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Head-to-head · Container Networking Software

Cilium vs Amazon VPC CNI

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Cilium #1 in Container Networking Software 9.4/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Cilium
Amazon VPC CNI #8 in Container Networking Software 8.2/10 Open source ✓ 3 of 5 features Visit Amazon VPC CNI

Cilium leads on 0 checks, Amazon VPC CNI on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCilium · 9.4/10
  • Most featuresAmazon VPC CNI · 3 of 5

Cilium scores higher on our rubric for container networking software: 9.4 against 8.2 out of 10; our editors rank them #1 and #8.

Cilium is the better fit for broad Kubernetes networking and observability. Amazon VPC CNI is the better fit for amazon EKS and native AWS networking.

  • Cilium fits best

    Broad Kubernetes networking and observability

  • Amazon VPC CNI fits best

    Amazon EKS and native AWS networking

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cilium 9.4/10 Visit ↗ Amazon VPC CNI 8.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.4 8.2
Ranking #1 in Container Networking Software #8 in Container Networking Software
Best for Broad Kubernetes networking and observability Amazon EKS and native AWS networking
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Open source Open source
Free plan Not checked yet Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms Linux Linux, Windows
Support Community, Docs Community, Docs
Integrations 6 integrations 4 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cilium 0/5 · Amazon VPC CNI 3/5
CNI plugin Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Network policies Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Egress control Not checked yet ✓ (best)
Multi-cluster networking Not checked yet Not checked yet
Encryption in transit Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms Not checked yet Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Amazon EC2, Linux, Windows, IPv4, IPv6
Our review
Pros
  • eBPF-based networking with Layer 3 through Layer 7 policies
  • Hubble provides network and security observability
  • Integrates with Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, Prometheus, and Grafana
  • Native VPC networking with ENI and Pod IP management
  • Supports IPv4, IPv6, prefix delegation, and custom networking
  • Adds Security Groups for Pods and Kubernetes NetworkPolicy support
Cons
  • Focused on Linux container platforms such as Kubernetes and Docker
  • Its broad feature set spans networking, security, APIs, and observability
  • Self-hosted and hybrid deployments require platform-level ownership
  • Network policy support must be enabled before use
  • Designed around AWS VPC, EC2, ENIs, and EKS
  • Its scope centers on AWS-native Kubernetes networking
Our verdict

Cilium is open-source networking and security software for application services running on Linux container platforms, including Kubernetes and Docker. It is aimed at teams that need one layer for container networking, load balancing,…

Read the review →

Amazon VPC CNI is an open-source Kubernetes container networking plugin from Amazon Web Services. It assigns Pod IP addresses from an AWS VPC and connects Pods through Elastic Network Interfaces. The plugin is intended for Kubernetes…

Read the review →
  1. CiliumContainer Networking Software 9.4Open source
  2. Amazon VPC CNIContainer Networking Software 8.2Open source

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cilium — where it wins

    • eBPF-based networking with Layer 3 through Layer 7 policies
    • Hubble provides network and security observability
    • Integrates with Kubernetes, Docker, Helm, Prometheus, and Grafana

    Where it doesn't

    • Focused on Linux container platforms such as Kubernetes and Docker
    • Its broad feature set spans networking, security, APIs, and observability
    • Self-hosted and hybrid deployments require platform-level ownership

  • Amazon VPC CNI — where it wins

    • Native VPC networking with ENI and Pod IP management
    • Supports IPv4, IPv6, prefix delegation, and custom networking
    • Adds Security Groups for Pods and Kubernetes NetworkPolicy support

    Where it doesn't

    • Network policy support must be enabled before use
    • Designed around AWS VPC, EC2, ENIs, and EKS
    • Its scope centers on AWS-native Kubernetes networking

More comparisons

All container networking software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update