ZeroTier vs Pritunl
A detailed comparison to help you choose between ZeroTier and Pritunl.
Quick Verdict
3.7/5
ZeroTier
0 reviews
4.0/5
Pritunl
0 reviews
Pritunl is rated higher (4.0 vs 3.7). ZeroTier creates virtual Ethernet networks over the internet. Connect servers, VMs, and devices as if on the same LAN. Personal plan is free for 10 devices (non-commercial). SDN-based layer-2 architecture. Pritunl is a self-hosted VPN solution offering user management, multi-protocol support (OpenVPN, WireGuard), and single sign-on capabilities. Built for teams needing controlled network access without vendor lock-in.
ZeroTier Virtual networking — Ethernet over the internet | Pritunl Open-source VPN server with centralized management and SSO integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.7 (0 reviews) | 4.0 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free tier available |
| Best for | Homelab operators, LAN-dependent software, and device-heavy, user-light fleets that need a flat virtual Ethernet network | Teams with Linux operations skills that need self-hosted remote access with SSO, audit logs, and full control over where traffic flows. |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceapi access | free tieropen sourceself hostableteam featuressso |
| Visit ZeroTier → | Visit Pritunl → | |
ZeroTier
Pros
- + True layer-2 virtual Ethernet: broadcast and multicast work, unlike WireGuard-based overlays
- + Free Personal plan covers a 10-device homelab with no time limit
- + Native IPv6 support with RFC 4193, 6PLANE /80 delegation and public prefix routing
- + Lightweight agents (under 16 MB memory) with broad platform support including MikroTik and Docker
- + Direct peer-to-peer paths keep traffic off vendor infrastructure when NAT traversal succeeds
Cons
- - Free tier shrank to 10 devices, one network, non-commercial only; no API without a paid plan
- - No forward secrecy in its Salsa20/Poly1305 protocol, unlike WireGuard-based rivals
- - Since v1.16 the controller is non-commercial source-available; commercial self-hosting means Enterprise
- - Relayed fallback traffic is slow, and paid Premium Relays are still listed as coming soon
- - Monthly-only, non-refundable subscriptions with configuration lockout if payment lapses
Pritunl
Pros
- + Free Community tier with a single server and unlimited users — usable without registration or a credit card
- + Per-server pricing with unlimited users keeps licensing flat as teams grow
- + Real identity integration: SSO providers, LDAP/Active Directory/OAuth sources, TOTP and push second factors
- + Security engineering beyond the category norm: SELinux policies, TPM and Apple Secure Enclave device attestation, dynamic firewall
- + Both OpenVPN and WireGuard clients, plus WireGuard/IPsec site-to-site links and multi-cloud VPC peering
- + All source code public on GitHub since 2013 — auditable and customizable via the Python plugin system
Cons
- - SSO, failover clustering, and site-to-site links are gated behind the $70/month Enterprise tier
- - Self-hosting means you own patching, MongoDB operations, certificate rotation, and incident response
- - No vendor SLA or published support response guarantees in the documentation we reviewed
- - MongoDB becomes part of the VPN trust boundary and needs its own hardening
- - Scale claims (thousands of concurrent users) are vendor statements we could not verify independently
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