Defguard vs Pritunl
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Defguard
WireGuard VPN and identity platform with MFA
VS
Pritunl
Enterprise VPN server built on OpenVPN and WireGuard
| Feature | Defguard | Pritunl |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 90 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Rust | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,847 | ★ 5,025 |
| First released | 2023 | 2013 |
| Replaces | OpenVPN Access Server, Twingate | OpenVPN Access Server |
What are Defguard and Pritunl?
Defguard
Defguard is an open-source WireGuard VPN and identity management platform with multi-factor authentication and an OpenID Connect provider. It is fully self-hosted for secure remote access.
- WireGuard VPN management
- Built-in MFA
- OpenID Connect provider
- LDAP synchronization
Pritunl
Pritunl is an open-source VPN server that provides an enterprise-grade web interface on top of OpenVPN and WireGuard. It supports clustered deployments and SSO.
- Web UI over OpenVPN
- Clustered high availability
- SSO and MFA support
- Site-to-site links
Defguard vs Pritunl: key differences
Defguard is written in Rust, while Pritunl is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Defguard versus AGPL-3.0 for Pritunl. Defguard is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Pritunl. Pritunl is the more established project (first released 2013), while Defguard arrived in 2023.
Why pick each one
Choose Defguard if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
Choose Pritunl if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 5k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
Frequently asked questions
Is Defguard or Pritunl better?
Neither is universally better. Pritunl has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Defguard and Pritunl free and open-source?
Yes. Defguard is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pritunl under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Defguard and Pritunl with Docker?
Defguard: yes. Pritunl: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Defguard or Pritunl?
Defguard has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Pritunl. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.