Headscale vs NetBird: privacy compared
Headscale and NetBird are both rated in mesh VPNs and private networks against the same 7 public criteria. Headscale does better on no trackers or telemetry. NetBird does better on no connection logs by default.
| Criterion | Headscale Our pick | NetBird |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade B B (82/100) | Grade C C (71/100) |
| Jurisdiction | Unknown | Germany Fourteen Eyes |
| Open source Is all the source code needed to run the product public? | Yes source | Yes source |
| No trackers or telemetry Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default? | Yes source | No source |
| No ads or data sales Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Independent audit Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years? | No | No |
| Keys stay on devices Is traffic encrypted between devices with private keys created on each device, so the coordination server and relays cannot read it? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Self-hosted coordination server Can the coordination or control server be self-hosted with open-source software? | Yes source | Yes source |
| No connection logs by default Are connection logs and client diagnostic logs kept off the vendor's servers unless a user or admin turns them on? | Partial source | Yes source |
Summaries
Headscale. Headscale scores 82 out of 100 (grade B) on the mesh VPNs and private networks criteria. It meets 5 of 7 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, keys stay on devices and self-hosted coordination server. It partly meets no connection logs by default. It does not meet independent audit.
NetBird. NetBird scores 71 out of 100 (grade C) on the mesh VPNs and private networks criteria. It meets 5 of 7 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales, keys stay on devices, self-hosted coordination server and no connection logs by default. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry and independent audit. It is based in Germany: Fourteen Eyes member; EU member (GDPR).