Games on Whales vs NetBird
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?
Games on Whales
Containerized cloud gaming and remote desktop platform
VS
NetBird
Connect devices into a secure WireGuard-based overlay network
| Feature | Games on Whales | NetBird |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 4,096 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,077 | ★ 28,139 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | GeForce Now, Parsec | Tailscale, ZeroTier |
Why pick each one
Choose Games on Whales if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose NetBird if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 28.1k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Games on Whales or NetBird better?
NetBird is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Games on Whales if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Games on Whales and NetBird free and open-source?
Yes. Games on Whales is licensed under GPL-3.0 and NetBird under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Games on Whales and NetBird with Docker?
Games on Whales: yes. NetBird: yes.