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Cloud · head to head

Cilium vs Sticky Password

Cilium logo

Cilium

Cloud

eBPF-based networking, observability and security for Kubernetes

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sticky Password logo

Sticky Password

Cybersecurity

Password manager with autofill, digital wallet, and dark web monitoring

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cilium requires a recent Linux kernel, which rules out older distributions and some managed environments; Sticky Password offers no dedicated family plan, requiring individual licenses or a Teams plan to cover a household.
  • They diverge on capability: Cilium covers eBPF datapath, Sticky Password covers Autofill and capture.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cilium and Sticky Password actually diverge.

Attributes where Cilium and Sticky Password differ
AttributeCiliumSticky Password
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feefreemium
PlatformsKubernetes, Linuxweb, ios, android, windows, mac
CategoryCloudCybersecurity

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 Cilium

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

Only in Sticky Password

  • Autofill and capture
  • Encrypted vault sync
  • Emergency access
  • Dark web monitoring
  • Password sharing
  • Digital wallet

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

Sticky Password

  • Storing and autofilling passwords across devicesnot Cilium
  • Securely sharing a login with a family member or colleaguenot Cilium
  • Granting emergency vault access to a trusted contactnot Cilium
  • Monitoring saved credentials for dark web exposurenot 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

Sticky Password

  • Offers no dedicated family plan, requiring individual licenses or a Teams plan to cover a household.
  • Free tier is limited to a 30-day Premium trial rather than a permanent free feature set.
  • Lacks the browser-based item history and detailed sharing permissions offered by some larger competitors.
  • Business/Teams tooling is lighter than dedicated enterprise password managers with SSO and SCIM support.

Pricing, plan by plan

Cilium

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

Sticky Password

Free
  • Free (30-day Premium trial)Free
    • 30-day trial of Premium features
    • Basic password storage after trial
  • Premium$2.5/month
    • Vault sync across devices
    • Password sharing
    • Dark web monitoring
  • Teams$2.5/month
    • Per-user pricing billed annually
    • Usable for families or businesses
    • Centralized license management

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 Sticky Password if

  • You need autofill and capture.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, windows, mac.
  • You also want encrypted vault sync.
Sticky Password review

Questions people ask

Is Cilium or Sticky Password better?
Neither clearly leads. Cilium starts at Free and Sticky Password at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Cilium or Sticky Password?
Cilium starts at Free and Sticky Password at Free.
Does Cilium or Sticky Password run on more platforms?
Cilium runs on Kubernetes, Linux. Sticky Password runs on web, ios, android, windows, mac.
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 Sticky Password is typically brought in for.
What can Cilium do that Sticky Password cannot?
Cilium covers eBPF datapath, Identity-based policy, Hubble observability, Sidecar-free mesh. Sticky Password covers Autofill and capture, Encrypted vault sync, Emergency access, Dark web monitoring.

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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