NetBird vs ZeroTier (2026): which should you pick?

Pick NetBird if

• Fits if you want a private network for a team of up to 5 for free
• Works for people who want the option of hosting it themselves

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you pass 5 users, as the free plan stops there
• Watch out: extra machines beyond the included amount cost €0.50 each a month on Team and Business
• Watch out: prices are in euros and the page doesn't say whether they assume monthly or yearly billing
• Watch out: the self-hosted pricing couldn't be read from the page text

Pick ZeroTier if

• Fits if you have up to 10 devices at home and want them on one virtual network
• Works for developers who want an API and CLI to manage the network

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see and control a remote screen, since it only connects devices
• Tight if you have more than 10 devices on the free plan, or want it for work, which needs a paid plan
• Pricey if you want a support ticket, as that starts at Scale, $179 a month, and Essential has community support only
• Watch out: devices past the included count cost $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 on Scale every month

NetBird

• Prices are in euros, and the page does not say whether they assume monthly or yearly billing.
• Machines beyond the included amount cost €0.50 each per month on Team and Business.
• Billing counts only users and machines that connected at least once in the period.
• The pricing for the Self-Hosted tab could not be read from the page text.

ZeroTier

• ZeroTier connects devices into a network; it does not share a remote screen, so desktop access needs a separate remote desktop or VNC tool on top.
• The Personal plan is limited to 10 devices, one network and non-commercial use.
• Essential includes community support only; ticketed support with an SLA starts at Scale, $179 per month.
• Devices beyond the included count are billed monthly, $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 each on Scale.

NetBird

Peer-to-peer WireGuard network

Devices connect directly over a WireGuard-based network, with no open ports or firewall changes needed, per the vendor.

Identity-based access policies

Resources are grouped and access is limited by policy; users and groups can be provisioned from an identity provider.

SSO and MFA

Sign-in works with Okta, Microsoft, Google and others, and the identity provider's MFA settings apply.

Posture checks

Business plan policies can require a firewall or antivirus, check geo and network location, and use MDM and EDR data.

Activity logging

Network configuration changes are logged, and the Business plan adds connection traffic events streamed to SIEM tools.

Cloud or self-hosted

The pricing page has Cloud and Self-Hosted tabs, and the homepage offers to run NetBird open source.

ZeroTier

Virtual networks across sites and clouds

Private networks that span public clouds, data centers, on-premises machines and remote devices, without proprietary hardware.

Peer-to-peer connections

Devices connect directly to each other whenever possible, with traffic encrypted end to end and policy enforced at every endpoint.

Identity-based access control

Network behavior is set by policy tied to each node's cryptographic identity, with custom flow rules on the Scale plan.

Management through UI, CLI and API

Personal includes a CLI, a UI and webhooks. API access and OIDC single sign-on start on Essential.

Broad client coverage

The download page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Docker, FreeBSD and NAS packages.

Post-quantum option

ZeroTier Quantum is a separate platform for regulated and air-gapped environments, scoped per deployment through sales.

NetBird

• Free€0

  per user / month, up to 5 users

  100 machines, peer-to-peer connections, social SSO and MFA, access controls, private DNS and community support.

• Team€6

  per user / month (billing period not shown)

  Unlimited users, 100 machines plus 10 per user, enterprise IdP SSO, SCIM provisioning and audit logs.

• Business€12

  per user / month (billing period not shown)

  Adds device approvals, MDM and EDR controls, posture checks and traffic event logging and streaming.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Unlimited machines, custom invoicing, priority support, solutions engineer help and custom MSAs and SLAs.

ZeroTier

• Personal$0

  Non-commercial use only. 10 devices, one network, one network admin, CLI, UI and webhooks, community support.

• Essential$18

  per month for 10 included devices, then $2.00 per extra device

  Commercial license, 10 networks, five admins, API access, OIDC single sign-on and 30-day audit logs. Community support only.

• Scale$179

  per month for 100 included devices, then $1.80 per extra device

  Everything in Essential plus unlimited networks, 10 network admins, custom flow rules and ticketed support with an SLA.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Sized for 500 or more devices, with self-hosted and air-gapped options, 90-day audit logs and priority support. Sold through sales.