# Cilium vs Tigera Calico Enterprise: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[Cilium](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cilium) is a free [microsegmentation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/microsegmentation) solution. [Tigera Calico Enterprise](https://cybersectools.com/tools/tigera-calico-enterprise) is a commercial [microsegmentation](https://cybersectools.com/categories/microsegmentation) solution by [Tigera](https://cybersectools.com/companies/tigera). Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | Cilium | Tigera Calico Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free | Commercial |
| Category | Microsegmentation | Microsegmentation |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | On-Premises | Cloud |
| Company size fit | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | 23,959 | – |
| Last commit | Mar 2026 | – |
| Company | – | Tigera |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | Cilium | Tigera Calico Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Yes | – |
| Observability | Yes | Yes |
| Kubernetes | – | Yes |
| Cloud Native | – | Yes |
| Policy | – | Yes |

### Core features

**Cilium**

No features listed.

**Tigera Calico Enterprise**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

### Integrations

**Cilium**

No integrations listed.

**Tigera Calico Enterprise**

9 integrations listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [Cilium](https://cybersectools.com/tools/cilium) fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a small business, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.
- [Tigera Calico Enterprise](https://cybersectools.com/tools/tigera-calico-enterprise) fits if you want a cloud product.

## Cilium vs Tigera Calico Enterprise FAQ

Common questions when comparing Cilium vs Tigera Calico Enterprise for microsegmentation.

### What is the difference between Cilium and Tigera Calico Enterprise?

**Cilium**: Cilium is a networking, observability, and security solution with an eBPF-based dataplane.

**Tigera Calico Enterprise**: Kubernetes security platform for network policy, compliance & observability, built by Tigera.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes Cilium and Tigera Calico Enterprise?

**Cilium** is open-source with 23,959 GitHub stars. **Tigera Calico Enterprise** is made by Tigera. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is Cilium a good alternative to Tigera Calico Enterprise?

Often, yes. Cilium and Tigera Calico Enterprise are both Microsegmentation products, and both cover Observability. Key differences: Cilium is Free while Tigera Calico Enterprise is Commercial, Cilium is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [Cilium vs Isovalent Enterprise Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cilium-vs-isovalent-isovalent-enterprise-platform)
- [Cilium vs Isovalent Cilium Mesh](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cilium-vs-isovalent-cilium-mesh)
- [Cilium vs Greymatter.io](https://cybersectools.com/compare/cilium-vs-greymatterio)
- [Tigera Calico Enterprise vs Isovalent Enterprise Platform](https://cybersectools.com/compare/tigera-calico-enterprise-vs-isovalent-isovalent-enterprise-platform)
- [Tigera Calico Enterprise vs Isovalent Cilium Mesh](https://cybersectools.com/compare/isovalent-cilium-mesh-vs-tigera-calico-enterprise)
- [Tigera Calico Enterprise vs Greymatter.io](https://cybersectools.com/compare/greymatterio-vs-tigera-calico-enterprise)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all Cilium alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/cilium)
- [See all Tigera Calico Enterprise alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/tigera-calico-enterprise)

---

Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/cilium-vs-tigera-calico-enterprise

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/cilium.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on Cilium and Tigera Calico Enterprise: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md