Is this a full replacement for Lens?

No, and we would rather be clear about it. There is no resource browser for every kind, no YAML editor, no Helm release UI and no metrics dashboards. What there is covers pods, logs, exec, attach, nodes and node shells, with a cluster shell for the kubectl and helm work — plus everything outside the cluster.

Why would I use it instead then?

Because most of what a Lens session gets opened for is a pod and a log, and because the machine under the cluster is usually part of the same investigation. Having both in one window is the point.

Does it work with EKS, GKE and AKS?

Yes — including kubeconfigs that call an external binary for credentials, which is how all three normally authenticate.

Is Kubernetes support free?

It is a Pro feature. The free plan covers SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3 and WebDAV.

Can I use it from my phone?

Yes — pod lists, logs, shells, attach and node shells are all in the Android and iOS apps, which is genuinely useful when you are on call. The cluster shell is desktop-only: it runs kubectl and helm as local processes.

Lens alternative

Not an IDE for Kubernetes. The half you use every day.

Lens is a full cluster IDE, and that is both its appeal and its weight. If what you actually open it for is finding a pod, reading its logs, getting a shell, and then SSHing to the node it landed on, Tempest does that from the same window as the rest of your infrastructure.

Download Tempest See pricing

macOS, Windows, Linux, Android & iOS. Kubernetes is a Pro feature.

Tempest vs Lens

Being straight about scope: these are not the same category of tool.

	Tempest	Lens
Pods: list, logs, exec	Yes	Yes
Nodes: list and shell	Yes, privileged node shell	Yes
Resource browser, YAML editing, Helm UI	No — a cluster shell for kubectl and helm instead	Yes
Metrics dashboards	No	Yes, with Prometheus
SSH to the nodes themselves	Yes, same app and host list	No
Other protocols beside the cluster	SSH, SFTP, RDP, VNC, Serial, RCON	Kubernetes only
Kubeconfig sync across devices	Zero-knowledge E2E encrypted	Local files
Mobile	Android & iOS	None

If you need a full resource browser, YAML editing, Helm releases and Prometheus dashboards, Lens is the better tool and this will not replace it.

One click per verb

Shell, logs, attach — off the pod list

The cluster browser opens on pods with the namespaces down one side. Right-click the one that is misbehaving and pick what you want from it; switching context is a menu, not a kubectl incantation.

Shell into a container, with the command overridable for images that do not ship bash.

Logs in their own pane, read-only, following as they arrive.

Attach to the process already running as PID 1 — the verb most cluster GUIs skip.

Delete a stuck pod, copy a pod name or IP without selecting text out of a table.

Every verb opens as an ordinary session, so it splits alongside the others. Split screens

The Tempest Kubernetes cluster browser listing pods in a namespace, with ready state, status, restarts and age

The classic tools

A cluster shell for kubectl and helm

What the browser does not cover, a terminal does. The cluster shell is a real shell with KUBECONFIG already pointed at the profile you picked, so helm, kustomize, k9s and the patch you keep in a note all work against the right cluster.

The kubeconfig comes from the saved profile, is written per pane and removed when the pane closes. Pod shells never write it to disk at all — they speak the Kubernetes API directly. Kubernetes profiles

Exec-credential kubeconfigs — the kind EKS, GKE and AKS hand out — work as they do with kubectl.

Profiles sync zero-knowledge encrypted instead of living as a file in three places at once. How E2EE works

Shared with the team through vaults with per-member grants instead of a file in chat.

The layer Lens does not cover

A node shell, and the node itself

When the pod is fine and the machine is not, the cluster view runs out. This is where having an SSH client in the same app stops being a coincidence.

Node shell schedules a privileged scratch pod on that node, steps into PID 1's namespaces, and deletes the pod when the session ends — the node's own processes and filesystem, not a container's view of them.

Or reach the node directly over SSH, from the same host list — including through a bastion. Jump host guide

Node list with roles, state and internal IPs when you are chasing a scheduling problem.

AI in the pane

An agent that reads what the container is printing

Every session here — pod shell, logs pane, cluster shell, node shell — is readable and drivable by the agent, so it works from the output in front of you rather than from a description of it.

It reads the live screen and types into it, the same way it works an SSH host, with your approval before anything runs. AI agents guide

Outside agents get the same surface over MCP: Claude Code, Codex or Cursor can drive a pod shell in your running Tempest. Install the MCP server

Frequently asked questions

Is this a full replacement for Lens?: No, and we would rather be clear about it. There is no resource browser for every kind, no YAML editor, no Helm release UI and no metrics dashboards. What there is covers pods, logs, exec, attach, nodes and node shells, with a cluster shell for the kubectl and helm work — plus everything outside the cluster.
Why would I use it instead then?: Because most of what a Lens session gets opened for is a pod and a log, and because the machine under the cluster is usually part of the same investigation. Having both in one window is the point.
Does it work with EKS, GKE and AKS?: Yes — including kubeconfigs that call an external binary for credentials, which is how all three normally authenticate.
Is Kubernetes support free?: It is a Pro feature. The free plan covers SSH, Mosh, SFTP, FTP, S3 and WebDAV.
Can I use it from my phone?: Yes — pod lists, logs, shells, attach and node shells are all in the Android and iOS apps, which is genuinely useful when you are on call. The cluster shell is desktop-only: it runs kubectl and helm as local processes.

Keep exploring

Kubernetes terminal k9s alternative SSH client for Mac AI terminal Server monitoring

The cluster and the machines under it, in one window.

Download Tempest Read the docs