Twingate vs NetBird

Twingate and NetBird both offer a free plan for up to 5 users, but they charge for growth in different ways. Twingate prices per user and caps Teams at 100 users and Business at 500 before an Enterprise contract. NetBird prices per user in euros too, then bills each machine beyond an allowance, and the software can also be self-hosted. Twingate is a Delaware corporation, while NetBird publishes terms from NetBird GmbH under German law, though no page we read states a registered address. The two prices diverge fastest for device-heavy teams and for self-hosters.

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Both are reviewed in full in our zero trust network access software ranking: Twingate and NetBird.

1. 01

   When the user ceiling forces a contract

   Twingate's Starter plan is free for up to 5 users and 50 resources, Teams runs to 100 users at $5 per user per month, Business to 500 users at $10, and beyond that Enterprise is custom through Talk to Sales. NetBird shows unlimited users on Team and Business, so no user count forces a sales call until you want Enterprise terms. For a growing company NetBird has the looser ceiling. Count users before you shortlist either one. Plan ahead.

   Edge: NetBird

2. 02

   Machines as the hidden meter

   NetBird's free plan covers 100 machines, and Team at EUR 6 and Business at EUR 12 per user per month include 100 machines plus 10 per user. Every extra machine is EUR 0.50 a month, and billing counts only active users and machines that connected at least once in the period. Twingate's pages we read show no machine charge, only a per-user rate, so a device-heavy fleet is easier to price there. Count laptops, servers and phones before you decide.

   Edge: Twingate

3. 03

   Trial length and the try-before-paying step

   Twingate lists a 14-day trial on Teams, Business and Home, though its free Starter plan shows no trial, and Teams and Business show 15% off annual billing. NetBird shows a Try for free button on Team and Business but gives no trial length or terms. Anyone wanting a defined test window plus a stated yearly discount gets that from Twingate. Compare the yearly figure, not the monthly one. The Twingate trial is the more concrete offer of the two.

   Edge: Twingate

4. 04

   Features that arrive on the paid rungs

   NetBird's free plan lists P2P connections, access controls, private DNS, network routes and NetBird SSH, Team adds enterprise IdP SSO, SCIM and audit logging, and Business adds device approvals, MDM and EDR controls and posture checks. Twingate Teams adds Google Workspace SSO, Business adds IdP provisioning and Okta or Entra ID SSO, and DNS filtering is an add-on. NetBird states more security detail per tier. Check which of these controls your auditors expect. Twingate is quieter on that detail.

   Edge: NetBird

5. 05

   Run it yourself or take the hosted service

   NetBird Cloud is hosted at app.netbird.io, and the software can be self-hosted on a Linux VM with at least 1 CPU and 2 GB RAM, Docker Compose v2 and a public domain. The repository is BSD-3-Clause except three directories under AGPLv3. Twingate describes a hosted product with Terraform, Pulumi and an API for automation, and no self-hosted option is described there. Self-hosting only exists on one side. Neither vendor prices this self-hosted route on its pricing page. Choose accordingly.

   Edge: NetBird

6. 06

   Entity, jurisdiction and stated location

   Twingate Inc. is a Delaware corporation with a notice address in Redwood City, California, and its terms follow California law. NetBird's terms come from NetBird GmbH and fall under the jurisdiction of Germany, and its listing country is Germany, though no registered address is given and its home page names no country. Both are plain about governing law. Twingate gives the fuller address detail, NetBird the European jurisdiction. Neither is evasive, and both are short on address detail.

   Depends on the buyer

What happens to the bill when you add laptops but no new staff on NetBird?

Paid tiers include 100 machines plus 10 per user. Each machine beyond that costs EUR 0.50 a month. Only machines that connected or logged in at least once in the billing period are billed.

Is Twingate's Home plan usable for a small company?

No, the pricing page limits Home to non-commercial use, at $15 per month for up to 7 users with a 14-day trial. A small business belongs on Starter, free for up to 5 users, or on Teams at $5 per user per month.

Does either vendor state a registered address?

Twingate names a notice address in Redwood City, CA, USA. NetBird's terms state the jurisdiction of Germany but no registered address appears there. Neither page set describes a street address for operations beyond that.

• Twingate pricing page: tier prices, user ceilings of 100 and 500, 14-day trials and annual discount.
• Twingate home page: VPN-replacement positioning, Terraform, Pulumi and API support.
• Twingate terms: Delaware corporation, Redwood City notice address and California governing law.
• NetBird pricing page: EUR per-user tiers, machine allowance and EUR 0.50 extra machines, per-tier features, usage-based billing.
• NetBird home page: cloud hosting at app.netbird.io and the self-hosting requirements.
• NetBird repository: BSD-3-Clause licence with three AGPLv3 directories.
• NetBird terms: NetBird GmbH and German jurisdiction with no stated address.