n2n vs tinc
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | n2n | tinc |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 70 · Good | 76 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,018 | ★ 2,248 |
| First released | 2008 | 2003 |
| Replaces | ZeroTier, Hamachi | Hamachi, ZeroTier |
What are n2n and tinc?
n2n
n2n is an open-source layer-two peer-to-peer VPN that lets users build private encrypted networks across the internet. It uses a self-hosted supernode for peer discovery and NAT traversal.
- Layer-two VPN
- Peer-to-peer encryption
- Self-hosted supernode
- Cross-platform edges
tinc
tinc is an open-source VPN daemon that uses tunneling and encryption to create a secure private mesh network between hosts. It is fully self-hosted and automatically routes traffic between peers.
- Mesh VPN routing
- Automatic full-mesh peering
- Encrypted tunnels
- Self-hosted daemon
n2n vs tinc: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for n2n versus GPL-2.0 for tinc. Tinc is the more established project (first released 2003), while n2n arrived in 2008. N2n has the considerably larger community, at 7,018 GitHub stars versus 2,248.
Why pick each one
Choose n2n if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 7k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Choose tinc if…
- Released under the GPL-2.0 license
- Active community (2.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is n2n or tinc better?
Neither is universally better. n2n has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are n2n and tinc free and open-source?
Yes. n2n is licensed under GPL-3.0 and tinc under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run n2n and tinc with Docker?
n2n: check the project docs for container support. tinc: check the project docs for container support.