Kerno vs Kubeshark
Kerno
github.comKubeshark
kubeshark.comSide by side
| Figure | Kerno | Kubeshark |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $0.40/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 6 |
| Spec score · eBPF Observability Tools | 7.0 (#25) | 9.0 (#2) |
| Deployment | Kerno can run as a Kubernetes DaemonSet or as a binary on bare metal, VMs, EC2, and GCE; Docker images are published for Linux amd64 and arm64. | Kubeshark can be deployed with Helm in Kubernetes and supports self-hosted air-gapped operation on the Enterprise tier. |
| License | The repository identifies Kerno as licensed under Apache License 2.0. | The public repository and Homebrew formula identify Kubeshark as Apache License 2.0 software. |
| Support | The security policy directs general questions to GitHub Discussions and vulnerability reports to [email protected], with acknowledgment targeted within 48 hours. | The vendor says support is normally delivered through a dedicated Slack channel or by email at [email protected]. |
Plans
Kubeshark
- CommunityFree
- Enterprise$0.40 a month
- Micro$30 a month
- Pro$30 a month
- Dynamic$190 a month
- Small$360 a month
In their own words
Kubeshark
Kubeshark indexes Kubernetes cluster network traffic at the kernel level using eBPF and makes it searchable with Kubernetes, API, and network context. It can decrypt TLS and service-mesh mTLS traffic without keys, certificates, sidecars, or application changes. Users can capture retrospective traffic snapshots, filter them by time, nodes, workloads, and IPs, then export PCAP files. Its KFL query language combines Kubernetes identity, API context, and network attributes. Kubeshark also provides an identity-aware service map and performance indicators for pods, services, nodes, and namespaces. It supports more than 23 protocols, including HTTP, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL, gRPC, and DNS. Cluster network data can be exposed through MCP to AI assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor, and GitHub Copilot. Deployment uses Helm in Kubernetes, and self-hosted air-gapped operation is listed for Enterprise. The free Community plan supports up to 3 nodes or 60 pods and requires internet connectivity. Paid plans start at $30/mo.