| Steerglass | Headlamp | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Desktop app. | Desktop app, or in the cluster as a web UI for the whole team. |
| Price and license | Free for up to 3 clusters; every cluster free with an account during the open beta. Proprietary. | Free and open source (Apache 2.0), a Kubernetes SIG UI project. |
| Several clusters | Yes: resources of many clusters merged into one live table. | Yes, multi-cluster support. |
| Extensibility | No plugins. | Plugin system, with community plugins. |
| Access | Uses your kubeconfig credentials, like kubectl. | Kubeconfig on the desktop; in the cluster, sign-in with a token or OIDC, limited by Kubernetes RBAC. |
| App engine | Native Rust core with the system web view. | Electron (desktop app). |
| Logs, shell, port-forward, YAML editing | Yes | Yes |
| CPU and memory charts | Per-pod charts with up to 24 hours of history; current usage per node. | Yes, with metrics from the cluster. |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, and any browser when run in the cluster |
Compared on November 1, 2026, from each project’s own website and documentation. Something out of date or wrong? Write to [email protected] and we’ll fix it.
Which one fits you
Choose Headlamp if…
- you want an open-source tool, or one you can extend with plugins
- you want a shared web UI running in the cluster for your whole team
- you need it to run in a browser without installing anything
Choose Steerglass if…
- you work with many clusters at once and want them side by side in one live table
- speed matters: big clusters load in about a second and stay live
- you want production clusters clearly marked, with typed confirmation before deleting there
- you prefer a small native app on your own machine