Best Container Networking Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Cilium is ranked #1 of 24 as of 4 October 2026, ahead of Calico Open Source and Antrea. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Calico Open Source.
Keeping container workloads connected means deciding how traffic flows within and between clusters, and what controls govern it. Compare CNI plugin support and supported platforms alongside network policies, egress control, and encryption in transit. Multi-cluster networking can matter when your environment spans clusters; free-plan availability and the “Paid from” field add cost context. Canal, Cilium, and Calico Open Source are among the named options to weigh, with VMware Workstation Pro, CNI Plugins, Flannel, Kube-OVN, and Spiderpool also included. Use the listed capabilities to consider which network controls and platform coverage align with the environments you manage.
24 container networking software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
Recognised 40% · Phone app 26% · Documented 20% · Free plan 14% of the score
- 1 Cilium No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.0Free
- 2 Calico Open Source No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 8.0Free CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 3 Antrea No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.8Free
- 4 Kube-OVN No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.6Free
- 5 OVN-Kubernetes No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.4 CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 6 Flannel No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.1Free CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: Yes
- 7 Spiderpool No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 7.0Free CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 8 Calico Enterprise No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.7
- 9 Submariner No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.5 CNI plugin: NoNetwork policies: NoEgress control: Yes
- 10 Amazon VPC CNI No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 11 Azure CNI No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.4 CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 12 Kube-router No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2 CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 13 CNI Plugins No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.2Free CNI plugin: YesEgress control: Yes
- 14 Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0
- 15 Skupper No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0 CNI plugin: NoNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 16 Terway No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 6.0Free CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 17 Aviatrix Kubernetes Firewall No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 CNI plugin: NoNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 18 DANM No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.7 CNI plugin: Yes
- 19 Multus CNI No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.5 CNI plugin: Yes
- 20 Liqo No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4
- 21 Network Service Mesh No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.4 CNI plugin: NoNetwork policies: Yes
- 22 kube-network-policies No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.1 CNI plugin: NoNetwork policies: YesEgress control: Yes
- 23 Cello CNI No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 5.0 CNI plugin: YesNetwork policies: Yes
- 24 Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines No phone app RecognisedPhone appDocumentedFree plan 4.3
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which container networking software is ranked first on Samsung Mobile US Press?
Cilium is ranked #1 of 24 with a score of 8.0. Calico Open Source is second and Antrea third.
How many of these have a free plan?
8 of the 24 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked mobile-first: a phone app alongside the web or desktop product, a free tier and the depth of its documentation. Paid placements never change a rank.