Comparison

K8s Guide vs Zen

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

K8s Guide

Prepare for Kubernetes certifications with adaptive quizzes and detailed lessons. Track your progress with a mastery dashboard and get instant feedback. Syncs across devices via iCloud, with no account creation or data collection.

Highlights
  • Adaptive quiz engine
  • Mastery dashboard
  • 600+ practice questions
  • 150+ in-depth lessons
  • iCloud sync
  • Home screen widgets
  • Local study reminders
Features
Read full description

K8s Guide is the complete way to learn Kubernetes - from your very first pod to Kubestronaut - and to pass all five Cloud Native certifications: CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA, and KCSA. Most Kubernetes apps are a static pile of flashcards. K8s Guide is built to make you actually understand Kubernetes, then prove it. LEARN IT - THE GUIDE A from-scratch path through Kubernetes, written for a phone screen instead of squeezed in from a website. 50 in-depth lessons across eight areas - Containers, Foundations, Workloads, Networking, Configuration, Security, Operations, and Ecosystem Tools - that build real understanding, absolute beginner to expert. • Starts before Kubernetes even begins: what a container is, how it differs from a VM, and why orchestration exists • Native diagrams drawn for mobile - traffic flows, control loops, and cluster architecture you can actually read on a phone, not pinch-to-zoom web images • Dense topics broken into clean tables, key-point lists, and step-by-step sequences instead of walls of text • Ecosystem Tools coverage beyond core Kubernetes - Argo CD, Istio, Prometheus, Cilium, Helm, Kustomize, cert-manager, OPA Gatekeeper, Kyverno, Falco, Trivy, and KEDA • Every concept explained in plain language, so it sticks PROVE IT - CERTIFICATION PREP All five CNCF certifications, fully built out, with 600+ practice questions and 160+ certification lessons across 30 exam domains. • Every quiz mixes multiple-choice with hands-on build tasks - fill in real YAML, assemble a kubectl command, order the steps, spot the bug - shuffled in like the real exam, not a separate mode • An adaptive quiz engine weights questions toward whatever you're getting wrong, so weak areas resurface instead of drilling what you already know • Study mode for instant feedback and explanations, or Test mode for a full exam simulation with results at the end • A mastery score per certification blends quiz accuracy with lesson coverage into a single readiness number - so you always know what to study next, and when you're actually ready EVERYTHING INCLUDED • The full Guide plus all five certification tracks - CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA, KCSA • Hands-on build questions mixed into every quiz, alongside multiple choice • Look Up - a fast reference search to find any concept, command, or term in seconds • Native, mobile-first diagrams throughout • Adaptive quizzing with per-certification readiness and weak-domain call-outs • A built-in Blog with the latest Kubernetes articles and release notes • Bookmark any lesson or question for later, synced across your devices • Home Screen widgets for your streak, active certification, and a rotating Kubernetes tidbit • Optional local study reminders on your own schedule • Kubestronaut badge tracking via your public Credly profile (entirely optional) • iCloud sync for progress, quiz history, and bookmarks - in your own private iCloud, not a server we run BUILT DIFFERENTLY, ON PURPOSE No account. No login. No data collection of any kind - your study data lives in your own iCloud and nowhere else. No ads, no paywalls, no subscriptions; every lesson and question is free. (There's an optional tip jar if you'd like to support development - but nothing is ever locked.) Kubernetes itself is open source, built on the idea that knowledge should be open to everyone. This app is built on the same idea. Whether you're chasing your first certification or going for the full Kubestronaut set, K8s Guide is built to get you there.

About

Zen

Features
Read full description

Zen-Ink is a calm calligraphy practice app built around the Heart Sutra. Practice one character at a time on a refined rice-paper canvas, follow your place across the full text, and keep a personal gallery of the characters you have written. Zen-Ink is designed for focused repetition, visual clarity, and a slower rhythm of practice. Features: - Character-by-character Heart Sutra practice - Fine, Flow, and Bold ink presets - Apple Pencil and finger input support - Character map for tracking progress through the full sutra - Personal gallery of saved calligraphy - Shareable artwork cards with a Zen-Ink watermark - Optional daily reminders - Custom practitioner name and avatar Zen-Ink stores your drawings and settings locally on your device.

Screenshots

K8s Guide4 screens
Zen3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zen at none against K8s Guide's 3. On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. K8s Guide sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Zen asks for nothing beyond the download.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
K8s Guide versus Zen: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterK8s GuideZen
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (4 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings4 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 days—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron Braundmeier建平 占

In-app purchases

3 purchases

K8s Guide

One-time3
  • Supporter$1.99
  • Backer$4.99
  • Champion$9.99
None

Zen

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is K8s Guide free?
K8s Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zen free?
Zen is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do K8s Guide or Zen have ads?
Neither K8s Guide nor Zen shows ads.

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