17.2
Antrea is an open-source networking and security project for Kubernetes workloads.
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxSelf-hosted
Best Container Networking Software in 2026
For teams running containerized workloads, networking tools shape how services communicate and how traffic is controlled. Compare CNI plugins and supported platforms with network policies, egress control, encryption in transit, and multi-cluster networking. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing give added context when balancing capabilities and cost. Canal, VMware Workstation Pro, and Calico Open Source are…
27.0
Network Service Mesh is an open-source project for connecting workloads across clusters and clouds through a hybrid, multi-cloud IP service mesh.
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxSelf-hosted
36.2
Aviatrix Kubernetes Firewall governs ingress, egress, and east-west traffic for Kubernetes workloads across clusters, clouds, and other environments.
WebSelf-hosted
- 4
kube-network-policies
kube-network-policies is a free, open-source userspace implementation of Kubernetes network policies for Linux.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted6.2Free plan - 5
Calico Open Source
Calico Open Source provides networking, network security, and observability for Kubernetes environments across cloud, hybrid-cloud, and on-premises deployments.
Free planLinuxSelf-hostedWindows6.1Free plan - 6
Cilium
Cilium is open-source software for providing, securing, and observing network connectivity between workloads, using eBPF.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted6.0Free plan - 7
CNI Plugins
CNI Plugins is a free collection of reference and example network plugins for configuring Linux and Windows container networking.
Free planLinuxWindows6.0Free plan - 8
Flannel
Flannel is a free, open-source network fabric that provides layer 3 networking for containers designed for Kubernetes.
Free planLinuxSelf-hostedWindows6.0Free plan - 9
Kube-OVN
Kube-OVN combines OVN and Open vSwitch with Kubernetes to orchestrate cloud-native networks.
Free planAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.0Free plan - 10
Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines
Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines automates application delivery on Red Hat OpenShift using a cloud-native CI/CD approach built on Tekton.
WebAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.0 - 11
OVN-Kubernetes
OVN-Kubernetes is a free, open-source Kubernetes networking solution and CNI-conformant plugin built on OVN and Open vSwitch.
APILinuxSelf-hostedWindows5.9 - 12
Cello CNI
Cello CNI is a free Kubernetes networking plugin that connects cluster workloads within a Volcengine VPC.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted5.8Free plan - 13
DANM
DANM is a Kubernetes network management suite for Linux clusters, originally developed as Nokia’s TelCo-grade solution.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted5.8Free plan - 14
Kube-router
Kube-router is a free, open-source networking solution for Kubernetes clusters, designed to simplify operations while providing network performance.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted5.8Free plan - 15
Skupper
Skupper is a free, open-source application interconnect for creating private networks across sites and platforms.
APILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted5.8 - 16
Spiderpool
Spiderpool is an open-source networking solution for Kubernetes workloads on bare metal, virtual machines, and public clouds.
Free planAPILinuxSelf-hosted5.8Free plan - 17
Calico Enterprise
Calico Enterprise is Tigera’s paid, self-managed platform for network security and observability in Kubernetes clusters.
WebLinuxSelf-hostedWindows5.7 - 18
Liqo
Liqo connects Kubernetes clusters so they can share namespaces, resources, and workloads across a multi-cluster topology.
LinuxmacOSSelf-hostedWindows5.7 - 19
Terway
Terway is a CNI plugin for Alibaba Cloud Kubernetes (ACK) built on Alibaba Cloud ENI technology.
Free planLinuxSelf-hosted5.7Free plan - 20
Amazon VPC CNI
Amazon VPC CNI is a Kubernetes networking plugin that uses Elastic Network Interfaces on AWS to connect pods.
LinuxSelf-hostedWindows5.4 - 21
Submariner
Submariner is open-source, self-hosted networking software that connects Pods and Services across Kubernetes clusters running on premises or in the cloud.
Self-hosted5.4 - 22
Multus CNI
Multus CNI is a Kubernetes CNI meta-plugin that gives pods additional network interfaces by calling other CNI plugins.
APILinuxSelf-hosted5.3 - 23
Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium
Isovalent Enterprise for Cilium is a paid, self-hosted Linux distribution combining Cilium, Hubble, and Tetragon, developed and supported by Cilium’s creators.
LinuxSelf-hosted5.2 - 24
VMware NSX
Web4.8 - 25
Azure CNI
LinuxWindows4.7