Side by side
BCC vs KubeSense
Both stand on ebpf observability tools. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
Choose BCC if you need a free, self-hosted toolkit for eBPF kernel tracing or manipulation on Linux. Its included system tracing tools and several supported kernel hooks make it relevant to performance and network work. Check the kernel version and configuration requirements before choosing it.
Visit BCC
Free plan APILinuxSelf-hosted+1
KubeSense brings eBPF capture, correlated observability data, and AI-assisted root-cause analysis across infrastructure layers. Plan limits and features marked Coming Soon should be checked against the monitoring scope required.
Visit KubeSenseThe facts
| BCC | KubeSense | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted | API, Linux, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Basic: $20 per node a month |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | kubesense.ai |
| On ebpf observability tools | #6 of 29 | #10 of 29 |
BCC: what it does well
- Free to use under the Apache-2.0 license.
- Provides instrumentation in C with Python and Lua front ends.
- Supports socket filters, tc classifiers and actions, and kprobes.
- Includes tracing tools for disk I/O, processes, networking, and filesystems.
- Installation guidance covers multiple Linux distributions and WSL.
What to know first
- Requires Linux kernel 4.1 or newer in general.
- Specified kernel configuration options are also required.
- Ubuntu Universe and iovisor BCC packages are described as outdated.
- A load failure with “Operation not permitted” may require sudo.
KubeSense: what it does well
- Non-invasive eBPF kernel data capture
- Real-time RCA recommendations
- Cloud and on-premise deployment
- Broad infrastructure integrations
- Free unlimited Dev, UAT, and Pre-Prod monitoring
What to know first
- Some AI features are marked Coming Soon
- Basic supports one cluster
- Basic is limited to 60 hosts/nodes
Alternatives to BCC Alternatives to KubeSense The whole list