Algo VPN vs Nebula
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Algo VPN
Set up a personal IPsec and WireGuard VPN in minutes
VS
Nebula
Scalable overlay networking tool from Slack
| Feature | Algo VPN | Nebula |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 30,350 | ★ 17,591 |
| First released | 2016 | 2019 |
| Replaces | NordVPN | Tailscale |
Why pick each one
Choose Algo VPN if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 30.4k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Choose Nebula if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Mature project with 17.6k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Algo VPN or Nebula better?
Algo VPN is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Nebula if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Algo VPN and Nebula free and open-source?
Yes. Algo VPN is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Nebula under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Algo VPN and Nebula with Docker?
Algo VPN: check the project docs for container support. Nebula: check the project docs for container support.