Best Network Service Mesh Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from container networking software ranked against Network Service Mesh on the same published basis.
- 1Network Service Mesh vs Cilium
- 2Network Service Mesh vs Calico Open Source
- 3Network Service Mesh vs Antrea
- 4Network Service Mesh vs Kube-OVN
- 5Network Service Mesh vs OVN-Kubernetes
- 6Network Service Mesh vs Flannel
- 7Network Service Mesh vs Spiderpool
- 8Network Service Mesh vs Calico Enterprise
- 9Network Service Mesh vs Submariner
- 10Network Service Mesh vs Amazon VPC CNI
- 11Network Service Mesh vs Azure CNI
- 12Network Service Mesh vs Kube-router
- 13Network Service Mesh vs CNI Plugins
- 14Network Service Mesh vs Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium
- 15Network Service Mesh vs Skupper
- 16Network Service Mesh vs Terway
- 17Network Service Mesh vs Aviatrix Kubernetes Firewall
- 18Network Service Mesh vs DANM
- 19Network Service Mesh vs Multus CNI
- 20Network Service Mesh vs Liqo
Network Service Mesh alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cilium | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 2 | Calico Open Source | 8.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 3 | Antrea | 7.8 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 4 | Kube-OVN | 7.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 5 | OVN-Kubernetes | 7.4 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | Flannel | 7.1 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 7 | Spiderpool | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted |
| 8 | Calico Enterprise | 6.7 | No | — | Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 9 | Submariner | 6.5 | No | — | self-hosted |
| 10 | Amazon VPC CNI | 6.4 | No | — | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 11 | Azure CNI | 6.4 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 12 | Kube-router | 6.2 | No | — | Linux |
| 13 | CNI Plugins | 6.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Windows |
| 14 | Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium | 6.0 | No | — | — |
| 15 | Skupper | 6.0 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 16 | Terway | 6.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted |
| 17 | Aviatrix Kubernetes Firewall | 5.7 | No | — | Web |
| 18 | DANM | 5.7 | No | — | Linux |
| 19 | Multus CNI | 5.5 | No | — | Linux |
| 20 | Liqo | 5.4 | No | — | Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
Make your app an alternative to Network Service Mesh
See the priceThe sponsored alternative slot on this page is labelled Sponsored.
Questions about Network Service Mesh alternatives
What is the best alternative to Network Service Mesh?
Cilium, number 1 in container networking software with a score of 8.0 out of 10. The others here: Calico Open Source, Antrea, Kube-OVN and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Network Service Mesh?
Cilium is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 8 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation.