NetBox vs ZeroTier
NetBox
netboxlabs.com
ZeroTier
zerotier.comSide by side
| Figure | NetBox | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $18/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 5 |
| Spec score · Cloud Network Management Software | 8.3 (#3) | 8.6 (#2) |
| Company legal name | Crunchbase identifies the company as NetBox Labs, Inc. | Crunchbase lists the legal name as ZeroTier, Inc. |
| Documentation depth | The documentation is organized into installation, configuration, customization, best practices, integrations, plugins, administration, models, reference, development, and release notes. | The documentation includes getting-started guides, platform notes, API references, troubleshooting, security, SLA, glossary and developer-tool tutorials. |
| Founded | 2015 | LinkedIn lists 2013 as the founding year, matching the maker’s history of its open-source release in 2013. |
| Integrations | The integrations catalog lists connectors and plugins including Jira Assets, ServiceNow, Arista CloudVision, Proxmox, and SIEM event streams. | The maker’s documentation includes API guides and tutorials for Docker, code-server, Terraform, webhooks, and Prometheus/Grafana monitoring. |
| Rating on G2 | 3.6 out of 5 from 5 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 from 5 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 0 out of 5 from 0 reviews | 4.9 out of 5 from 12 reviews |
| Rating on TrustRadius | 8.7 out of 10 from 14 reviews | 10 out of 10 from 1 review |
| Security | NetBox Labs says it is SOC 2 Type II compliant and lists IP allow lists, mTLS, encrypted production data, and annual penetration tests among its security measures. | The platform uses cryptographic device identity, end-to-end traffic encryption, peer-to-peer connections when possible, and centrally defined policy enforced globally. |
| Self-hosting | Community NetBox can be installed from a release archive, Git checkout, or experimental Python package with PostgreSQL, Redis, and an application server. | Enterprise pricing includes self-hosted and air-gapped deployment, while the security documentation also lists self-hosted deployment as an available option. |
| Support | NetBox Enterprise subscriptions include 24/7 expert assistance and access to NetBox training. | Personal and Essential include community support, Scale includes ticketed support with SLA, and Enterprise includes priority support with enhanced SLA. |
| What it does | NetBox is positioned as a central source of truth for understanding, operating, automating, and securing network and infrastructure environments. | ZeroTier provides software-defined networking that connects devices, applications, clouds and sites through encrypted virtual networks over existing infrastructure. |
Plans
NetBox
- NetBox Cloud Free PlanFree
- NetBox EnterprisePriced on request
- PremiumPriced on request
- ProfessionalPriced on request
- StarterPriced on request
ZeroTier
- Essential$18 a month
- Scale$179 a month
- QuantumPriced on request
- PersonalFree
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
NetBox
NetBox is a network and infrastructure platform that keeps physical components, virtual assets, IPs, and VLANs in a shared source of truth. Its stated uses include data center infrastructure management, IP address management, network automation, and network source-of-truth work. Every action is recorded in an audit log. Teams can use the hosted SaaS edition, deploy NetBox in their own infrastructure, or use the open-source community offering. NetBox Labs describes itself as the commercial steward of the open-source project. Hosted plans are positioned for different scales and needs: Starter for infrastructure with hundreds of devices, Professional for infrastructure at scale and automation, and Premium for scaled environments requiring advanced security, compliance, and deployment options. NetBox Enterprise is self-managed, with an air-gap edition available. Enterprise subscriptions include 24/7 expert assistance and training. Named integrations include ServiceNow, Splunk, Ansible, Itential, Gluware, and VMware. NetBox Cloud offers SSO integrations with Azure, Okta, and Google. Prices for the named plans are not displayed; the pricing page directs prospective customers to sales.
ZeroTier
ZeroTier is a software-defined networking platform for connecting people, devices and cloud environments through secure virtual networks. Its overlays can span public clouds, private data centers, on-premises environments, remote devices and edge systems. Security measures include cryptographic device identity, end-to-end traffic encryption, peer-to-peer connections when possible, and centrally defined policies enforced globally. Capabilities include cloud-to-cloud networking, global device fleets, identity-based access control, Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking, and programmable management. The platform supports hybrid deployment and lists coverage for DigitalOcean, Amazon Web Services, Google Compute Engine, Microsoft Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, Alibaba Cloud, IBM Cloud, Vultr and Equinix Metal. Documentation includes API guides and tutorials for Docker, code-server, Terraform, webhooks, and Prometheus/Grafana monitoring. The free Personal plan is limited to non-commercial use and includes 10 devices, one network and one admin. Essential costs $18 a month; Scale costs $179 a month. Platforms include Android, API, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web and Windows.