OVN-Kubernetes vs Calico Enterprise

OKOVN-Kubernetes8.8Visit Calico Enterprise8.5Visit

Higher score OK OVN-Kubernetes #4 in Container Networking Software 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit OVN-Kubernetes

vs

Calico Enterprise #6 in Container Networking Software 8.5/10 Pricing on request ✓ 0 of 5 features Visit Tigera

• OVN-Kubernetes fits best

  Feature-rich Linux and Windows clusters

• Calico Enterprise fits best

  Enterprise Kubernetes security and networking

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Side by side

Feature	OKOVN-Kubernetes 8.8/10 Visit ↗	Calico Enterprise 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.5
Ranking	#4 in Container Networking Software	#6 in Container Networking Software
Best for	Feature-rich Linux and Windows clusters	Enterprise Kubernetes security and networking
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	—
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Linux, Windows	Web, Windows, Linux
Support	Docs, Community	Docs
Built for	Mid-market, Enterprise	Mid-market, Enterprise
Features OVN-Kubernetes 4/5 · Calico Enterprise 0/5
CNI plugin	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Network policies	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Egress control	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Multi-cluster networking	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Encryption in transit	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Specs
Supported platforms	Kubernetes, Linux, Windows, bare metal, VMware vSphere, IBM Power, IBM Z, and Red Hat OpenStack Platform	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free, open-source CNI with Kubernetes-conformant networking Policy, egress, multihoming, dual-stack, and IPsec support Supports hybrid Linux and Windows Kubernetes clusters	Supports eBPF, iptables, nftables, VPP, and Windows data planes Combines gateways, policies, cluster mesh, and centralized management Adds IDS/IPS, WAF, DDoS protection, observability, and compliance reporting
Cons	Focused on Kubernetes cluster networking rather than general-purpose networking OVN and Open vSwitch form a specialized networking foundation The broad feature set may exceed simple cluster requirements	Pricing is contact-sales rather than publicly listed There is no free plan or open-source edition Self-managed deployment requires in-house operational responsibility
Our verdict	OVN-Kubernetes is an open-source Kubernetes Container Network Interface plugin for cluster administrators managing pod and service traffic. Built on Open Virtual Network and Open vSwitch, it provides overlay networking, policy enforcement,… Read the review →	Calico Enterprise is Tigera’s self-managed platform for Kubernetes networking and security. It is aimed at organizations running Kubernetes across cloud, on-premises, or edge environments that need centralized policy control, network… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• OVN-Kubernetes — where it wins

  • Free, open-source CNI with Kubernetes-conformant networking
  • Policy, egress, multihoming, dual-stack, and IPsec support
  • Supports hybrid Linux and Windows Kubernetes clusters

  Where it doesn't

  • Focused on Kubernetes cluster networking rather than general-purpose networking
  • OVN and Open vSwitch form a specialized networking foundation
  • The broad feature set may exceed simple cluster requirements

• Calico Enterprise — where it wins

  • Supports eBPF, iptables, nftables, VPP, and Windows data planes
  • Combines gateways, policies, cluster mesh, and centralized management
  • Adds IDS/IPS, WAF, DDoS protection, observability, and compliance reporting

  Where it doesn't

  • Pricing is contact-sales rather than publicly listed
  • There is no free plan or open-source edition
  • Self-managed deployment requires in-house operational responsibility

• OKOVN-Kubernetes8.8/10 · Free plan

  A feature-rich, free CNI for Kubernetes clusters spanning Linux and Windows.

  Visit OVN-KubernetesFull verdict →
• Calico Enterprise8.5/10 · Pricing on request

  A broad Kubernetes networking and security suite for enterprises operating complex clusters.

  Visit TigeraFull verdict →