compare
Istio vs Kuma
The same facts for both, read from GitHub every night, and the relation a person reviewed.
| Fact | Istio | Kuma |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Go | Go |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Stars | 38k | 4k |
| Latest | 1.31.1 | v2.14.5 |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Release cadence | about 1 day between releases | about 1 day between releases |
| Active contributors | 71 commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days | 5+ commit authors on the default branch in the last 90 days |
| Flags | none | none |
How they relate
Both replace Linkerd. Alternatives to Linkerd →
Full replacementIstiomTLS, traffic management and telemetry, with sidecar or ambient modes built on Envoy.
Full replacementKumaEnvoy-based mesh for Kubernetes and VMs, with multi-zone support.
Istio
unsigned The latest release, 1.31.1, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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Kuma
unsigned The latest release, v2.14.5, carries no signature GitHub could verify.
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