Defguard vs Subspace
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?
Defguard
WireGuard VPN and identity platform with MFA
VS
Subspace
Simple WireGuard VPN server with a web dashboard
| Feature | Defguard | Subspace |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Rust | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,798 | ★ 1,805 |
| First released | 2023 | 2019 |
| Replaces | OpenVPN Access Server, Twingate | OpenVPN Access Server, Twingate |
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 Subspace if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Defguard or Subspace better?
Neither is universally better. Defguard has the larger community, while Subspace is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Defguard and Subspace free and open-source?
Yes. Defguard is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Subspace under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Defguard and Subspace with Docker?
Defguard: yes. Subspace: yes.