netbirdvsPortainer
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| netbird | Portainer | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 44 in Container Management |
| GitHub stars | 30 306 | 38 737 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +838 | +188 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 | 21 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 | 2.45.3 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | Zlib |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
netbird scores 81/100 against 77/100 for Portainer, so it is the safer default.
netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 21 for Portainer.
If you want the quickest setup, Portainer is easier to run; netbird needs more configuration.
netbird is growing faster right now (+838 stars in 30 days).
netbird details →Portainer details →
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