Eclipse Che vs Gitpod
Compare Eclipse Che and Gitpod by workflow, pricing, privacy, model support, and best use cases.
Eclipse Che
Eclipse Che is a strong choice for organizations that want open-source, Kubernetes-native, browser-based developer workspaces with enterprise control. It is less suitable for teams that want a fully managed SaaS IDE, built-in AI coding, or a low-operations setup.
Gitpod
Choose Gitpod/Ona when reproducible cloud environments, agent-safe execution, governance, and enterprise VPC control matter more than a simple browser sandbox. Choose GitHub Codespaces for GitHub-native dev containers, StackBlitz for browser-native WebContainers, CodeSandbox for sandbox SDK infrastructure, or Replit when prompt-to-app creation and hosting are the priority.
Key Differences
Workflow
Eclipse Che is an open-source Kubernetes-native cloud development environment platform for teams that want centrally managed, browser-based, reproducible developer workspaces.
Gitpod, now Ona, is a cloud development environment and agent runtime platform for reproducible developer workspaces, background software agents, and governed cloud execution.
Pricing
open-source
freemium
BYOK
No
Yes
compare.fields.openSource
Yes
No
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Eclipse Che | Gitpod |
|---|---|---|
| Primary workflow | Eclipse Che is an open-source Kubernetes-native cloud development environment platform for teams that want centrally managed, browser-based, reproducible developer workspaces. | Gitpod, now Ona, is a cloud development environment and agent runtime platform for reproducible developer workspaces, background software agents, and governed cloud execution. |
| Type | framework | resource |
| Editor base | Browser | Browser |
| Pricing model | open-source | freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | No |
| Local models | No | No |
| BYOK | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Browser, Kubernetes, OpenShift, AWS EKS, Azure AKS, Google Kubernetes Engine, Minikube, vCluster, Visual Studio Code - Open Source, JetBrains IDEs, Open VSX | Web browser, VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains IDEs, CLI, SSH, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Linear, Jira, Notion, AWS, GCP, Ona Cloud, Self-hosted VPC deployments |
| Models | Unknown | Codex, Claude Code, AWS Bedrock, Google Vertex, private APIs |
| Enterprise features | Kubernetes and OpenShift deployment, OIDC authentication, OpenShift OAuth and Dex integration, Kubernetes RBAC authorization, Multi-user workspace management, Restricted and air-gapped installation support, Standalone Open VSX registry support, CheCluster custom resource configuration, Prometheus and Grafana monitoring integration, Workspace isolation through Kubernetes namespaces and pods | Self-hosted Ona-managed VPC deployment, AWS deployment, GCP deployment, Complete network control, Custom domains, Custom load balancers, Custom certificates, HTTP proxy support, SSO, OIDC, SCIM, Fine-grained roles, Org-wide secrets, Detailed audit trails, Centralized admin controls, Command deny lists, Control over MCP usage, Centralized editor and environment-class controls, Warm pools, Custom environment sizes, Custom auto-delete policies, Programmatic API and SDK access, SLAs, Dedicated account manager, Forward deployed engineer, Premium support |
| Best for | Enterprise teams standardizing development environments on Kubernetes or OpenShift, Organizations replacing local workstation setup with centralized browser-based workspaces, Platform engineering teams building cloud development environments, Teams that want devfile-based, version-controlled workspace definitions, Projects that benefit from production-like development runtimes inside Kubernetes pods | Reproducible cloud development environments, Developer onboarding, Remote development, Secure BYOD development, Standardized enterprise workspaces, Pull request review environments, Background AI agent execution, Scheduled engineering automations, Code migration workflows, CVE remediation workflows, Regulated teams needing VPC deployment, Teams that want governed development environments for humans and agents |
| Not best for | Small teams that want a simple managed IDE with no Kubernetes operations, Developers looking for an AI coding assistant or prompt-to-app builder, Teams that do not use containers, Kubernetes, OpenShift, or devfile workflows, Organizations without capacity to manage storage, networking, OIDC, RBAC, upgrades, and cluster sizing, Solo developers who mainly need lightweight local development | Users who only need a lightweight browser sandbox, Developers looking primarily for AI autocomplete, Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app builders, Small teams that want simple fixed pricing with no usage credits, Organizations that do not want to manage cloud development environment policy, Teams that require fully local development only, Users who want a product still marketed only under the old Gitpod name |
Use Case Winners
Both Eclipse Che and Gitpod have comparable signals here.
Gitpod has BYOK or model-routing flexibility.
Gitpod lists more team or enterprise controls.
Gitpod has stronger frontend or web workflow signals.
Gitpod supports more model/provider options or BYOK-style workflows.
Eclipse Che is marked as open source.
Pricing Comparison
Eclipse Che
- Open Source$0 / month
Eclipse Che is free and open source under the Eclipse Public License 2.0.
- Self-Hosted InfrastructureUsage-based
You provide and pay for Kubernetes, OpenShift, storage, networking, identity, and compute resources.
- Hosted Trial / Samples$0
Public sample workspaces may be available through Red Hat-hosted OpenShift workspaces, subject to availability and account requirements.
Gitpod
- Free / Starter access$0 / month
Free starting access is available for trying Ona/Gitpod-style environments; sustained team usage is centered on paid Core and Enterprise plans.
- CoreFrom $20 / month
For individuals and teams. Includes pooled Ona Compute Units, up to 100 team members, unlimited parallel environments, prebuilds, project sharing, RBAC, MCP support, and cloud-hosted compute.
- Add-on OCUsFrom $10 / 40 OCUs
Additional Ona Compute Units for environment runtime and agent conversations. Monthly credits expire monthly; add-on credits are valid for one year.
- EnterpriseCustom
Self-hosted, Ona-managed VPC deployment with custom credits, SSO/OIDC, audit trails, org-wide secrets, network control, SDK/API access, warm pools, SLAs, and dedicated support.
- Gitpod ClassicLegacy
Older Gitpod Classic workspace and credit-based documentation remains available under Ona docs for existing or historical Gitpod workflows.
Privacy & Security
Eclipse Che
Eclipse Che is typically self-hosted on infrastructure controlled by the organization. Source code, workspace containers, credentials, logs, and runtime data are governed by the chosen Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster, storage backend, identity provider, RBAC policies, and extension registry configuration. Teams should review cluster access, namespace isolation, secrets handling, image provenance, Open VSX registry policy, and log retention before rollout.
Gitpod
Ona/Gitpod environments may contain repository code, generated files, secrets, terminal output, development services, agent conversations, MCP tool results, and connected source-control or issue-tracker context. The current Ona pricing page states that customer data and code are not used to train models. Teams should still configure secrets, RBAC, audit logs, command deny lists, MCP controls, retention policies, VPC networking, and environment auto-delete settings carefully before running sensitive workloads or autonomous agents.
Choose Eclipse Che if...
- Enterprise teams standardizing development environments on Kubernetes or OpenShift
- Organizations replacing local workstation setup with centralized browser-based workspaces
- Platform engineering teams building cloud development environments
- Teams that want devfile-based, version-controlled workspace definitions
- Projects that benefit from production-like development runtimes inside Kubernetes pods
Choose Gitpod if...
- Reproducible cloud development environments
- Developer onboarding
- Remote development
- Secure BYOD development
- Standardized enterprise workspaces
Avoid Eclipse Che if...
- Small teams that want a simple managed IDE with no Kubernetes operations
- Developers looking for an AI coding assistant or prompt-to-app builder
- Teams that do not use containers, Kubernetes, OpenShift, or devfile workflows
- Organizations without capacity to manage storage, networking, OIDC, RBAC, upgrades, and cluster sizing
- Solo developers who mainly need lightweight local development
Avoid Gitpod if...
- Users who only need a lightweight browser sandbox
- Developers looking primarily for AI autocomplete
- Non-technical users looking for prompt-to-app builders
- Small teams that want simple fixed pricing with no usage credits
- Organizations that do not want to manage cloud development environment policy