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Cloud · head to head

Cilium vs Confluent Cloud

Cilium logo

Cilium

Cloud

eBPF-based networking, observability and security for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit CiliumFull review
Confluent Cloud logo

Confluent Cloud

Cloud

The data streaming platform built on Apache Kafka, delivered as a fully managed cloud service

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Confluent CloudFull review

The short version

  • Confluent Cloud is a managed Apache Kafka service billed.
  • Cilium is free; Confluent Cloud starts at $385/mo.
  • Where Cilium falls short: requires a recent Linux kernel, which rules out older distributions and some managed environments.
  • Where Confluent Cloud falls short: requires understanding of eCKU (Elastic Confluent Unit) billing.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cilium and Confluent Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Cilium and Confluent Cloud differ
AttributeCiliumConfluent Cloud
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feeUsage-based
PlatformsSelf-hosted, LinuxWeb

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), category (Cloud).

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 Cilium

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

Only in Confluent Cloud

Nothing recorded that Cilium does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Cilium

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

Confluent Cloud

  • Apache Kafka event streaming and processingnot Cilium
  • Real-time data pipeline architecturenot Cilium
  • Multi-cloud event broker deploymentnot Cilium
  • Stream processing and analyticsnot Cilium
  • Microservices data synchronizationnot Cilium

Where each one falls short

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

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

Confluent Cloud

  • Requires understanding of eCKU (Elastic Confluent Unit) billing
  • Data in/egress costs add $0.014-$0.050 per GB
  • Storage costs of $0.03-$0.08 per GB-month
  • Minimum commitment recommended for cost optimization

Pricing, plan by plan

Cilium

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

Confluent Cloud

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Free first eCKU
    • Then $0.14 per eCKU-hour
    • 99.5% uptime
  • Standard$385/mo
    • $0.75 per eCKU-hour
    • 99.99% uptime with 2+ eCKUs
    • Infinite storage
  • Enterprise$895/mo
    • $1.75-$2.25 per eCKU-hour
    • Private networking
    • GBps+ scaling
  • Freight$2,300/mo
    • $2.25 per eCKU-hour
    • Specialty logging tier
    • Highest throughput requirements

Which should you pick?

Choose Cilium if

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

Choose Confluent Cloud if

  • You want to start without paying.
Confluent Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Cilium or Confluent Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Cilium starts at Free and Confluent Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cilium or Confluent Cloud?
Cilium starts at Free and Confluent Cloud at Free.
Does Cilium or Confluent Cloud run on more platforms?
Cilium runs on Self-hosted, Linux. Confluent Cloud runs on Web.
Can I use Cilium for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cilium best used for?
Cilium is most often used for kubernetes networking at a scale where iptables-based cni performance degrades, network policy expressed on workload identity rather than fragile ip rules, seeing which services actually talk to each other, and what policy is dropping. Of those, kubernetes networking at a scale where iptables-based cni performance degrades and network policy expressed on workload identity rather than fragile ip rules are not what Confluent Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Cilium do that Confluent Cloud cannot?
Cilium covers eBPF datapath, Identity-based policy, Hubble observability, Sidecar-free mesh.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Cilium: Is Cilium free?

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

Confluent Cloud: How much does Confluent Cloud cost?

Confluent Cloud pricing starts free on Basic tier with $0.14 per eCKU-hour, Standard at $0.75 per eCKU-hour (~$385/month base), Enterprise at $1.75-$2.25 per eCKU-hour (~$895/month base), and Freight specialty tier at $2.25 per eCKU-hour (~$2300/month).

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.

Confluent Cloud: Is there a free tier for Confluent Cloud?

Yes, the Basic tier is free with one eCKU credit included. Additional usage is billed at $0.14 per eCKU-hour, plus data transfer and storage fees apply.

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.

Confluent Cloud: What additional fees does Confluent Cloud charge?

Beyond eCKU hours, Confluent charges data in/egress at $0.014-$0.050 per GB and storage at $0.03-$0.08 per GB-month. Costs vary by tier and region.

Source
Confluent Cloud: Does Confluent offer discounts for higher usage?

Yes, volume discounts are negotiated upfront based on annual consumption estimates. Annual commitments allow flexible cross-product allocation with guaranteed cost savings.

Source
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