Alternatives to defguard

A self-hosted WireGuard VPN platform with built-in identity management and multi-factor authentication per connection. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as defguard.

  • NetBird

    A WireGuard-based mesh network with single sign-on, multi-factor authentication and access policies, self-hostable or managed.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted

    NetBird is a WireGuard mesh with SSO, multi-factor authentication and access policies under the AGPL, and can be self-hosted or managed, with clients for Windows and macOS.

  • Firezone

    WireGuard-based zero trust access with self-hosted gateways.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOS

    Firezone applies identity-provider access policies over WireGuard with self-hosted gateways, but its control plane is vendor hosted and full self-hosting is not supported.

  • Pritunl

    A self-hosted VPN server for OpenVPN, WireGuard and IPsec, managed through a web interface.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted

    Pritunl manages OpenVPN, WireGuard and IPsec servers from one web interface with TPM device authentication, but its listing does not mention per-connection MFA or LDAP integration.

  • OpenVPN Access Server

    A self-hosted business VPN server with a web admin interface, free for two simultaneous connections.

    FreemiumProprietaryLinuxSelf-hosted

    OpenVPN Access Server is a self-hosted business VPN with LDAP, RADIUS and SAML plus TOTP, but it is proprietary, uses OpenVPN rather than WireGuard and is free for two connections.

  • Netmaker

    Self-hosted platform for building and managing WireGuard mesh networks.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hostedWeb

    Netmaker automates WireGuard mesh configuration and access control lists with an admin interface and private DNS, but pro code is commercially licensed and paid tiers hold back features.

  • WireGuard Portal

    A self-hosted web portal for managing WireGuard server interfaces and user peer configurations.

    FreeOpen sourceWebSelf-hosted

    WireGuard Portal is a simpler self-hosted web portal for WireGuard interfaces and peers with LDAP integration, deployed through Docker Compose or Helm.

  • Octelium

    A self-hosted zero trust access platform that can act as a remote access VPN or ZTNA gateway.

    FreeOpen sourceSelf-hostedCommand line

    Octelium combines VPN, ZTNA and gateway roles in one self-hosted system under AGPL-3.0 and Apache-2.0, but requires deploying and operating a cluster.

  • Twingate

    An identity-based network access service meant to replace a traditional VPN for teams.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    Twingate provides identity-based access for teams as a hosted, closed-source service, so you give up running everything on your own infrastructure.

Also worth comparing

These listings name defguard as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • innernet

    Private network manager built on WireGuard with peer invitations.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    defguard is a self-hosted WireGuard platform with per-connection MFA and LDAP and OIDC integration, aimed at organisations, with some features in enterprise plans.

  • ocserv

    An open-source Linux SSL VPN server compatible with OpenConnect and AnyConnect clients.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    defguard is a self-hosted WireGuard platform with MFA per connection and LDAP, Active Directory and OIDC integration, with some features in paid enterprise plans.

  • OpenZiti

    An open-source zero trust networking platform that connects services by identity instead of IP address.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hostedCommand line

    defguard is a self-hosted WireGuard VPN with per-connection MFA and LDAP, Active Directory and OIDC integration, keeping a VPN model rather than hiding services by identity.

  • WGDashboard

    A self-hosted web dashboard for managing WireGuard servers and their peers.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    defguard is a self-hosted WireGuard platform with MFA per connection and LDAP, Active Directory and OIDC integration, aimed at organisations with some paid enterprise features.

  • WireGuard Easy

    A Docker image that runs a WireGuard VPN server with a web interface for managing clients.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxWebSelf-hosted

    defguard is a self-hosted WireGuard platform adding per-connection MFA and LDAP, Active Directory and OIDC integration, aimed at organisations.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.