Side by side
Flagger vs Kanary
Both stand on progressive delivery software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Self-hosted
Choose Flagger if your team deploys on Kubernetes and wants progressive delivery with metric checks, manual gates, and automated rollback. Look elsewhere if you need a delivery tool for applications outside Kubernetes.
Visit Flagger Free plan Self-hosted
Choose Kanary if you need an open-source controller for managing Kubernetes canary traffic, validation, scaling, and promotion. Look elsewhere if you need a managed deployment service or require a project with published releases.
Visit KanaryThe facts
| Flagger | Kanary | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Self-hosted | Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | flagger.app | github.com |
| On progressive delivery software | #14 of 29 | #18 of 29 |
Flagger: what it does well
- Supports canary, A/B testing, and blue/green deployment strategies.
- Built-in checks measure HTTP success rate and request duration.
- Custom metrics and webhooks can extend validation.
- Automatically rolls back releases after detected performance drops.
- Manual controls allow approval, pausing, and resuming.
What to know first
- Designed for applications running on Kubernetes.
- Deployment requires self-hosting.
- Traffic routing relies on an ingress controller or compatible service mesh.
Kanary: what it does well
- Automates canary rollouts on Kubernetes.
- Supports manual, label-based, and PromQL validation.
- Traffic can use production, dedicated, mirrored, or no service traffic.
- Can scale canary instances with a HorizontalPodAutoscaler.
- Install using Helm or Kubernetes resource manifests.
What to know first
- Requires self-managed Kubernetes deployment.
- The repository's Releases page states there are no releases.
Alternatives to Flagger Alternatives to Kanary The whole list