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Head-to-head · Caching Software

Varnish Enterprise vs Garnet

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 4 checks side by side
Higher score Varnish Enterprise #13 in Caching Software 8.0/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial Free trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit site
Garnet #20 in Caching Software 7.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 3 features Visit Garnet

Varnish Enterprise leads on 0 checks, Garnet on 1, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 4 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreVarnish Enterprise · 8.0/10
  • Free planonly Garnet
  • Free trialonly Varnish Enterprise
  • Most featuresVarnish Enterprise · 3 of 3

Varnish Enterprise scores higher on our rubric for caching software: 8.0 against 7.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #13 and #20.

Garnet offers free plan; Varnish Enterprise doesn't. On deployment, Varnish Enterprise gives you Both where Garnet offers Self_hosted.

Varnish Enterprise is the better fit for commercial web, API, and video caching. Garnet is the better fit for self-hosted Redis-compatible caching on major OSes.

  • Varnish Enterprise fits best

    Commercial web, API, and video caching

  • Garnet fits best

    Self-hosted Redis-compatible caching on major OSes

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 Varnish Enterprise 8.0/10 Visit ↗ Garnet 7.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.0 7.3
Ranking #13 in Caching Software #20 in Caching Software
Best for Commercial web, API, and video caching Self-hosted Redis-compatible caching on major OSes
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price — Free plan
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Self-hosted
Platforms Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Community, Docs · 24/7 Docs
Integrations 7 integrations 3 integrations
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Varnish Enterprise 3/3 · Garnet 2/3
Edge caching ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Data persistence ✓ ✓
High availability ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment Both Self_hosted
Cache targets HTTP web content, APIs, streaming video, HLS/DASH byte ranges, software artifacts, S3/object-storage content application data, key-value data, strings, lists, sets, sorted sets, hashes
Supported cache engines memory, file, MSE4 RESP, Redis-compatible clients, Tsavorite
Our review
Pros
  • Persistent memory and disk-backed caching across restarts
  • Clustering, replication, TLS, and high-availability features
  • VCL routing plus video range caching and optional WAF modules
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, and .NET self-hosting
  • Supports persistence, tiered storage, replication, sharding, and failover
  • Works with Redis clients, StackExchange.Redis, and redis-cli
Cons
  • Quote-based pricing limits upfront cost visibility
  • No free plan is offered
  • Commercial, closed-source software rather than an open-source option
  • Cluster mode requires a separate control plane for failover
  • Leader election is not implemented by the project itself
  • Founded in 2024, so it has less history than established alternatives
Our verdict

Varnish Enterprise is commercial HTTP caching and edge-delivery software for enterprises, service providers, media companies, and teams running high-volume websites, APIs, streaming services, private CDNs, and artifact repositories. Its…

Read the review →

Garnet is an open-source remote cache-store from Microsoft Research for developers and teams building low-latency caching and key-value workloads. It uses the Redis RESP wire protocol, which supports compatibility with Redis clients,…

Read the review →
  1. Varnish EnterpriseCaching Software 8.0Pricing on request · 30-day trial
  2. GarnetCaching Software 7.3Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Varnish Enterprise — where it wins

    • Persistent memory and disk-backed caching across restarts
    • Clustering, replication, TLS, and high-availability features
    • VCL routing plus video range caching and optional WAF modules

    Where it doesn't

    • Quote-based pricing limits upfront cost visibility
    • No free plan is offered
    • Commercial, closed-source software rather than an open-source option

  • Garnet — where it wins

    • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, Docker, and .NET self-hosting
    • Supports persistence, tiered storage, replication, sharding, and failover
    • Works with Redis clients, StackExchange.Redis, and redis-cli

    Where it doesn't

    • Cluster mode requires a separate control plane for failover
    • Leader election is not implemented by the project itself
    • Founded in 2024, so it has less history than established alternatives
  • Varnish Enterprise8.0/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

    A broad commercial caching platform with deep storage, delivery, and observability features.

    Visit siteFull verdict →
  • Garnet7.3/10 · Free plan

    A broad, self-hosted Redis-compatible cache-store for teams that need persistence and scaling.

    Visit GarnetFull verdict →

All caching software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update