The Showdown

Calicovscilium

Why pay monthly fees for Calico when you can self-host cilium for free? Let's look at the facts.

Calico

The Expensive Option

  • Closed Source (Black box)
  • Expensive monthly fees per user
  • Data stored on their servers
WINNER

cilium

The Freedom Choice

  • 100% Open Source Code
  • Free forever (Self-hosted)
  • You own your data completely
Interactive Calculator

Calculate Your "SaaS Tax"

SaaS pricing is designed to scale with your success. See how much wealth transfers from your bank account to Calico's shareholders.

10 people
150100200+
$

*Estimated standard pricing for Calico. Adjust if needed.

Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
Start Saving Today

Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.

Detailed Breakdown

0
Iptables-based
eBPF-based
1
IP-based
Identity-aware
2
L3/L4 only
Hubble (L7)