3-year cost calculator
Pre-filled for Red Hat OpenShift → Kubernetes (upstream). Adjust every figure with your own numbers.
Every figure here is an illustrative estimate, not a vendor quote. Defaults are editable starting points compiled from public information; real, binding pricing comes from the vendor or an authorized distributor. See our methodology.
All figures are illustrative and fully editable — adjust the cost-per-core and migration inputs with your own numbers. Not guaranteed vendor pricing (defaults reviewed May 2026). For a binding quote, use the request form below to reach an authorized distributor or partner.
Quick comparison: Red Hat OpenShift vs Kubernetes (upstream)
Common trade-offs teams weigh when staying on Red Hat OpenShift versus moving to Kubernetes (upstream). These are general, commonly-reported considerations — not statements of fact about any vendor — so check them against your own contract and the vendors' current terms.
- Already in production — no migration effort or risk
- Mature ecosystem with vendor support and SLAs
- Per-core subscription across worker nodes is costly
- Bundled features you may not all use
- Premium support tiers
- Tight coupling to the OpenShift ecosystem
- Ongoing per-core subscription cost to budget for
- Higher vendor lock-in to weigh
- Open source — no license fees
- No vendor lock-in
- Cost model: Free (self-managed)
- Requires a migration (~21 weeks, high effort)
- Community support by default — paid support optional
- Higher operational learning curve
Why teams evaluate alternatives to Red Hat OpenShift
Reasons commonly cited by users and in public industry coverage for re-evaluating Red Hat OpenShift. These are general, reported considerations — not statements of fact about Red Hat / IBM — and may not reflect your situation or the vendor's current terms. Verify against your own contract before deciding.
- Per-core subscription across worker nodes is costly
- Bundled features you may not all use
- Premium support tiers
- Tight coupling to the OpenShift ecosystem
The migration plan
Roughly 21 weeks for a mid-size estate, in six phases.
Tooling & automation
Re-platform workloads to upstream Kubernetes; replace Routes with Ingress, BuildConfigs with external CI + registries, SCCs with PodSecurity; validate via GitOps.
OffVendor's wizard pre-fills these scripts with your environment — inventory export, disk/schema conversion, bulk provisioning, and validation.
Frequently asked
Is migrating from Red Hat OpenShift to Kubernetes (upstream) worth it?
For most teams facing rising Red Hat OpenShift costs, yes — Kubernetes (upstream) (free (self-managed)) typically lowers 3-year total cost of ownership, though the right answer depends on workload complexity and in-house skills. Use the calculator to model your own numbers.
How long does a Red Hat OpenShift to Kubernetes (upstream) migration take?
A typical mid-size estimate is around 21 weeks across six phases — discovery, design, pilot, waved production migration, validation, and decommission. Larger or more complex estates take longer.
What tools are used to migrate from Red Hat OpenShift to Kubernetes (upstream)?
Re-platform workloads to upstream Kubernetes; replace Routes with Ingress, BuildConfigs with external CI + registries, SCCs with PodSecurity; validate via GitOps.