Cilium vs Antrea

Cilium9.4Visit Antrea9.0Visit

Higher score Cilium #1 in Container Networking Software 9.4/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Cilium

vs

Antrea #3 in Container Networking Software 9.0/10 Open source ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Antrea

• Cilium fits best

  Broad Kubernetes networking and observability

• Antrea fits best

  Advanced policy and multi-cluster networking

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Side by side

Feature	Cilium 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Antrea 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.0
Ranking	#1 in Container Networking Software	#3 in Container Networking Software
Best for	Broad Kubernetes networking and observability	Advanced policy and multi-cluster 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	10 integrations
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cilium 0/5 · Antrea 0/5
CNI plugin	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Network policies	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Egress control	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Multi-cluster networking	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Encryption in transit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
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	Advanced policy tiers, priorities, and cluster policies Multi-cluster networking with encryption and service support Traceflow, packet inspection, and flow visibility
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	Requires Kubernetes and Open vSwitch-based pod networking Self-hosted deployment places operations with the adopting team Its feature depth may exceed simpler cluster networking needs
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 →	Antrea is an open-source Kubernetes networking solution for teams managing clusters across public or private clouds and bare-metal infrastructure. It implements the Container Network Interface and Kubernetes NetworkPolicy, using Open… Read the review →

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

• Antrea — where it wins

  • Advanced policy tiers, priorities, and cluster policies
  • Multi-cluster networking with encryption and service support
  • Traceflow, packet inspection, and flow visibility

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires Kubernetes and Open vSwitch-based pod networking
  • Self-hosted deployment places operations with the adopting team
  • Its feature depth may exceed simpler cluster networking needs

• Cilium9.4/10 · Open source

  A broad open-source networking and observability layer for Kubernetes environments.

  Visit CiliumFull verdict →
• Antrea9.0/10 · Open source

  A strong open-source choice for advanced Kubernetes networking, policy, and visibility.

  Visit AntreaFull verdict →