The Kubernetes GUI
that doesn't slow
you down
Native Kubernetes IDE built with Rust.
3x less RAM than k9s. 1,700+ pods at 60fps. Multi-cluster diff.
Real terminal. Zero telemetry. Zero config — just point at your kubeconfig.
~200MB
RAM for 1,700 pods
1,700+
Pods at 60fps
<1s
Cold start
0
Config needed
23
Resource types
The Electron Tax
Electron GUIs are
heavy on your Mac
Electron and web-based GUIs bundle browser runtimes that consume significant CPU and memory — especially noticeable during on-call when you need your machine most.
Krust is a single native macOS binary. Rust handles all Kubernetes API communication and data processing. Swift renders native AppKit/SwiftUI views. No web views, no JavaScript runtime, no garbage collector.
Activity Monitor: Krust uses ~200 MB managing 1,700 pods
Tested with 1,700 pods on a production cluster. Memory varies by cluster size and usage.
Production Scale
Your GUI freezes
when you need it most
Production incident. 800 pods. Web-based GUIs can stutter at this scale. Terminal tools like k9s are fast but lack visual context for complex debugging flows.
Krust's Rust core does all filtering and sorting with zero-copy snapshots. The UI only renders visible rows. Table updates take ~30ms. Real-time CPU/memory metrics overlay. Click-to-navigate inspector. Fast debugging flow from deployment to pod to logs.
Real Terminal
You still alt-tab
to the terminal
Not all Kubernetes GUIs include terminal exec. Some use web-based terminal widgets with limited clipboard and resize support. k9s has a terminal, but you lose the visual context of a GUI.
Krust embeds SwiftTerm, a real native terminal emulator. Full TTY, bidirectional I/O, proper resize, clipboard, and a local shell accessible from any view. Plus a built-in find bar for searching terminal output.
Log Streaming
Logs that keep up
with your services
Most Kubernetes log viewers struggle with high-volume output or lack features like multi-pod aggregation across a deployment.
Krust streams logs through a Rust-side ring buffer holding 100K lines. Full-text search completes in <15ms. Log level filtering, JSON compact mode with field discovery, regex support, and deployment-level aggregation across all pods. Built-in find bar with match navigation (Cmd+F) for instant search.
AI Diagnostics
Your AI copilot
for Kubernetes
Krust's AI agent calls Kubernetes APIs directly — it reads pod info, streams logs, checks events, and inspects YAML to diagnose issues. It proposes fixes in a diff editor you review before applying.
Persistent memory (SQLite + FTS5) means it remembers past incidents across sessions. Right-click any log line for instant AI analysis. Works with Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Vertex AI, or local Ollama — bring your own API key, zero data leaves your machine.
Zero Telemetry
Your cluster data
isn't their business
Some Kubernetes tools collect telemetry, require cloud accounts, or send data to external servers. When you're managing production clusters, you want full control over what leaves your machine.
Krust talks to exactly one thing: your Kubernetes API server. No telemetry. No analytics. No cloud accounts. No AI that phones home. No upsell banners. Your kubeconfig stays on your machine, period.
Everything you need
Kubernetes management, built for production
Every feature designed for fast incident debugging. Click deployment → see pods → open logs. No loading spinners.
27 Resource Types
Pods, Deployments, StatefulSets, DaemonSets, ReplicaSets, Jobs, CronJobs, HPAs, Services, Ingresses, Gateways, ConfigMaps, Secrets, Nodes, Namespaces, CRDs, CR instances, PVs, PVCs, StorageClasses, Roles, ClusterRoles, RoleBindings, ClusterRoleBindings, ServiceAccounts, PDBs, NetworkPolicies, and more.
Real-time Watchers
Every resource type uses Kubernetes watch API. Changes appear instantly without polling.
Native Terminal
SwiftTerm-powered exec sessions with full TTY support. Local shell accessible from any view. Tabbed multi-session.
Smart Log Viewer
100K line Rust buffer, JSON parsing, log level badges, regex filter, deployment-wide aggregation, Cmd+F find bar.
YAML Editor + Diff
STTextView-powered editor with line numbers, find bar, and Myers diff. Cross-cluster compare with colored unified diff.
Port Forwarding
One-click port forward for any workload type. Connection status tracking. Multiple concurrent forwards.
CPU & Memory Metrics
metrics-server integration. Pod-level and workload-aggregated CPU/memory. Graceful degradation.
Multi-Cluster
Switch contexts instantly or view multiple clusters side-by-side. Cross-cluster resource diff. Multi-namespace filtering.
Bulk Operations
Multi-select with Cmd+click. Batch delete, restart, scale. Context menus adapt to selection count.
Helm Management
List releases, view history, rollback, upgrade with preview, revision diff. No helm CLI required.
Events & Notifications
Global events timeline. Menu bar badge count. Native macOS notifications for CrashLoopBackOff, OOMKilled, and more.
Revision Diff
Compare any two revisions of Deployments, StatefulSets, or Helm releases.
Resource Topology
Interactive ArgoCD-style graph showing resource relationships. Deployment→RS→Pod→Service→Endpoints. Drag nodes, expand subtrees.
AI Diagnostics
Built-in AI agent with tool-calling, persistent memory, diff editor for fixes. BYOK — Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Vertex AI, or Ollama.
Security Audit
31 built-in checks for pod security, RBAC, resource limits, node health, secret exposure, and workload resilience. Trivy CVE integration. SARIF export. Dismiss rules. Free — Lens charges $30/mo.
Smart Filters
Structured filter syntax across all resources: status:crash ns:prod cpu>80. Negation with !, age comparisons, label matching. Autocomplete suggestions as you type.
Head to head
Kubernetes GUI comparison: Krust vs Lens vs k9s vs Aptakube
| Krust | Lens | Aptakube | k9s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | Rust + SwiftNative binary | ElectronBundled Chromium | TauriWebView + 5 procs | GoTerminal TUI |
| Memory | ~200 MB1,700 pods · 15 threads | ~1500 MB+ | ~900 MB+ | ~600 MB1,700 pods · 55 threads |
| Large clusters | 1,700+ @60fps | Can slow at scale | Moderate | Terminal limits |
| GUI | Native macOS | Web-based | Web-based | Terminal only |
| Multi-cluster | Side-by-sideWatchers + diff | Switch only | Simultaneous | Switch only |
| Terminal exec | Native TTYSwiftTerm + local shell | xterm.js | None | Built-in |
| Log viewer | 100K bufferMulti-pod, JSON, find bar | BasicExtensions available | Aggregated | BasicNo JSON parsing |
| YAML editing | Editor + diffCross-cluster compare | Editor | Editor + diff | $EDITOR |
| Resource diff | Cross-clusterAny 2 resources | No | Same cluster | No |
| Metrics | CPU + memoryPod & workload level | Via extensions | Built-in | Built-in |
| Port forward | All workloads | Pods only | Pods & services | Built-in |
| CRD browser | CRDs + instances | Via extensions | No | Built-in |
| AI assistant | Built-in11 tools + memory | No | No | No |
| Security audit | 31 checks + TrivyFree — SARIF export | $30/moSecurity Center | No | No |
| Smart filters | Structured syntaxstatus: label: age> cpu> | Text only | Text only | Regex |
| Telemetry | None | Optional | None | None |
| Helm | FullList, rollback, upgrade, diff | Via extension | No | BasicRequires helm CLI |
| Events | Timeline + alertsNative macOS notifications | Basic list | No | Basic list |
| Price | FreePro from $9/mo | Free / $25/mo | From $12/mo | Free (OSS) |
| Platform | macOSWin & Linux April 2026 | macOS, Win, Linux | macOS, Win, Linux | macOS, Win, Linux |
Zero config
Install. Open. Done.
If kubectl works, Krust works. No sign-up, no cloud account, no cluster agents. 100% free.
Or download the DMG directly from GitHub Releases.
On Windows or Linux? Join the waitlist — launching April 2026.
Install
Homebrew cask or DMG. Single .app bundle. Under 30 MB on disk.
Launch
Reads your existing ~/.kube/config. All contexts available instantly.
Go
Real-time watchers connect automatically. Start debugging in seconds.
Coming April 2026
Windows & Linux
Same Rust core. Same performance. Native on every platform.
Get notified when your platform launches.
Pricing
Free. No catch.
Full-featured Kubernetes IDE with 30-day Pro trial. No sign-up, no credit card.
Pro unlocks premium features from $9/mo. See licensing details →
| Free $0 forever | Pro $9 /mo | |
|---|---|---|
| Resources | ||
| Unlimited clusters & namespaces | ✓ | ✓ |
| 27 resource types + real-time watchers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart filter syntax with autocomplete | ✓ | ✓ |
| Metrics (CPU/memory) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Logs | ||
| Single-pod streaming (200K buffer) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-pod log aggregation | — | ✓ |
| JSON compact + field toggle | — | ✓ |
| Log inspector & 200K history search | — | ✓ |
| Log bookmarks & export | — | ✓ |
| Terminal & Networking | ||
| Pod exec & local shell | ✓ | ✓ |
| Port forwarding | ✓ | ✓ |
| YAML & Diff | ||
| YAML editor + syntax highlighting | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cross-cluster & revision diff | ✓ | ✓ |
| Helm | ||
| List, history, rollback, upgrade | ✓ | ✓ |
| Security Audit | ||
| 31 built-in checks | ✓ | ✓ |
| Trivy CVE scanning + SARIF export | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dismiss rules | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI Assistant | ||
| AI diagnostics (bring your own key) | — | ✓ |
| AI log analysis & resource editing | — | ✓ |
| Persistent AI memory | — | ✓ |
| Events & Monitoring | ||
| Events timeline + macOS notifications | ✓ | ✓ |
| Support | ||
| Community (GitHub Issues) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Priority email | — | ✓ |
Also available: $79/yr (save 27%) · $149 lifetime
Krust vs Lens
| Krust Free $0 | Krust Pro $9/mo | Lens Free $0 | Lens Pro $30/mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resources | ||||
| Multi-cluster management | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Resource types | 27 | 27 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Smart filter syntax | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Security | ||||
| Security Audit (31 checks) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Trivy CVE scanning | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| SARIF export | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Logs | ||||
| Multi-pod log aggregation | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Log bookmarks & export | — | ✓ | — | — |
| YAML & Diff | ||||
| Cross-cluster diff | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Revision diff (Deploy/Helm) | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| AI | ||||
| AI diagnostics (BYOK) | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| Persistent AI memory | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Performance | ||||
| RAM usage | ~80 MB | ~80 MB | ~800 MB | ~2 GB |
| Startup time | <1s | <1s | 5–30s | 5–30s |
| Telemetry | None | None | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud account required | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Your next incident shouldn't be
a fight with your tooling
Krust focuses on what matters: getting you from alert to root cause, fast. Free to use. No sign-up. No cloud account. No telemetry.