crocvsnetbird
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| croc | netbird | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 81/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 11 in File Transfer & Sync | #2 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 40 798 | 30 308 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +355 | +805 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 48 | 40 |
| Latest release | v11.5.5 · 19 Oct 2026 | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Go | Go |
Which one should you pick?
croc scores 82/100 against 81/100 for netbird, so it is the safer default.
croc ships more often: 48 stable releases in the past year, against 40 for netbird.
If you want the quickest setup, croc is easier to run; netbird needs more configuration.
netbird is growing faster right now (+805 stars in 30 days).
croc details →netbird details →