Mosh vs Neko
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?
Mosh
Mobile shell with roaming and intermittent connectivity
VS
Neko
Self-hosted virtual browser running in Docker
| Feature | Mosh | Neko |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C++ | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,307 | ★ 21,884 |
| First released | 2012 | 2020 |
| Replaces | SSH | Browserling |
Why pick each one
Choose Mosh if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 14.3k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Choose Neko if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 21.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is Mosh or Neko better?
Neither is universally better. Neko has the larger community, while Mosh is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mosh and Neko free and open-source?
Yes. Mosh is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Neko under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mosh and Neko with Docker?
Mosh: check the project docs for container support. Neko: yes.