NetBird vs Webtop
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?
NetBird
Connect devices into a secure WireGuard-based overlay network
VS
Webtop
Containerized full Linux desktop accessible from a browser
| Feature | NetBird | Webtop |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,139 | ★ 4,319 |
| First released | 2021 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Tailscale, ZeroTier | Kasm Workspaces |
Why pick each one
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
Choose Webtop if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (4.3k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is NetBird or Webtop better?
Neither is universally better. NetBird has the larger community, while Webtop is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are NetBird and Webtop free and open-source?
Yes. NetBird is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Webtop under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NetBird and Webtop with Docker?
NetBird: yes. Webtop: yes.