Firezone vs Netmaker
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Firezone
Open-source secure remote access platform
VS
Netmaker
WireGuard-based virtual networks with a management server
| Feature | Firezone | Netmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 93 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,103 | ★ 11,800 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect, Tailscale | Tailscale, ZeroTier |
What are Firezone and Netmaker?
Firezone
Firezone is a self-hosted secure remote access platform built on WireGuard, offering zero-trust network access with policy-based controls. It replaces traditional corporate VPNs.
- Zero-trust access policies
- WireGuard under the hood
- SSO integration
- Web admin portal
Netmaker
Netmaker is an open-source platform for building and managing fast WireGuard-based virtual networks. It provides a self-hosted server and dashboard for connecting devices across locations.
- WireGuard mesh networks
- Self-hosted control server
- Web dashboard
- Site-to-site VPN
Firezone vs Netmaker: key differences
Firezone is written in Elixir, while Netmaker is built with Go. Netmaker is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Firezone.
Why pick each one
Choose Firezone if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Elixir
Choose Netmaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Firezone or Netmaker better?
Neither is universally better. Netmaker has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Firezone and Netmaker free and open-source?
Yes. Firezone is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Netmaker under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firezone and Netmaker with Docker?
Firezone: yes. Netmaker: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Firezone or Netmaker?
Netmaker has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Firezone. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.