Alternatives to Netmaker
Self-hosted WireGuard network automation
Netmaker ranks #7 of 11 in Mesh VPNs, with an Alt Score of 78. It is licensed under Apache-2.0, open source with paid hosting from $2/connection/month and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. 10 of 12 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
DevOps teams, infrastructure engineers, and self-hosters who need to connect servers, sites, and cloud environments into a private network without relying on a commercial VPN vendor.
A self-hosted control plane (management server plus web dashboard) that provisions and configures WireGuard tunnels between your machines automatically. You get mesh VPN networking, remote access gateways, site-to-site connections, access control lists, DNS management, and user management with OIDC/2FA support. Netclient agents run on each node (Linux, Windows, Mac, Docker) to apply the network configuration locally.
You define networks and nodes through the dashboard or API, and the Netmaker server distributes WireGuard configuration to the Netclient agent on each machine, which establishes and maintains the peer-to-peer WireGuard tunnels. Relay nodes can be used to route traffic when direct peer connections aren't possible (e.g., behind restrictive NATs).
Why people leave Netmaker
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Firezone is an open-source, self-hostable remote access platform built on WireGuard that creates direct, encrypted peer connections between users and internal resources through lightweight gateways.
Headscale is an open-source coordination/control server that is API-compatible with the official Tailscale client apps, letting teams self-host their own control plane while keeping the same mobile an.
OpenZiti is an open-source, programmable zero-trust networking platform stewarded by NetFoundry that builds an overlay fabric of routers and identities instead of exposing listening ports on hosts.
Defguard is an open-source, Rust-built WireGuard VPN manager that adds multi-factor authentication, an identity/SSO gateway, and a web UI for managing peers, gateways, and access policies.
Nebula is an open-source peer-to-peer mesh networking tool originally built and battle-tested internally at Slack before being open-sourced.
innernet is an open-source tool built by Tonari that wraps raw WireGuard to automate peer key exchange and IP address allocation for private mesh networks, similar in goal to Nebula and early Tailscal.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Mesh VPNs checklist (16 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Mesh VPNs checklist | Netmaker | NetBird | ZeroTier | Firezone | Headscale | OpenZiti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| WireGuard-based | ||||||
| Self-hostable control plane | ||||||
| NAT traversal | ||||||
| Exit nodes | ||||||
| ACLs / access rules | ||||||
| SSO integration | ||||||
| Device limit (free tier) | ||||||
| MagicDNS-style naming | ||||||
| Subnet routing | ||||||
| Open source clients | ||||||
| Audit published | ||||||
| Mobile support |
Every fact and feature listed for Netmaker is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Apache-2.0 verified 2026-07-08
Apache Version 2.0" license" — Core Apache-2.0; pro/ directory under a proprietary Enterprise License.
Content outside of the above mentioned directories or restrictions above is available under the
https://github.com/gravitl/netmaker/blob/main/LICENSE.md -
Pricing model OSS + paid hosting verified 2026-07-08
Always free. Always open. Community supported.
https://netmaker.io/pricing -
Starts at $2/connection/month verified 2026-07-08
Community OSS is free; Team from $2/active connection/mo.
Starting at $2/active connection/month
https://netmaker.io/pricing -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android verified 2026-07-08
Linux (most distributions) ... Windows ... macOS ... FreeBSD
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/client-installation/netclient -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
v1.6.0, dated June 12, 2026
https://github.com/gravitl/netmaker -
WireGuard-based Yes verified 2026-07-08
optimized for secure network management using WireGuard ... 51821 (UDP), 443 (UDP): For WireGuard traffic
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/server-installation/quick-install -
Self-hostable control plane Yes verified 2026-07-08
Execute the nm-quick script for a self-hosted or on-premises setup
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/server-installation/quick-install -
NAT traversal Yes verified 2026-07-08
Netmaker use a stun server (Session Traversal Utilities for NAT). This provides a tool for communications protocols to detect and traverse NATs
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/how-to-guides/nat-traversal -
Exit nodes Yes verified 2026-07-08
Netmaker allows your clients to reach external networks via an Egress Gateway.
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/features/egress -
SSO integration Yes verified 2026-07-08
Google, Okta, Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), Open ID Connect (OIDC), GitHub
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/server-installation/integrating-oauth -
Device limit (free tier) Yes verified 2026-07-08
10 nodes ... 10 external clients
https://netmaker.io/pricing -
MagicDNS-style naming Partial verified 2026-07-08
DNS management with search suffixes; requires manual config vs automatic peer naming.
configure nameservers and manage DNS records directly in the admin UI ... Search domain suffixes to simplify short hostname resolution
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/features/dns -
Subnet routing Yes verified 2026-07-08
The Egress Gateway is a netclient which has been deployed to a server or router with access to a given subnet.
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/features/egress -
Open source clients Partial verified 2026-07-08
Apache Version 2.0" license" — Core netclient Apache-2.0; Pro features proprietary.
Content outside of the above mentioned directories or restrictions above is available under the
https://github.com/gravitl/netmaker/blob/main/LICENSE.md -
Mobile support Yes verified 2026-07-08
iOS: Available on the Apple App Store ... Android: Available on Google Play Store
https://docs.netmaker.io/docs/client-installation/mobile-app
FAQ
Yes. ZeroTier, Firezone and Headscale have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
NetBird, ZeroTier and Firezone — every license claim links its source.