# netbird vs unleash

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

| | netbird | unleash |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 8 in Feature Flags |
| GitHub stars | 30 313 ✓ | 13 914 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +810 ✓ | +88 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 40 ✓ | 15 |
| Latest release | v0.81.5 · 26 Oct 2026 | v8.3.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Other | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

netbird scores 81/100 against 75/100 for unleash, so it is the safer default.

netbird ships more often: 40 stable releases in the past year, against 15 for unleash.

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

netbird is growing faster right now (+810 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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