Kubeshark vs Retina
Kubeshark
kubeshark.comRetina
retina.shSide by side
| Figure | Kubeshark | Retina |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $0.40/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 6 | 0 |
| Spec score · eBPF Observability Tools | 9.0 (#2) | 7.0 (#26) |
| deployment | Kubeshark can be deployed with Helm in Kubernetes and supports self-hosted air-gapped operation on the Enterprise tier. | Retina is installed into an existing Kubernetes cluster using Helm. |
| License | The public repository and Homebrew formula identify Kubeshark as Apache License 2.0 software. | The repository uses the MIT License, which grants permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, sublicense, and sell copies of the software subject to its terms. |
| Support | The vendor says support is normally delivered through a dedicated Slack channel or by email at [email protected]. | The project directs bug reports and feature requests to GitHub issues and lists [email protected] for other maintainer contact. |
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.