What is Netmaker used for?

Netmaker is a platform that automates WireGuard networks for mesh VPNs, remote access and site-to-site links, available as open-source self-hosted software or a managed SaaS. It is a good fit for connecting servers across multiple clouds, secure remote access for distributed teams, and home lab and edge site networking.

Is Netmaker open source?

Yes. Netmaker is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at gravitl/netmaker and is written mainly in Go.

Yes. Netmaker 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 $99 per month.

Can I self-host Netmaker?

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

What is Netmaker an alternative to?

Netmaker is an open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate and NordLayer. Other open-source alternatives to Tailscale include NetBird, Pangolin and Octelium.

Is Netmaker actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Netmaker was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.7.0, published on 31 August 2026. The project has 12k stars on GitHub.

Netmaker: open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate

About Netmaker

Netmaker builds on WireGuard to create and manage virtual networks automatically, from a home lab to an enterprise. It markets itself as a zero trust networking platform for connecting devices, clouds and sites, with an admin UI so that networks do not have to be configured by hand with wg-quick files.

Its capabilities include WireGuard networks, mesh VPNs, remote access gateways, site-to-site connectivity, private DNS, access control lists and OAuth sign-in. Clients are available for Linux, Mac and Windows, and the server can be deployed with Docker or on Kubernetes. The topics also mention IPv6 support and overlay networking.

You can deploy the open-source server yourself, for example on an Ubuntu 24.04 cloud VM with a static public IP, using a quick-start script and opening the documented ports, or install the self-hosted Pro version. A managed Netmaker SaaS is also offered for those who want to skip operations. The repository lists the license as Other.

Key features

Automated WireGuard network management
Mesh VPNs and site-to-site links
Remote access gateways
Admin UI for network administration
Access control lists and private DNS
OAuth login support
Clients for Linux, Mac and Windows

Good fit for

→Connecting servers across multiple clouds
→Secure remote access for distributed teams
→Home lab and edge site networking

Built with: Go; Kubernetes
Tags: wireguard; vpn; mesh-network; zero-trust; networking; self-hosted; kubernetes; remote-access; golang

Netmaker: questions and answers

What is Netmaker used for?: Netmaker is a platform that automates WireGuard networks for mesh VPNs, remote access and site-to-site links, available as open-source self-hosted software or a managed SaaS. It is a good fit for connecting servers across multiple clouds, secure remote access for distributed teams, and home lab and edge site networking.
Is Netmaker open source?: Yes. Netmaker is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at gravitl/netmaker and is written mainly in Go.
Is Netmaker free?: Yes. Netmaker 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 $99 per month.
Can I self-host Netmaker?: Yes. Netmaker can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Netmaker an alternative to?: Netmaker is an open-source alternative to Tailscale, Twingate and NordLayer. Other open-source alternatives to Tailscale include NetBird, Pangolin and Octelium.
Is Netmaker actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Netmaker was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.7.0, published on 31 August 2026. The project has 12k stars on GitHub.