SoftEther VPN 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?
SoftEther VPN
Multi-protocol VPN server from the University of Tsukuba
VS
ZeroTier
Global virtual network for connecting devices anywhere
| Feature | SoftEther VPN | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSL-1.1 |
| Language | C | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, binary | binary, docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 13,447 | ★ 16,988 |
| First released | 2014 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect | Tailscale |
Why pick each one
Choose SoftEther VPN if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 13.4k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
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 SoftEther VPN or ZeroTier better?
ZeroTier is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider SoftEther VPN if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are SoftEther VPN and ZeroTier free and open-source?
Yes. SoftEther VPN is licensed under Apache-2.0 and ZeroTier under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run SoftEther VPN and ZeroTier with Docker?
SoftEther VPN: check the project docs for container support. ZeroTier: yes.