Best Cilium Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 tools from microsegmentation software ranked against Cilium on the same published basis.
- 1Cilium vs Zscaler Private Access
- 2Cilium vs ColorTokens Xshield
- 3Cilium vs Trellix Data Loss Prevention
- 4Cilium vs VMware Workstation Pro
- 5Cilium vs Calico Open Source
- 6Cilium vs HashiCorp Nomad
- 7Cilium vs Istio
- 8Cilium vs OVN-Kubernetes
- 9Cilium vs Zentera CoIP Access Platform
- 10Cilium vs Antrea
- 12Cilium vs Aviatrix Zero Trust for Workloads
- 13Cilium vs Calico Enterprise
- 14Cilium vs Elisity Microsegmentation
- 15Cilium vs Zero Networks Segment
- 16Cilium vs Tetrate Service Bridge
- 17Cilium vs Juniper Security Director
- 18Cilium vs Illumio Segmentation
- 19Cilium vs SUSE Multi-Linux Manager
- 20Cilium vs Hillstone Security Management
- 21Cilium vs VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall
Cilium alternatives compared
| # | Tool | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zscaler Private Access | 7.4 | No | — | Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | ColorTokens Xshield | 7.3 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 3 | Trellix Data Loss Prevention | 7.0 | No | — | API, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 4 | VMware Workstation Pro | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 5 | Calico Open Source | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 6 | HashiCorp Nomad | 6.8 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 7 | Istio | 6.8 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, self-hosted |
| 8 | OVN-Kubernetes | 6.7 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 9 | Zentera CoIP Access Platform | 6.7 | No | — | API, Linux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows |
| 10 | Antrea | 6.6 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, self-hosted, Windows |
| 12 | Aviatrix Zero Trust for Workloads | 6.5 | No | — | Web |
| 13 | Calico Enterprise | 6.4 | No | — | Linux, self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| 14 | Elisity Microsegmentation | 6.4 | No | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 15 | Zero Networks Segment | 6.3 | No | — | API, Web |
| 16 | Tetrate Service Bridge | 6.2 | No | — | API, self-hosted, Web |
| 17 | Juniper Security Director | 6.1 | No | — | self-hosted, Web |
| 18 | Illumio Segmentation | 6.0 | No | — | Linux, Windows |
| 19 | SUSE Multi-Linux Manager | 5.9 | No | — | API, Linux, self-hosted, Web |
| 20 | Hillstone Security Management | 5.8 | No | — | — |
| 21 | VMware vDefend Distributed Firewall | 5.8 | No | — | Web |
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Questions about Cilium alternatives
What is the best alternative to Cilium?
Zscaler Private Access, number 1 in microsegmentation software with a score of 7.4 out of 10. The others here: ColorTokens Xshield, Trellix Data Loss Prevention, VMware Workstation Pro and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to Cilium?
VMware Workstation Pro is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 4 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.