Deploying Hyperledger projects—whether Hyperledger Fabric or Hyperledger Besu—requires choosing the right infrastructure platform. The difference between platforms isn't just features: it's $0 vs $500+/month in costs and 5 minutes vs 6+ weeks in deployment time.
This guide compares Kaleido, ChainLaunch, and Kubernetes with real pricing data, actual deployment timelines, and total cost of ownership calculations to help you make an informed decision.
Real Cost & Time Summary
| Platform | Monthly Cost (4-Node Network) | Deployment Time | Engineer Hours Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | $400-$1,200/month | 30 minutes - 2 hours | 2-4 hours |
| ChainLaunch | $4-50/month (Free + VPS only) | 2-5 minutes | 0.5-1 hour |
| Kubernetes (AWS EKS) | $300-$800/month + labor | 5-6 days minimum | 40-200+ hours |
Quick Feature Comparison
| Feature | Kaleido | ChainLaunch | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Cost | $0.15/hr per node | Free (unlimited nodes) + $4/mo VPS | $0.10/hr (EKS) + nodes |
| 4-Node Monthly | ~$438-$1,584 | $4-50 (VPS only) | ~$300-$800 infra only |
| Time to First Network | 30-60 minutes | Under 5 minutes | 5-6 days (expert) |
| Technical Expertise | Low | Low-Medium | High |
| Free Tier | Limited (60 days, 2 nodes) | Yes (unlimited nodes, no time limit) | No |
| AI-Assisted Dev | No | Yes | No |
Detailed Cost Breakdown
Kaleido Pricing (2026)
Kaleido uses hourly billing with four plan tiers:
Plan Tiers & Node Specifications:
| Plan | Node Size | Hourly Cost | Monthly (~730 hrs) | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | Small only | Free | $0 | Exploration, POC |
| Developer | Small only | $0.15-$0.22/hr | ~$110-$161 | Development, testing |
| Business | Small | $0.55/hr | ~$402 | Production |
| Business | Medium | $0.70/hr | ~$511 | Production |
| Business | Large | $0.95/hr | ~$694 | High-performance |
| Enterprise | Custom | Contact sales | Custom | Large consortia |
Node Size Specifications (Estimated):
| Size | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 2 | 4-8 GB | 50 GB | Development, small networks |
| Medium | 4 | 8-16 GB | 100 GB | Production, moderate load |
| Large | 8+ | 16-32 GB | 200+ GB | High-throughput production |
Note: Exact specifications vary by blockchain protocol (Fabric, Besu, etc.)
Real Monthly Costs (4-Node Hyperledger Network):
| Configuration | Hourly Cost | Monthly Cost (730 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Developer Plan (4 small nodes) | $0.60/hr | ~$438/month |
| Business Plan (4 small nodes) | $2.20/hr | ~$1,606/month |
| Business Plan (4 medium nodes) | $2.80/hr | ~$2,044/month |
Additional Kaleido Costs:
- Storage: $0.01 per 10GB/hour
- Business membership: $49/month
- Support (Select): 7% of monthly spend
- Support (Priority): 15% of monthly spend
Kaleido Starter Limitations:
- Maximum 2 nodes, 2 services
- Small node sizes only
- Environments auto-lock after 60 days
- Auto-deleted if not upgraded within 60 days of lock
- Basic support only
ChainLaunch Pricing (2026)
ChainLaunch offers a generous free tier and enterprise support:
Plan Structure:
| Plan | Cost | Nodes | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited | Full platform features, all capabilities, community support |
| Enterprise | From $60,000/year | Unlimited | Dedicated consultancy, guidance, priority support, SLA |
What's Included in Free Tier:
- Unlimited nodes
- Full platform features
- AI-assisted chaincode development
- Monitoring dashboard
- Automated backups
- Network governance tools
Enterprise Plan ($60k+/year) Includes:
- Everything in Free
- Dedicated consultancy and guidance
- Priority support with SLA
- Custom solutions and integrations
- Training and onboarding assistance
Infrastructure Costs (Self-Hosted):
Since ChainLaunch is self-hosted, you pay for your own infrastructure. Here are real VPS pricing options from budget-friendly providers:
Hetzner Cloud VPS (EU/US):
| Plan | vCPUs | RAM | Storage | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CX23 (Cost-Optimized) | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB NVMe | €3.49 (~$3.80) |
| CPX22 (Regular Performance) | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB NVMe | €7.72 (~$8.40) |
| CPX32 (Regular Performance) | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB NVMe | €14.86 (~$16.20) |
| CCX13 (Dedicated vCPU) | 2 | 8 GB | 80 GB NVMe | €14.86 (~$16.20) |
| CCX23 (Dedicated vCPU) | 4 | 16 GB | 160 GB NVMe | €29.61 (~$32.30) |
OVHcloud VPS 2026 (US/EU):
| Plan | vCores | RAM | Storage | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPS-1 | 4 | 8 GB | 75 GB SSD | $4.20 |
| VPS-2 | 6 | 12 GB | 100 GB NVMe | $6.75 |
| VPS-3 | 8 | 24 GB | 200 GB NVMe | $12.75 |
| VPS-4 | 12 | 48 GB | 300 GB NVMe | $22.08 |
| VPS-5 | 16 | 64 GB | 350 GB NVMe | $34.34 |
| VPS-6 | 24 | 96 GB | 400 GB NVMe | $45.39 |
Both providers include: Anti-DDoS protection, daily backups (OVH), 20TB+ traffic (Hetzner EU), unlimited traffic (OVH), NVMe storage.
Recommended Configurations for ChainLaunch:
- Development/Testing: 1x OVH VPS-1 ($4.20/month) or 1x Hetzner CX23 (~$3.80/month)
- Small Production: 1x OVH VPS-3 ($12.75/month) or 1x Hetzner CPX32 (~$16.20/month)
- Production with HA: 2-3x OVH VPS-3 ($25-38/month) or 2-3x Hetzner CPX32 (~$32-49/month)
Total Cost Comparison (ChainLaunch Free Tier):
| Setup | ChainLaunch License | Infrastructure (Hetzner/OVH) | Total Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development | $0 | $4-8 | $4-8 |
| Small Production | $0 | $13-16 | $13-16 |
| Production with HA | $0 | $25-50 | $25-50 |
| Large Production | $0 | $45-100 | $45-100 |
Enterprise support ($60k+/year) available for organizations requiring dedicated consultancy and guidance.
Kubernetes (Self-Managed) Costs
Kubernetes requires infrastructure costs plus significant engineering investment:
AWS EKS Infrastructure Costs:
| Component | Cost | Monthly (730 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| EKS Control Plane | $0.10/hr | $73 |
| Worker Nodes (3x t3.medium) | $0.0416/hr each | ~$91 |
| EBS Storage (100GB) | ~$10/month | $10 |
| Data Transfer | Variable | $20-100 |
| Load Balancer | $0.0225/hr + data | ~$20-50 |
Estimated AWS EKS Monthly (4-Node Hyperledger):
- Minimal Setup: $250-350/month
- Production Setup: $500-1,000/month
- High Availability: $1,000-2,500/month
Hidden Costs - Engineer Time:
This is where Kubernetes costs explode. Based on industry data:
| Task | Time Required | Cost (@$75/hr) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Deployment | 40-200 hours | $3,000-15,000 |
| PKI/Certificate Setup | 8-24 hours | $600-1,800 |
| Monitoring Setup | 8-16 hours | $600-1,200 |
| Security Hardening | 16-40 hours | $1,200-3,000 |
| Documentation | 8-16 hours | $600-1,200 |
| Total Initial Setup | 80-300 hours | $6,000-22,500 |
Ongoing Monthly Maintenance:
| Task | Hours/Month | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring & Alerts | 4-8 hrs | $300-600 |
| Updates & Patches | 4-8 hrs | $300-600 |
| Troubleshooting | 2-8 hrs | $150-600 |
| Certificate Rotation | 1-2 hrs | $75-150 |
| Total Monthly | 11-26 hrs | $825-1,950 |
Real Deployment Time Comparison
Time to Deploy a 4-Node Hyperledger Fabric Network
| Platform | Wall Clock Time | Active Work Time | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChainLaunch | 2-5 minutes | 5-10 minutes | Install CLI (5 min) |
| Kaleido | 30-60 minutes | 1-2 hours | Account setup (10 min) |
| Kubernetes | 5-6 days minimum | 40-80 hours | K8s cluster, expertise |
Detailed Timeline Breakdown
ChainLaunch Timeline:
0:00 - Install ChainLaunch CLI
0:05 - Start server
0:06 - Open wizard, configure network
0:08 - Click "Create Network"
0:10 - 4-node Fabric network running
Kaleido Timeline:
0:00 - Create account, verify email
0:15 - Create consortium
0:25 - Create environment
0:35 - Add first member
0:45 - Deploy nodes
1:00 - Configure channels
1:30 - Network operational
Kubernetes Timeline (Expert Developer):
According to industry reports, a Hyperledger Fabric network with 2 Organizations and 2 Peers per organization takes 5-6 days with an expert developer, plus DevOps and YAML engineer assistance.
Day 1: Set up EKS cluster, configure networking
Day 2: Deploy Certificate Authority, generate certs
Day 3: Configure orderer nodes, peer nodes
Day 4: Create channels, join peers
Day 5: Deploy chaincode, test network
Day 6: Set up monitoring, documentation
For teams without Kubernetes/Fabric expertise:
- Add 2-4 weeks for learning curve
- Total timeline: 4-8 weeks
Total Cost of Ownership (First Year)
Scenario: 4-Node Production Hyperledger Fabric Network
| Cost Category | Kaleido (Business) | ChainLaunch (Free) | Kubernetes (AWS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform/License | $19,272/year | $0 | $0 |
| Infrastructure | Included | $300/year (Hetzner/OVH) | $6,000/year |
| Initial Setup Labor | $300 | $150 | $10,000-20,000 |
| Ongoing Maintenance | $0 | $600/year | $12,000-24,000/year |
| Training | $0 | $0 | $2,000-5,000 |
| Total Year 1 | ~$19,572 | ~$1,050 | $30,000-55,000 |
3-Year TCO Comparison
| Platform | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | 3-Year Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | $19,572 | $19,272 | $19,272 | $58,116 |
| ChainLaunch | $1,050 | $900 | $900 | $2,850 |
| Kubernetes | $42,000 | $24,000 | $24,000 | $90,000 |
Key Insight: ChainLaunch delivers 95% cost savings vs Kaleido and 97% savings vs Kubernetes over 3 years for a typical 4-node production network.
What is Kaleido?
Kaleido is an enterprise-grade Blockchain-as-a-Service (BaaS) platform founded in 2017 and backed by ConsenSys. It supports multiple blockchain protocols including Ethereum, Polygon, Hyperledger Fabric, and Hyperledger Besu.
Key Kaleido Features
Multi-Protocol Support
- Hyperledger Fabric (General Availability)
- Hyperledger Besu with enterprise Ethereum capabilities
- Hyperledger FireFly integration for web3 gateway functionality
Enterprise Infrastructure
- Multi-cloud deployment (AWS and Azure)
- Cross-cloud, on-premise, and hybrid configurations
- ISO27K and SOC 2 Type 2 certified
- 99.99% uptime over 4+ years
Developer Experience
- Fabric Connector removes complex SDK training
- Streamlined chaincode management
- Fast consortium formation
Kaleido Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Enterprise compliance certifications built-in
- Fully managed operations
- Multi-cloud flexibility
- Proven production track record
Cons:
- Higher cost at scale ($438-$1,600+/month)
- 60-day limit on free tier
- Vendor lock-in concerns
- No AI-assisted development
What is ChainLaunch?
ChainLaunch is a blockchain node management platform that uses AI automation to deploy and manage Hyperledger Fabric and Besu networks. It reduces deployment time from weeks to under 5 minutes.
Key ChainLaunch Features
AI-Powered Development
- AI-assisted chaincode generation from natural language
- Production-ready smart contract creation
- Automated configuration and setup
Rapid Deployment
- Deploy Fabric testnets in under 5 minutes
- Create Besu networks with 4 validator nodes in 2 minutes
- Wizard-based interface
- No manual certificate management
Network Management
- Customizable governance policies
- Flexible consensus mechanism selection
- Supernode architecture for scalability
- Built-in monitoring dashboard
ChainLaunch Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Free tier with unlimited nodes and no time limit
- Fastest deployment (under 5 minutes)
- AI-assisted chaincode development
- Self-hosted control
- Lowest total cost of ownership ($4-50/month with budget VPS)
- Full platform features at no cost
Cons:
- Newer platform (smaller community)
- Requires self-hosting infrastructure (but very affordable: ~$4-13/month)
- Growing documentation
What is Kubernetes for Hyperledger?
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform used for self-managed Hyperledger deployment. It offers maximum flexibility but requires significant expertise.
Key Kubernetes Features
Infrastructure Control
- Complete network configuration control
- Any cloud provider or on-premise
- Custom deployment patterns
Deployment Tools
- Official Hyperledger Fabric guides
- Hyperledger Bevel for operator-based deployment
- Helm Charts for resource management
Kubernetes Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Maximum flexibility and customization
- No vendor lock-in
- Cloud agnostic
- Large community support
Cons:
- Highest total cost ($30,000-55,000 Year 1)
- Longest deployment time (5-6 days to 8 weeks)
- Requires PKI and distributed systems expertise
- Ongoing maintenance burden
Decision Framework: Which Platform Should You Choose?
Choose Kaleido If:
- Budget: $400-$1,600+/month is acceptable
- Enterprise compliance (SOC 2, ISO27K) is mandatory
- You need multi-cloud deployment (AWS + Azure)
- Your team lacks blockchain infrastructure expertise
- You're building multi-organization consortiums
Best For: Regulated enterprises, financial services, healthcare
Choose ChainLaunch If:
- Budget: $4-$50/month target (Free license with unlimited nodes + budget VPS like Hetzner/OVH)
- Speed matters (need network in minutes, not weeks)
- AI-assisted development is valuable
- You want self-hosted control with simplified management
- Starting with development/testing or running production workloads
Best For: Startups, development teams, cost-conscious enterprises, AI-first organizations
Choose Kubernetes If:
- Budget: $30,000-55,000/year is justified by requirements
- Maximum customization is non-negotiable
- You have dedicated DevOps and blockchain expertise
- Strict data sovereignty mandates specific configurations
- You're building custom architectural patterns
Best For: Large enterprises with dedicated infrastructure teams, research organizations
Real-World Deployment Scenarios
Scenario 1: Startup MVP ($0 Budget)
Requirement: Deploy a Hyperledger Fabric proof-of-concept with zero upfront cost.
| Platform | Possible? | Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | Limited (60-day trial, 2 nodes) | $0 | 1 hour |
| ChainLaunch | Yes (Free tier, 4 nodes) | $0 | 5 minutes |
| Kubernetes | Yes (but need infra) | $200+ | 1-2 weeks |
Winner: ChainLaunch - Free tier with no time limit, full 4-node network.
Scenario 2: Enterprise Pilot ($5,000 Budget)
Requirement: 3-month pilot project for board demonstration.
| Platform | 3-Month Cost | Deployment | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido (Business) | $4,818 | 2 hours | Good |
| ChainLaunch (Free) | ~$40 | 5 minutes | Excellent |
| Kubernetes | $7,500+ | 2-4 weeks | Poor |
Winner: ChainLaunch - 99% cost savings, same-day deployment.
Scenario 3: Regulated Production (SOC 2 Required)
Requirement: Production network for financial services with compliance requirements.
| Platform | Annual Cost | Compliance | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido (Enterprise) | $20,000+ | SOC 2 + ISO27K | Excellent |
| ChainLaunch (Enterprise) | $60,000+/year | User-implemented + consultancy | Good |
| Kubernetes | $40,000+ | User-implemented | Possible |
Winner: Kaleido - Built-in compliance certifications worth the premium for regulated industries.
Scenario 4: AI-First Development Team
Requirement: Rapid prototyping with AI-assisted smart contract development.
| Platform | AI Features | Iteration Speed | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | None | Medium | Poor |
| ChainLaunch | Full AI chaincode generation | Fast (minutes) | Excellent |
| Kubernetes | None (custom integration) | Slow | Poor |
Winner: ChainLaunch - Only platform with built-in AI development tools.
Migration & Lock-in Considerations
Portability Comparison
| Platform | Lock-in Risk | Migration Effort | Standard Artifacts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | Medium | High | Partial |
| ChainLaunch | Low | Medium | Yes (standard Hyperledger) |
| Kubernetes | None | Low | Yes |
Exit Strategy
From Kaleido: Self-hosted option improves portability. Export requires understanding Kaleido's abstraction layer.
From ChainLaunch: Standard Hyperledger components. Can migrate to Kubernetes or other platforms with configuration changes.
From Kubernetes: Maximum portability. Standard infrastructure and Hyperledger components work anywhere.
Performance & Reliability
Uptime & SLA Comparison
| Platform | Uptime SLA | Disaster Recovery | HA Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | 99.99% (verified 4+ years) | Built-in | Included |
| ChainLaunch | User-managed | One-click restore | User-configured |
| Kubernetes | User-managed | User-configured | User-configured |
Scaling Capabilities
| Platform | Add Node Time | Auto-scaling | Max Nodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleido | Minutes | Managed | Unlimited (plan-based) |
| ChainLaunch | Minutes | User-controlled | Unlimited |
| Kubernetes | Hours-Days | Configurable | Infrastructure-limited |
Conclusion: Real Numbers, Clear Winner
Based on real cost and time data:
For most organizations, ChainLaunch delivers the best value:
- 95% lower cost than Kaleido ($1,050 vs $19,572 Year 1)
- 97% lower cost than Kubernetes ($1,050 vs $42,000 Year 1)
- Fastest deployment (5 minutes vs 30+ minutes vs 5+ days)
- Free tier with unlimited nodes - no artificial restrictions
- Full platform features included at no cost
Choose Kaleido when enterprise compliance certifications (SOC 2, ISO27K) are mandatory and the $19,000+/year premium is justified.
Choose Kubernetes only when you have dedicated DevOps expertise and specific customization requirements that justify $30,000-55,000+ Year 1 investment.
Ready to deploy your Hyperledger network? Get started with ChainLaunch and have your first testnet running in under 5 minutes—for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to run a Hyperledger network?
- ChainLaunch: $4-50/month total (Free license with unlimited nodes + budget VPS like Hetzner/OVH starting at ~$4/month)
- Kaleido: $438-1,600+/month (depends on plan and nodes)
- Kubernetes: $300-800/month infrastructure + $825-1,950/month maintenance labor
How long does it take to deploy Hyperledger Fabric?
- ChainLaunch: 2-5 minutes
- Kaleido: 30 minutes to 2 hours
- Kubernetes: 5-6 days (expert) to 4-8 weeks (learning curve)
What's the cheapest way to deploy Hyperledger?
ChainLaunch Free Tier + Budget VPS - Deploy a 4-node network for as low as $4-8/month using Hetzner (€3.49/month) or OVHcloud ($4.20/month) VPS. No time limit, no node restrictions.
Which platform has the best AI features for blockchain development?
ChainLaunch is the only platform with built-in AI-assisted chaincode development and smart contract generation from natural language.
Can I migrate from one platform to another?
Yes. ChainLaunch and Kubernetes use standard Hyperledger components, making migration straightforward. Kaleido's self-hosted option also improves portability.
Sources & References
- Kaleido Pricing
- Kaleido Plans Documentation
- AWS EKS Pricing
- Hyperledger Fabric Deployment Guide
- ChainLaunch Documentation
- Zeeve: Hyperledger Fabric Deployment Time
- Hetzner Cloud VPS Pricing
- OVHcloud VPS Pricing
- Hetzner Pricing Documentation
Need help choosing the right platform? Contact the ChainLaunch team for a personalized cost analysis based on your requirements.