# netbird vs Understudy

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

| | netbird | Understudy |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #110 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 30 316 ✓ | 465 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +813 ✓ | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

netbird scores 81/100 against 48/100 for Understudy, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Understudy.

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)
- [Understudy](https://selfhost.directory/project/understudy) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/understudy.md)

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