Glauco

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Glauco vs Aptakube

Aptakube, from Zandar Labs in Spain, is a desktop app that connects all your clusters on macOS, Windows and Linux. It is built with Tauri.[1],[5] Glauco is a desktop Kubernetes client for macOS, Windows and Linux that is read-first: it lets you browse and watch everything, and asks before every change. This page compares the two, with a source for every fact about Aptakube.

At a glance

PriceGlauco:A 14-day trial with every feature, for any use. Then free mode: one cluster, read-only, for personal, non-commercial use. Personal €29 or $29 a year. Team €39 or $39 per seat a year, minimum 3 seats. Enterprise on request.Aptakube:Free for clusters with up to 5 nodes, with every feature. Personal: €79 a year (one person, 2 devices). Team: €59 per seat a year (one device per seat). Local taxes may apply at checkout.[2]
PlatformsGlauco:macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon and Intel. Windows 10 or later on x64. Linux on x64, as .deb and .rpm. Updates are automatic on macOS and Windows, and come through apt and dnf on Linux.Aptakube:macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows 10 or later on x64, and Linux (.deb, .rpm, AppImage).[1]
Account or loginGlauco:No account. The trial and free mode need no key; a paid license is a key plus the seat's email.Aptakube:The free plan needs no license key. Paid plans use a license key; Team can also sign in with Okta, Entra ID, Google and others.[2]
TelemetryGlauco:None. Glauco contacts us only to check your license and for updates. Cluster data and credentials never leave your machine.Aptakube:For update checks, license checks and trials the app sends its version, the operating system name, and a device ID and name. The privacy policy says the apps have no cloud features; the website collects anonymous statistics with Plausible.[5]
Open sourceGlauco:NoAptakube:No. Its GitHub repository holds a README and issues, without source code or a licence.[7]
LicenceGlauco:Proprietary (Glauco terms)Aptakube:Proprietary EULA: licensed, not sold.[6]
Read-only by defaultGlauco:Read-first: every change asks first, and confirmation dialogs focus Cancel. Free mode is read-only.Aptakube:Not documented.

Where Aptakube is ahead

  • An AppImage for Linux.[1]
  • A free plan with every feature for clusters of up to 5 nodes, so small and local clusters cost nothing.[2]
  • Team licenses with single sign-on through Okta, Entra ID, Google and others.[2]
  • Connects to several clusters at the same time, shown as if they were one big cluster.[3],[4]
  • A resource diff across clusters or namespaces, to spot configuration drift.[4]
  • Pod and node metrics from metrics-server or Prometheus. Glauco reads metrics-server for pods and nodes, and Prometheus for pods and workloads only.[4]
  • Keyboard navigation in the style of k9s.[2]

Where Glauco is different

  • Glauco's free mode has no node limit: it covers one cluster of any size, read-only, for personal, non-commercial use.
  • A Glauco Personal license covers up to 3 installs, and each Team seat up to 3 installs.
  • No account and no sign-up. You download the app and connect to your clusters.
  • No telemetry. Nothing about your clusters, contexts or credentials leaves your machine.
  • Every change asks first: edit, apply, delete, scale, restart, cordon, drain, Helm rollback and uninstall. Confirmation dialogs focus Cancel and show destructive actions in red.
  • Your kubeconfig stays read-only: Glauco never writes to ~/.kube/config.
  • Reading Helm releases needs no helm binary: they come straight from their Secrets. Rollback and uninstall use the helm CLI on your PATH.

When to choose Aptakube instead

  • You want an AppImage on Linux.[1]
  • Your clusters have 5 nodes or fewer and you want every feature for free.[2]
  • Your team needs to sign in to licenses with single sign-on.[2]
  • You often look at several clusters at once, or compare resources between them.[3],[4]

Sources

Every source was checked October 2026. We make Glauco, so we are not neutral: if a fact here is wrong or out of date, write to support@glauco.app and we will fix it.

  1. 1.Aptakube: home page, checked October 2026. Used for: what Aptakube is, Tauri, platforms and download formats
  2. 2.Aptakube: pricing, checked October 2026. Used for: plans, prices, devices per license, SSO, multi-cluster view, k9s-style navigation
  3. 3.Aptakube: multi-cluster, checked October 2026. Used for: several clusters at the same time
  4. 4.GitHub: aptakube/aptakube README, checked October 2026. Used for: multi-cluster, resource diff, pod and node metrics
  5. 5.Aptakube: privacy policy, checked October 2026. Used for: what the app sends, no cloud features in the apps, Plausible on the website, the company address in Spain
  6. 6.Aptakube: EULA, checked October 2026. Used for: proprietary licence
  7. 7.GitHub: aptakube/aptakube, checked October 2026. Used for: the repository has no source code and no licence

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