# netbird vs Nightingale

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | netbird | Nightingale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 58/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #15 of 54 in Media Streaming |
| GitHub stars | 30 316 ✓ | 1 522 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +813 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 ✓ | 9 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | v1.3.0 · 15 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

netbird scores 81/100 against 58/100 for Nightingale, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for Nightingale.

If you want the quickest setup, netbird is easier to run; Nightingale needs more configuration.

netbird is growing faster right now (+813 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [netbird](https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird.md)
- [Nightingale](https://selfhost.directory/project/nightingale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nightingale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/netbird-vs-nightingale