actually diverge.

Attributes where Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes and Zerto differ
AttributeVeeam Kasten for KubernetesZerto
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelPer worker nodesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsKubernetes, LinuxWindows, Linux, Web
CategoryBackupFile Storage
FoundedUnknown2009

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

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

Only in Zerto

  • Continuous data protection
  • Journal-based recovery
  • Automated failover
  • Non-disruptive testing
  • Multi-cloud mobility
  • Long-term retention
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

What people use each for

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

Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes

  • A platform team that must prove to auditors it can restore a production namespace, not just its disksnot Zerto
  • Migrating a stateful application from on-premises OpenShift to a managed cloud Kubernetes servicenot Zerto
  • Protecting Kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backupsnot Zerto
  • A team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capturenot Zerto

Zerto

  • 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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Zerto

  • Zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Zerto

$5/month
  • Zerto Enterprise Cloud$5/month
    • Continuous protection
    • Journal-based recovery
    • Multi-cloud mobility

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Zerto if

  • You need continuous data protection.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want journal-based recovery.
Zerto review

Questions people ask

Is Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes or Zerto better?
Neither clearly leads. Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes starts at Free and Zerto at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes or Zerto?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes and $5/month for Zerto.
Does Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes or Zerto run on more platforms?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes runs on Kubernetes, Linux. Zerto runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
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. Zerto starts at $5/month.
What is Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes best used for?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes is most often used for a platform team that must prove to auditors it can restore a production namespace, not just its disks, migrating a stateful application from on-premises openshift to a managed cloud kubernetes service, protecting kubernetes workloads to an immutable object store so ransomware cannot delete the backups, a team using operators and custom resources that volume-snapshot tools silently fail to capture. Of those, a platform team that must prove to auditors it can restore a production namespace, not just its disks and migrating a stateful application from on-premises openshift to a managed cloud kubernetes service are not what Zerto is typically brought in for.
What can Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes do that Zerto cannot?
Veeam Kasten for Kubernetes covers Application-aware capture, Policy engine, Immutable targets, Restore transformation. Zerto covers Continuous data protection, Journal-based recovery, Automated failover, Non-disruptive testing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Zerto: Can I try Zerto before buying?

Yes, Zerto offers a 14-day free trial or on-demand lab access to test the platform.

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.

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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