netbirdvsOrca
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| netbird | Orca | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 91/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 30 296 | 108 815 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +828 | +8 908 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 | 15 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Orca scores 91/100 against 81/100 for netbird, so it is the safer default.
netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for Orca.
If you want the quickest setup, Orca is easier to run; netbird needs more configuration.
Orca is growing faster right now (+8 908 stars in 30 days).
netbird details →Orca details →
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