vs.
Move beyond Red-Hat OpenShift.
OpenShift adds layers of complexity to Kubernetes. Qovery removes them - and adds AI.
The shift
From legacy platform management
to agentic Kubernetes.
Qovery removes the operational weight introduced by OpenShift while keeping your clusters standard, portable, and fully owned by your team.
The Red-Hat OpenShift approach
Per-core licensing inflation
Costs scale with CPU cores, not value delivered. As workloads grow, so does the bill - unpredictably.
Proprietary operators & upgrades
OpenShift-specific operators, build pipelines, and upgrade paths create operational overhead your team has to maintain.
Red Hat-certified infrastructure required
You're locked into Red Hat-certified infrastructure and opinionated setups, limiting cloud flexibility.
No AI or agent capabilities
OpenShift has no MCP Server, no AI Skill, no agentic workflows. It was designed before AI agents existed.
The Qovery approach
Predictable per-cluster pricing
Costs scale with your infrastructure footprint, not CPU cores. No license inflation surprises.
Zero proprietary lock-in
Standard Kubernetes resources. Your clusters remain vanilla EKS, GKE, or AKS - unchanged if you leave.
Automated Day-2 operations
Lifecycle management, cost control, and environment cleanup run on autopilot. No specialized expertise needed.
AI agents manage your infra
MCP Server, AI Skill, and CLI agents let humans and AI deploy, optimize, and debug together.
Detailed comparison
How they stack up.
A side-by-side look at what each platform delivers - including the AI capabilities that define modern infrastructure.
Qovery
Red-Hat OpenShift
AI & agent support
MCP Server, AI Skill, CLI agents, agentic workflows.
No AI capabilities.
Core approach
Enterprise Control Plane on your existing K8s (EKS, AKS, GKE).
Full platform stack: a complete Kubernetes distribution and ecosystem.
Infrastructure
Cloud-agnostic; uses your managed or self-managed clusters.
Requires Red Hat-certified infrastructure and opinionated setups.
Migration effort
Minimal: plugs into existing apps without rebuilding the stack.
High: requires platform migration and app re-onboarding.
Developer experience
Modern, self-service UX with automated guardrails.
Heavyweight workflows coupled to OpenShift-specific tooling.
Day-2 operations
Automated lifecycle, cost control, and environment cleanup.
Powerful but complex; requires specialized OpenShift expertise.
Vendor lock-in
Low: Kubernetes-first; easy to move between clouds.
High: tight coupling to the Red Hat commercial model.
Security & compliance
Centralized RBAC and environment templates across any K8s.
Tied to Red Hat-specific security tools and processes.
Total cost (ROI)
High ROI; leverages existing K8s investments.
Higher TCO due to licensing and specialized ops staff.
No lock-in
Qovery adapts to your stack,
not the other way around.
While OpenShift forces you into their proprietary ecosystem, Qovery enhances the tools you already use.
No proprietary wrappers
We deploy standard Kubernetes resources. If you leave Qovery, your clusters are still standard EKS/GKE/AKS. No "OpenShift-isms" to unlearn.
BYO-Everything
Bring your own Helm charts, Dockerfiles, CI/CD, log tools - Qovery adapts to your tech stack, not the other way around.
Full API/CLI access
Everything you can do in the UI, you can do via CLI, Terraform Provider, or MCP Server for AI agents.
“
The core promise of Qovery for me is to be able to delegate the "tinkering." I tell it what I want to do, and it gets done automatically. We have all the flexibility of Kubernetes while keeping it simple. It's a 100% gain.
Jean-Baptiste
Infrastructure Lead @Alan
Frequently asked questions
Qovery vs Red-Hat OpenShift
What is the best alternative to Red Hat OpenShift?
Qovery is a modern alternative to OpenShift that runs on standard Kubernetes (EKS, GKE, AKS) without proprietary operators or per-core licensing. You get automated Day-2 operations, built-in AI agent support via MCP Server, and predictable per-cluster pricing - without the Red Hat lock-in.
How much does OpenShift cost compared to Qovery?
OpenShift uses per-core licensing that scales with CPU, making costs unpredictable as workloads grow. Qovery uses predictable per-cluster pricing on top of your existing Kubernetes. Most teams see 40-60% lower TCO because there is no license inflation and no need for specialized OpenShift engineers.
Can I migrate from OpenShift to Qovery without downtime?
Yes. Qovery plugs into your existing Kubernetes clusters without requiring a full platform migration. You can run Qovery alongside OpenShift during transition, move workloads incrementally, and your clusters remain standard EKS/GKE/AKS throughout.
Does OpenShift support AI agents and MCP?
No. OpenShift was built before AI agents existed and has no MCP Server, no AI Skill, and no agentic workflows. Qovery is AI-native - Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and any MCP-compatible agent can deploy, scale, and debug infrastructure through conversation.
Why do companies leave OpenShift?
The top reasons we hear from the 200+ CTOs we have interviewed: per-core licensing costs that balloon as you scale, proprietary operators that create vendor lock-in, mandatory Red Hat-certified infrastructure, and the lack of AI/agent capabilities in an era where every team needs them.
Built for what's next
OpenShift was built for the enterprise Kubernetes of 2015.
Qovery is built for 2026.
Your AI agents need a platform that speaks their language. Qovery's MCP Server, AI Skill, and agentic workflows let humans and agents deploy, optimize, and secure together - from a single conversation.