Is Freelens the same as OpenLens?

No, though they share ancestry. OpenLens distributed builds of the Lens open-source core and is no longer updated. Freelens is a fork of that core under the MIT licence with its own maintainers and release schedule, and it converts many of the extensions that used to run on OpenLens.

Yes — free and open source under the MIT licence, for macOS, Windows, and Linux on both arm64 and amd64. Kubeterm is also free on desktop, with no account required, but its application source is not published.

Should I pick Kubeterm or Freelens?

Pick Freelens if open source is a requirement, you rely on Lens-compatible extensions, or your team already knows the Lens interface. Pick Kubeterm if you want AI-assisted troubleshooting, Argo CD and Flux CD built in rather than added through extensions, or cluster access from a phone.

Yes. Both read your existing kubeconfig and neither installs anything in the cluster, so running them side by side for a week is the cheapest way to decide.

Kubeterm vs Freelens

Freelens picked up the open-source Lens core after Lens closed its source, and it is the fork that stayed alive. It is a good product, and for a lot of people it is the right answer. Here is where the two differ.

Comparison of Kubeterm and Freelens
	Kubeterm	Freelens
Desktop price	Free	Free
Source code	Not published; releases and issues on GitHub	MIT, fully open
Account required	No	No
Platforms	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android	macOS 12+, Windows 10+, Linux
Mobile app	Yes	No
AI assistant	Built in, bring your own key	No
Argo CD & Flux CD	Built in	Via extensions
Helm releases	Full lifecycle + Artifact Hub	Yes
Extensions	None	Lens-compatible extensions
Familiar Lens interface	Different UI	Yes
Application weight	Compiled app	Electron

The short version

Freelens is the best answer to "I liked Lens and I want it to stay open source". It is actively maintained, MIT licensed, and keeps the interface a lot of people already have in muscle memory.

Kubeterm is a different application rather than a continuation. The reasons to choose it are the AI assistant, GitOps support that does not depend on extensions, and a mobile app — not "it is the free one", because Freelens is free too.

Where Freelens wins

Open source. MIT licensed, developed in the open, with a visible core team. If you need to audit or patch the client you use, this is decisive.
Extensions. A meaningful part of the old Lens extension ecosystem has been carried across. Kubeterm has no plugin API at all.
Familiarity. If you or your team came from Lens, there is nothing to relearn.
Community. A public roadmap, public issues, and pull requests you can actually send.

Where Kubeterm wins

AI that reads the cluster. Ask why a pod is crash-looping and the assistant pulls the manifest, recent events, and logs before it answers. Bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or DeepSeek key; the assistant is read-only until you say otherwise.
GitOps as a first-class section. Helm, Argo CD, and Flux CD live together under Applications, read from the cluster API with no extension to install.
Mobile. iOS and Android, with Face ID locking on sensitive clusters.
Weight. Kubeterm is a compiled application rather than an Electron shell, which shows in memory use and start-up time.

How to choose

Choose Freelens if open source, extensions, or the Lens interface matter most to you. Those are good reasons and we are not going to argue with them.

Choose Kubeterm if AI-assisted investigation, built-in GitOps visibility, or phone access would change how you work. Both are free on desktop, so the experiment costs an afternoon.

Common questions about Kubeterm and Freelens

Is Freelens the same as OpenLens?: No, though they share ancestry. OpenLens distributed builds of the Lens open-source core and is no longer updated. Freelens is a fork of that core under the MIT licence with its own maintainers and release schedule, and it converts many of the extensions that used to run on OpenLens.
Is Freelens free?: Yes — free and open source under the MIT licence, for macOS, Windows, and Linux on both arm64 and amd64. Kubeterm is also free on desktop, with no account required, but its application source is not published.
Should I pick Kubeterm or Freelens?: Pick Freelens if open source is a requirement, you rely on Lens-compatible extensions, or your team already knows the Lens interface. Pick Kubeterm if you want AI-assisted troubleshooting, Argo CD and Flux CD built in rather than added through extensions, or cluster access from a phone.
Can I run both?: Yes. Both read your existing kubeconfig and neither installs anything in the cluster, so running them side by side for a week is the cheapest way to decide.

Try Kubeterm free on desktop

Free on macOS, Windows, and Linux. No account, no cluster-side agent, and your credentials never leave your device.

Download Kubeterm Read the docs

Comparison verified against Freelens's published documentation and store listing on 3 September 2026. Products change — if something here is out of date or unfair, tell us and we'll fix it.