Kuma
7.5#1 in service mesh platformsFree planFree planWebAPILinuxmacOS
VisitKuma vs Network Service Mesh
Network Service Mesh
7.0#2 in container networking softwareFree planFree planAPILinuxSelf-hosted
VisitWhat both publish
| Fact | Kuma | Network Service Mesh |
|---|---|---|
| Notable news | Kuma 3.0.0 was released on October 15, 2026; the release notes include dropping Linux capabilities and disallowing privilege escalation in control-plane and hook containers. | Cisco reported in December 2019 that NSM had become a CNCF sandbox project in April 2019 and had more than 40 contributors at that time. |
| Purpose | Kuma is an open-source control plane for service mesh and microservices management. | Network Service Mesh is a hybrid and multi-cloud IP service mesh for connecting workloads across clusters and clouds. |
| Rating on G2 | G2's service-mesh category reports 4.49 out of 5 across submitted product ratings; the page does not show a Kuma product rating. | Not displayed out of 5 from 0 Network Service Mesh reviews; the Linux Foundation seller page includes Network Service Mesh as a profile filter but shows no corresponding product entry. |
| Rating on TrustRadius | TrustRadius's service-mesh category page does not show a Kuma rating; its listed products include OpenShift at 9.1 out of 10 from 625 reviews. | Not displayed out of 10 from 0 Network Service Mesh reviews; the TrustRadius service-mesh category page lists 21 other products without Network Service Mesh. |
Kuma plans
- Kuma open-sourceFree
- Open sourceFree
Network Service Mesh plans
- Network Service MeshFree
Pick Kuma if…
Kuma suits teams managing service meshes across Kubernetes, VMs, or bare metal, including multi-zone or multi-mesh setups. It is aimed at teams comfortable with self-hosted software and its production security considerations.
Pick Network Service Mesh if…
It suits teams connecting Kubernetes pods, virtual machines, or physical servers across clusters and clouds. It is relevant to operators who want per-workload Network Services and can meet the listed deployment prerequisites.