Netmaker 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 | Netmaker | tinc |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 76 · Good |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,800 | ★ 2,248 |
| First released | 2021 | 2003 |
| Replaces | Tailscale, ZeroTier | Hamachi, ZeroTier |
What are Netmaker and tinc?
Netmaker
Netmaker is an open-source platform for building and managing fast WireGuard-based virtual networks. It provides a self-hosted server and dashboard for connecting devices across locations.
- WireGuard mesh networks
- Self-hosted control server
- Web dashboard
- Site-to-site VPN
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
Netmaker vs tinc: key differences
Netmaker is written in Go, while tinc is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Netmaker versus GPL-2.0 for tinc. Tinc is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Netmaker. Tinc is the more established project (first released 2003), while Netmaker arrived in 2021. Netmaker has the considerably larger community, at 11,800 GitHub stars versus 2,248. Netmaker lists first-class Docker deployment; tinc does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Netmaker if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 11.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
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 Netmaker or tinc better?
Neither is universally better. Netmaker has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Netmaker and tinc free and open-source?
Yes. Netmaker is licensed under Apache-2.0 and tinc under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Netmaker and tinc with Docker?
Netmaker: yes. tinc: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Netmaker or tinc?
tinc has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Netmaker. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.