Reviewed by the Softwares.com Editorial Team · Last updated June 2026 · How we rate
Key facts
- Vendor
- CNCF
- Pricing
- Open source — Free
- Free tier
- Yes
- Platforms
- Self Hosted, Api
- Best for
- Platform Engineers, Devops
- Editor rating
- 4.3 / 5
- Founded
- 2017
- Headquarters
- San Francisco, USA
What is Istio?
Istio is a development it tool from CNCF. A widely used service mesh that adds traffic management, mTLS security, policy and observability to microservices on Kubernetes without changing application code.
Istio uses open source pricing and offers a free tier you can start on without a credit card. Free.
It's best suited to platform engineers, devops and runs on Self Hosted, Api.
Standout strengths include rich traffic management, automatic mtls, strong observability hooks. Worth weighing: resource overhead, complex configuration.
Istio pricing
Pros
- Rich traffic management
- Automatic mTLS
- Strong observability hooks
Cons
- Resource overhead
- Complex configuration
Istio vs alternatives
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Frequently asked questions
What is Istio?
A widely used service mesh that adds traffic management, mTLS security, policy and observability to microservices on Kubernetes without changing application code.
How much does Istio cost?
Istio is open-source-priced. It has a free tier.
Does Istio have a free trial?
Istio offers a free tier rather than a time-limited trial.
What platforms does Istio support?
Istio is available on Self Hosted, Api.