EasyTier vs tinc
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | EasyTier | tinc |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Rust | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,789 | ★ 2,248 |
| First released | 2024 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Tailscale, ZeroTier | Hamachi, ZeroTier |
What are EasyTier and tinc?
EasyTier
EasyTier is an open-source, decentralized mesh VPN that connects devices across NATs without a central server. It supports multiple protocols and is fully self-hosted for private networking.
- Decentralized mesh
- NAT traversal
- Multi-protocol transport
- No central server
tinc
tinc is an open-source VPN daemon that uses tunneling and encryption to create a secure private mesh network between hosts. It is fully self-hosted and automatically routes traffic between peers.
- Mesh VPN routing
- Automatic full-mesh peering
- Encrypted tunnels
- Self-hosted daemon
EasyTier vs tinc: key differences
EasyTier is written in Rust, while tinc is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for EasyTier versus GPL-2.0 for tinc. Tinc is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for EasyTier. Tinc is the more established project (first released 2003), while EasyTier arrived in 2024. EasyTier has the considerably larger community, at 13,789 GitHub stars versus 2,248. EasyTier lists first-class Docker deployment; tinc does not.
Why pick each one
Choose EasyTier if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 13.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
Choose tinc if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is EasyTier or tinc better?
Neither is universally better. EasyTier has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are EasyTier and tinc free and open-source?
Yes. EasyTier is licensed under Apache-2.0 and tinc under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run EasyTier and tinc with Docker?
EasyTier: yes. tinc: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, EasyTier or tinc?
tinc has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for EasyTier. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.