compare

K3s vs MicroK8s

The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.

K3s vs MicroK8s
Fact	K3s	MicroK8s
Language	Go	Python
Licence	Apache-2.0	Apache-2.0
Stars	34k	9.4k
Latest	v1.37.1+k3s1	v1.36
Last push	2026-10-02	2026-10-06
Release cadence	about 1 day between releases	about 131 days between releases
Active contributors	28 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days	2 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days
Flags	none	none

How they relate

Both replace minikube. Alternatives to minikube →
Full replacementK3sA single-binary Kubernetes distribution that runs on a laptop and in production alike.
Full replacementMicroK8sA single-package Kubernetes with add-ons enabled by one command, native on Linux and in a VM elsewhere.