What is NetBird used for?

NetBird builds a secure WireGuard-based overlay network for devices and users, with SSO, MFA and granular access controls. It is a good fit for secure remote access without opening ports, connecting servers across cloud providers and replacing a traditional VPN gateway.

Is NetBird open source?

Yes. NetBird is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at netbirdio/netbird and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. NetBird is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from €6 per seat per month.

Can I self-host NetBird?

Yes. NetBird can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is NetBird an alternative to?

NetBird is an open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate, NordLayer and Cloudflare Zero Trust. Other open-source alternatives to Tailscale include Octelium, OpenZiti and Pangolin.

Is NetBird actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to NetBird was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.80.0, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 30k stars on GitHub.

NetBird: open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate

About NetBird

NetBird joins a configuration-free peer-to-peer private network with a central access control system on one platform. It creates a WireGuard-based overlay that connects machines over encrypted tunnels automatically, which avoids opening ports, writing complex firewall rules or running VPN gateways. It is written in Go and can be used for an organization or a home network. The repository metadata lists the license as Other.

Connectivity features include kernel WireGuard, peer-to-peer connections with relay fallback, routes to external networks, exit nodes, and private DNS with custom zones. For management and security there is an admin web UI, automatic peer discovery, SSO and MFA, identity provider integrations, groups and rules for access control, activity logging, traffic events and device posture checks. A public API, setup keys, a Terraform provider and a self-hosting quickstart script support automation. Clients cover Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and Android TV, and an agent network beta targets AI agents.

Key features

WireGuard-based peer-to-peer overlay network
Relay fallback when direct connections fail
SSO, MFA and identity provider integrations
Access control through groups and rules
Private DNS, exit nodes and network routes
Public API and Terraform provider

Good fit for

→Secure remote access without opening ports
→Connecting servers across cloud providers
→Replacing a traditional VPN gateway

Built with: Go
Tags: vpn; wireguard; mesh-network; zero-trust; networking; sso; self-hosted; golang

NetBird: questions and answers

What is NetBird used for?: NetBird builds a secure WireGuard-based overlay network for devices and users, with SSO, MFA and granular access controls. It is a good fit for secure remote access without opening ports, connecting servers across cloud providers and replacing a traditional VPN gateway.
Is NetBird open source?: Yes. NetBird is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at netbirdio/netbird and is written mainly in Go.
Is NetBird free?: Yes. NetBird is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available, with paid plans from €6 per seat per month.
Can I self-host NetBird?: Yes. NetBird can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is NetBird an alternative to?: NetBird is an open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate, NordLayer and Cloudflare Zero Trust. Other open-source alternatives to Tailscale include Octelium, OpenZiti and Pangolin.
Is NetBird actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to NetBird was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v0.80.0, published on 1 October 2026. The project has 30k stars on GitHub.