EMQXvsnetbird
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| EMQX | netbird | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 81/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 14 in Messaging | #2 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 16 869 | 30 326 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +114 | +823 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 | 41 |
| Latest release | 6.3.2 · 16 Oct 2026 | v0.82.0 · 29 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Erlang | Go |
Which one should you pick?
netbird scores 81/100 against 78/100 for EMQX, so it is the safer default.
netbird ships more often: 41 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for EMQX.
If you want the quickest setup, netbird is easier to run; EMQX needs more configuration.
netbird is growing faster right now (+823 stars in 30 days).
EMQX details →netbird details →