Side by side
Calico Enterprise vs Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium
Both stand on microsegmentation software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Choose Calico Enterprise if your organization needs self-managed Kubernetes networking with security and observability across clusters. Its broad policy, threat detection, and compliance capabilities are the main reasons to consider it. Organizations seeking a free plan or a listed fixed price should look elsewhere.
Visit Calico EnterpriseChoose Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium if your organization needs enterprise networking, policy controls, observability, and runtime security across cloud and on-premises clusters. Its enterprise support and professional services may suit teams deploying Cilium in production. Look elsewhere if you need published pricing or a platform beyond Linux and self-hosted environments.
Visit Isovalent Enterprise for CiliumThe facts
| Calico Enterprise | Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | Not published |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | tigera.io | isovalent.com |
| On microsegmentation software | #11 of 31 | #15 of 31 |
Calico Enterprise: what it does well
- Connects pods and services across multiple Kubernetes clusters.
- Offers network, application-layer, DNS, and egress policies.
- Includes workload-level IDS/IPS, WAF, and DDoS protection.
- Combines Kubernetes-context flow logs with dashboards and packet capture.
- Lists unlimited data retention and unlimited clusters.
What to know first
- Pricing is custom and available on request.
- There is no free plan.
- It is a self-managed platform for Kubernetes clusters.
Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium: what it does well
- Connects multi-cloud and on-premises environments at the network layer.
- Offers DNS-aware, Layer 7, and deny policies.
- Hubble provides flow visibility and policy visualization.
- Tetragon adds runtime enforcement and security observability.
- Cluster Mesh connects clusters across public clouds and on-premises environments.
What to know first
- Pricing is available only on request.
- Hubble UI, DNS Proxy HA, and Tetragon are not enabled by default for AKS cluster creation or upgrades.
- The listed platform is Linux and self-hosted.
Alternatives to Calico Enterprise Alternatives to Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium The whole list

