The Showdown

Istiovsconsul-k8s

Why pay monthly fees for Istio when you can self-host consul-k8s for free? Let's look at the facts.

Istio

The Expensive Option

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

consul-k8s

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 Istio's shareholders.

10 people
150100200+
$

*Estimated standard pricing for Istio. Adjust if needed.

Estimated Annual Waste
$1,440
Monthly Burn Rate$120
5-Year Projection$7,200
Cost with Self-Hosted$0
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Calculations based on 10 users at $12/mo.

Detailed Breakdown

0
Cluster-local focus
Cross-cluster native
1
High configuration burden
Lower than Istio
2
Requires complex gateways
Native Consul federation