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Cloud · head to head

Cilium vs Sourcegraph

Cilium logo

Cilium

Cloud

eBPF-based networking, observability and security for Kubernetes

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Sourcegraph logo

Sourcegraph

Developer Tools

Code search and intelligence platform for large codebases with Cody AI assistant

From
$16000/year
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Cilium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Cilium requires a recent Linux kernel, which rules out older distributions and some managed environments; Sourcegraph enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cilium and Sourcegraph actually diverge.

Attributes where Cilium and Sourcegraph differ
AttributeCiliumSourcegraph
Starting priceFree$16000/year
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsKubernetes, LinuxCloud, Self-hosted
CategoryCloudDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: 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 Cilium

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

Only in Sourcegraph

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 Sourcegraph
  • Network policy expressed on workload identity rather than fragile IP rulesnot Sourcegraph
  • Seeing which services actually talk to each other, and what policy is droppingnot Sourcegraph

Sourcegraph

  • Large-scale code migrations across hundreds of repositoriesnot Cilium
  • Enterprise governance and code ownership trackingnot Cilium
  • AI-assisted bug hunting and security pattern detectionnot Cilium
  • Onboarding engineers into large unfamiliar codebasesnot Cilium
  • Regulatory compliance and code audit trailsnot 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

Sourcegraph

  • Enterprise pricing starting at $16k annually creates significant barrier for small teams
  • No free tier or standard plan published; all options require custom sales engagement
  • Complex enterprise-only positioning limits adoption compared to GitHub Copilot's pervasiveness
  • Requires indexing entire codebase; not suitable for small or ephemeral projects

Pricing, plan by plan

Cilium

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

Sourcegraph

$16000/year
  • Enterprise$16000/year
    • Scales with team size
    • Credits for AI features per user
    • Deep Search

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Sourcegraph if

  • You work on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Sourcegraph review

Questions people ask

Is Cilium or Sourcegraph better?
Neither clearly leads. Cilium starts at Free and Sourcegraph at $16000/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cilium or Sourcegraph?
Cilium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Cilium and $16000/year for Sourcegraph.
Does Cilium or Sourcegraph run on more platforms?
Cilium runs on Kubernetes, Linux. Sourcegraph runs on Cloud, Self-hosted.
Can I use Cilium for free?
Yes. Cilium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sourcegraph starts at $16000/year.
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 Sourcegraph is typically brought in for.
What can Cilium do that Sourcegraph 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.

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.

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.

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