netbirdvsopenpencil
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| netbird | openpencil | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 73/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #2 of 7 in Design |
| GitHub stars | 30 318 | 9 428 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +815 | +827 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 41 | 14 |
| Latest release | v0.82.0 · 29 Oct 2026 | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
netbird scores 81/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.
netbird ships more often: 41 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for openpencil.
If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; netbird needs more configuration.
netbird details →openpencil details →
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