# netbird vs Pulse

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

| | netbird | Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #2 of 19 in Infrastructure Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 30 306 ✓ | 6 973 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +838 ✓ | +232 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 | 43 ✓ |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ | helm-chart-6.6.0 · 25 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

netbird scores 81/100 against 71/100 for Pulse, so it is the safer default.

Pulse ships more often: 43 stable releases in the past year, against 40 for netbird.

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

netbird is growing faster right now (+838 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [netbird](https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/netbird.md)
- [Pulse](https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pulse.md)

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