noVNC vs wayvnc
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?
noVNC
VNC client that runs entirely in the browser
VS
wayvnc
VNC server for wlroots-based Wayland compositors
| Feature | noVNC | wayvnc |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | MPL-2.0 | ISC |
| Language | JavaScript | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, source | bare-metal, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,911 | ★ 1,787 |
| First released | 2010 | 2019 |
| Replaces | RealVNC | TightVNC, RealVNC |
Why pick each one
Choose noVNC if…
- Released under the MPL-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 13.9k GitHub stars
Choose wayvnc if…
- Released under the ISC license
- Active community (1.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is noVNC or wayvnc better?
noVNC is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider wayvnc if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are noVNC and wayvnc free and open-source?
Yes. noVNC is licensed under MPL-2.0 and wayvnc under ISC. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run noVNC and wayvnc with Docker?
noVNC: yes. wayvnc: check the project docs for container support.