GCP (GKE) vs STACKIT: Kubernetes Cost Comparison (2026)
STACKIT is 33% cheaper than GCP (GKE) for a 3-node Kubernetes cluster (€110 vs €166/mo)
The 3-node cost gap is 33% (€56/mo) in STACKIT's favour. On storage throughput, GCP (GKE) leads by ~9×, a meaningful gap for stateful Kubernetes workloads. Egress is cheaper with STACKIT: unlimited egress vs paid. Choose STACKIT for cost-efficient Kubernetes on a budget; choose GCP (GKE) for IOPS-intensive stateful applications.
Moving off GCP (GKE) could save ~€56/mo on a 3-node cluster.
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 GCP (GKE) |  STACKIT | |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / Country | United States | Germany |
| Managed Kubernetes | Yes | Yes |
| Control Plane Cost | €73/mo | €74.63/mo |
| Cheapest Node | €34.37/mo 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM | €11.91/mo 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM |
| 3-Node Cluster* | ~€165.95/mo | ~€110.36/mo |
| 6-Node HA Cluster* | ~€269.06/mo | ~€146.09/mo |
| Egress | €0.103/GB | Unlimited |
| S3 Storage | €0.017/GB | €0.006/GB |
| Certifications | ISO27001, SOC2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS | ISO27001, ISO27017, ISO27018, C5, SOC2 |
| CLOUD Act Exposure | Yes (US-owned) | No |
* Estimated using cheapest available node. DIY providers include 3 additional control plane nodes. Use the calculator for exact pricing with your specs.
Data freshness: GCP (GKE) as of May 2026, STACKIT as of May 2026.
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