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Confluent CLI vs kaf: catalog facts
Confluent CLI	kaf
Free The CLI is free; Confluent Cloud and Confluent Platform are billed separately.	Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence.
Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
One tool for both Confluent Cloud and on-premises Confluent Platform Produce and consume Kafka messages from the terminal	Familiar kubectl-style commands Single Go binary
Only useful with Confluent Cloud or Confluent Platform Source-available license, not open source	Command-line only, no graphical interface Requires access to a running Kafka cluster
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License: Confluent Community License	License: Apache-2.0
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Needs internet	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.