Mosh vs ZeroTier
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
ZeroTier
Global virtual network for connecting devices anywhere
| Feature | Mosh | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSL-1.1 |
| Language | C++ | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,307 | ★ 16,988 |
| First released | 2012 | 2014 |
| Replaces | SSH | Tailscale |
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 ZeroTier if…
- Released under the BSL-1.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 17k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Mosh or ZeroTier better?
Neither is universally better. ZeroTier 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 ZeroTier free and open-source?
Yes. Mosh is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ZeroTier under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mosh and ZeroTier with Docker?
Mosh: check the project docs for container support. ZeroTier: yes.