| Cost Factor | Description | Estimated Range | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | vSphere (ESXi) Licenses | Included in VCF or separate per-core cost. | | Kubernetes Layer | TKG Add-on / License | ~$150 - $300 per Core / Year (Standalone estimates). | | Management Plane | Tanzu Mission Control (Optional) | Additional cost for multi-cluster management. | | Support | Production Support (SnS) | Usually ~15-20% of the license subscription cost. | | Labor | Implementation Services | Kubernetes is complex; factor in consultant costs. |
VMware offers various discounts and incentives, including: vmware tanzu kubernetes grid price
Because VMware pricing is not transactional (you cannot just add it to a cart on Amazon), you must follow these steps: | Cost Factor | Description | Estimated Range
When running TKG in the public cloud (AWS or Azure), the model changes. TKG acts as a management plane that provisions native cloud Kubernetes services (like Amazon EKS or Azure AKS). | | Support | Production Support (SnS) |
Unlike AWS EKS or Azure AKS, where you pay a flat management fee per cluster, VMware operates on an enterprise licensing model. You won’t find a simple "Add to Cart" button.
Additional costs to consider when deploying TKG:
When asking for a quote, always ask for "TKG Standard + TMC Starter." That combo usually runs ~$1,850/core for a 3-year term.