Cato Client vs NetBird

Cato Client provides secure, zero-trust access to internet, SaaS, cloud, and private-datacenter resources for users on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android. It checks user identity and device posture before opening an encrypted connection to the Cato SASE Cloud Platform. Its built-in endpoint protection scans files and running processes for malware, and ongoing checks can cover anti-malware, firewall, disk encryption, patching, endpoint DLP, and device certificates. If a device falls outside policy, access can be limited or the connection ended. Administrators can deploy the client through an MDM or self-service portal, manage upgrade rollouts centrally, and enable an always-on mode that prevents users from disabling it. The client connects to a nearby Cato PoP and uses Cato’s Global Private Backbone. Organizations can request pricing; a free trial is available, but there is no free plan.

NetBird connects users and machines through encrypted peer-to-peer networking based on WireGuard. It is offered as NetBird Cloud or can be self-hosted on an organization’s infrastructure. Its hybrid access model includes centralized controls for grouping, DNS, private nameservers and API-based configuration. Identity features include SSO, MFA, periodic re-authentication and identity-provider MFA settings. Teams can provision users and groups through an identity provider and organize them around teams and infrastructure. Device posture policies can check firewall, antivirus, geography and network location. Integrations include Okta, Microsoft, Google, MDM, EDR and SIEM platforms; logging covers network configuration changes and connection events, with SIEM streaming. NetBird supports Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, tvOS, Docker and routers. Its BSD-3 license permits self-hosting. The free tier covers up to 5 users and 100 machines. Team costs €6/user/mo and Business costs €12/user/mo; billing counts users and machines that connect or log in at least once during the billing period. Team and Business plans offer a free trial.