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Developer Tools · head to head

Azure DevOps vs Cilium

Azure DevOps logo

Azure DevOps

Developer Tools

Plan smarter, collaborate better, and ship faster

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Cilium logo

Cilium

Cloud

eBPF-based networking, observability and security for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Azure DevOps first 5 users free applies to Basic plan only; Test Plans users are not included in free tier; Cilium requires a recent Linux kernel, which rules out older distributions and some managed environments
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Azure DevOps and Cilium actually diverge.

Attributes where Azure DevOps and Cilium differ
AttributeAzure DevOpsCilium
Pricing modelmixedOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWebKubernetes, Linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCloud

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Azure DevOps

Nothing recorded that Cilium does not also cover.

Only in Cilium

  • eBPF datapath
  • Identity-based policy
  • Hubble observability
  • Sidecar-free mesh

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Azure DevOps

  • CI/CD pipelines and build automation for software development teamsnot Cilium
  • Source code repository management and version controlnot Cilium
  • Test planning and tracking for QA teamsnot Cilium
  • Artifact storage for packages and binariesnot Cilium

Cilium

  • Kubernetes networking at a scale where iptables-based CNI performance degradesnot Azure DevOps
  • Network policy expressed on workload identity rather than fragile IP rulesnot Azure DevOps
  • Seeing which services actually talk to each other, and what policy is droppingnot Azure DevOps

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Azure DevOps

  • First 5 users free applies to Basic plan only; Test Plans users are not included in free tier
  • Storage pricing increases per-GiB cost as volumes grow, with no volume discount threshold below $0.25

Cilium

  • Requires a recent Linux kernel, which rules out older distributions and some managed environments
  • eBPF is genuinely hard to debug when it misbehaves, and the skill is rare on most teams
  • Broad scope — CNI, policy, mesh, observability — means the learning curve covers several domains at once

Pricing, plan by plan

Azure DevOps

Free
  • Basic$6/month per user
    • First 5 users free
    • Additional users $6/user/month
    • Pipelines (free tier)
  • Basic + Test Plans$52/month per user
    • All Basic features
    • Test planning, tracking, and execution
  • Azure Pipelines CI/CD - Microsoft-hosted$40/month per additional parallel job
    • 1 free parallel job with 1,800 minutes per month
    • Additional jobs at $40/month each
  • Azure Artifacts Storage$2/month per GiB
    • First 2 GiB free
    • 2-10 GiB: $2/GiB
    • 10-100 GiB: $1/GiB

Cilium

Free
  • CiliumFree
    • Full functionality
    • No usage limits
    • Community support

Which should you pick?

Choose Azure DevOps if

  • You want to start without paying.
Azure DevOps review

Choose Cilium if

  • You need ebpf datapath.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Kubernetes, Linux.
  • You also want identity-based policy.
Cilium review

Questions people ask

Is Azure DevOps or Cilium better?
Neither clearly leads. Azure DevOps starts at Free and Cilium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Azure DevOps or Cilium?
Azure DevOps starts at Free and Cilium at Free.
Does Azure DevOps or Cilium run on more platforms?
Azure DevOps runs on Web. Cilium runs on Kubernetes, Linux.
Can I use Azure DevOps for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Azure DevOps best used for?
Azure DevOps is most often used for ci/cd pipelines and build automation for software development teams, source code repository management and version control, test planning and tracking for qa teams, artifact storage for packages and binaries. Of those, ci/cd pipelines and build automation for software development teams and source code repository management and version control are not what Cilium is typically brought in for.
What can Azure DevOps do that Cilium cannot?
Cilium covers eBPF datapath, Identity-based policy, Hubble observability, Sidecar-free mesh.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Azure DevOps: How much does Azure DevOps cost?

Azure DevOps Basic plan is $6 per user per month after the first 5 users are free. Basic + Test Plans tier costs $52 per user per month. Azure Pipelines add-on for extra parallel jobs costs $40 per job for Microsoft-hosted runners and $15 per job for self-hosted runners.

Source
Cilium: Is Cilium free?

Yes, open source and CNCF-graduated. Isovalent sells an enterprise distribution and support.

Azure DevOps: Is there a free tier for Azure DevOps?

Yes, Azure DevOps includes 5 free users on the Basic plan. Additional free allocations include 1,800 free minutes per month on Azure Pipelines with a free parallel job, 2 GiB free storage on Azure Artifacts, and free access for Visual Studio subscribers and Stakeholders with limited functionality.

Source
Cilium: What does eBPF change?

It lets Cilium run packet-processing programs inside the kernel instead of relying on iptables rule chains, which behave poorly as the number of services grows.

Azure DevOps: What does the Basic + Test Plans tier add to Azure DevOps?

The Basic + Test Plans tier adds test planning and execution capabilities, browser-based testing, and centralized reporting features. This tier costs $52 per user per month compared to $6 per user for the Basic plan.

Source
Cilium: Does Cilium replace a service mesh?

It can cover much of what a mesh does without sidecars, though full mesh feature sets still favour Istio or Linkerd.

Azure DevOps: How is Azure Artifacts priced?

Azure Artifacts provides 2 GiB of free storage, then charges $2 per GiB for 2-10 GiB, $1 per GiB for 10-100 GiB, $0.50 per GiB for 100-1,000 GiB, and $0.25 per GiB for over 1,000 GiB.

Source
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