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OpenStack distributions:
a comparison

Looking for a detailed OpenStack distributions comparison? Have a look at the table below. While the OpenStack landscape remains complex, only one platform stands out for its future-proof architecture, enterprise-grade stability, and cost-effectiveness: Canonical OpenStack.

Discover Canonical OpenStack
Canonical
Openstack 		Other
Openstack
Distributions
Cloud-native architecture Included Not Included Canonical OpenStack stands out for its fully cloud-native architecture, based on snaps and rocks, for infrastructure transformation.
Fully automated upgrades Included Not Included You can upgrade Canonical OpenStack between each version in a fully automated way.
Up to 12 years of support Included Not Included If you prefer not to upgrade frequently, you can stay secure and supported on LTS versions of Canonical OpenStack for up to 12 years.
Fixed-price consulting packages Included Not Included Unlike other OpenStack distributions, consulting packages for Canonical OpenStack are available at a fixed price with the OpenStack build included.
Per-node support pricing Included Not Included Unlike other OpenStack distributions, support subscription for Canonical OpenStack is charged per node, enabling transparent and predictable budgeting.
Full-stack support subscription Included Not Included Ubuntu Pro — the most comprehensive subscription for open source software security — stands out for its full-stack coverage: from infrastructure to applications.
Technology freedom Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution You can choose the hardware of your preference as long as it's certified on Ubuntu. Optionally, we can also certify it for you.
Single-node edition Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution You can install Canonical OpenStack on a single machine (no high availability) and subscribe for a full commercial support.
Hardware automation included Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution Canonical OpenStack comes with an integrated hardware automation framework for bare metal provisioning at scale.
Observability stack included Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution Canonical OpenStack comes with an integrated observability stack for distributed monitoring, logging and alerting.
Expandable Kubernetes layer Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution Canonical OpenStack comes with an on-demand Kubernetes service (currently in beta).
100% open source Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution While Canonical OpenStack is 100% open source, some OpenStack distributions rely on proprietary software components underneath.
Support subscription is optional Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution While you can use Canonical OpenStack with or without a support subscription, some OpenStack distributions are only available under a paid, commercial subscription.
24/7 support coverage Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution While some OpenStack distributions are available without a proper commercial support, Canonical OpenStack comes with 24/7 coverage as required by the most demanding industries and use cases.
Fully-managed cloud service Included Depends on the OpenStack distribution Canonical OpenStack is one of the few OpenStack distributions that offers a fully-managed cloud service, including day-to-day operations and maintenance of the cloud.
GPU / vGPU support Included Included Like other OpenStack distributions, Canonical OpenStack supports GPU passthrough and vGPU for accelerated workloads.
Performance tuning options Included Included Like other OpenStack distributions, Canonical OpenStack supports various performance tuning options, including CPU pinning, SR-IOV, DPDK, and more.
Integration with third-party software Included Included Like other OpenStack distributions, you can integrate Canonical OpenStack with various third-party open source and proprietary software.
Integration with third-party storage platforms Included Included Like other OpenStack distributions, you can integrate Canonical OpenStack with various third-party storage platforms.
Composability Included Included Like other OpenStack distributions, Canonical OpenStack is composable, while it remains opinionated by default.

Backed by the most trusted platform in the community


According to the OpenStack User Survey from 2024, Ubuntu Server continues to be the most popular operating system for OpenStack deployments, currently powering 54% of all production environments all over the world.

What makes Canonical OpenStack distribution different?

Are you skeptical about OpenStack due to the overall complexity of the upstream project? We understand that very well. Just get in touch with us and let us explain what makes Canonical OpenStack different from other OpenStack distributions.

Get in touch

Future-proof architecture

Transform your data center into a modern, cloud-native infrastructure. Get an “on rails” experience thanks to the high-level abstraction, opinionated design, and automation framework we provide.

Enterprise-grade stability

Use your Canonical OpenStack installation to serve the most sophisticated workloads and use cases, while benefiting from long-term security and support under our Ubuntu Pro subscription.

Cost-effective solution

Optimize your infrastructure costs, without any compromises. Canonical OpenStack stands out from other enterprise OpenStack distributions for cost-effectiveness.

With a non-stop contribution
since the very beginning

2nd

biggest contributor ever

250+

individual contributors

5M+

lines of code contributed

Move away from proprietary virtualization platforms

Gain more than a decade of stability with an open source, enterprise cloud solution. Contrary to traditional, proprietary virtualization platforms, Canonical OpenStack helps you reduce vendor lock-in and lower your infrastructure costs by up to 85%.

Repatriate your cloud workloads and regain control over your data

Public cloud costs continue to grow? Don't worry — a better solution exists. Simply augment your existing multi-cloud setup with an on-prem cloud environment and benefit from cost optimization, while regaining full control over your sensitive data at the same time.

Check private cloud pricing calculator ›

OpenStack distributions:
useful resources for your project

Get in touch with Canonical

Let our cloud experts help you with:

  • Pricing and TCO estimates
  • Project requirements evaluation
  • OpenStack design and delivery
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