Firezone vs strongSwan
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?
Firezone
Open-source secure remote access platform
VS
strongSwan
Modern IPsec-based VPN implementation
| Feature | Firezone | strongSwan |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,993 | ★ 2,934 |
| First released | 2021 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect, Tailscale | Cisco AnyConnect |
Why pick each one
Choose Firezone if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9k GitHub stars
- Written in Elixir
Choose strongSwan if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (2.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Firezone or strongSwan better?
Firezone is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider strongSwan if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Firezone and strongSwan free and open-source?
Yes. Firezone is licensed under Apache-2.0 and strongSwan under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firezone and strongSwan with Docker?
Firezone: yes. strongSwan: check the project docs for container support.