Softwr

Developer Tools · head to head

Fig vs WireGuard

F

Fig

Developer Tools

IDE-style autocomplete for your existing terminal

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
WireGuard logo

WireGuard

Cybersecurity

Modern, minimal-complexity VPN protocol with state-of-the-art cryptography

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Fig shut down on 1 September 2024. Amazon acquired Fig in August 2023 and folded it into Amazon Q Developer, which now carries the terminal autocomplete; WireGuard manual key management required; WireGuard does not provide automated peer discovery or key distribution mechanisms
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Fig and WireGuard actually diverge.

Attributes where Fig and WireGuard differ
AttributeFigWireGuard
Pricing modelfreemiumopen-source
PlatformsWebLinux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
CategoryDeveloper ToolsCybersecurity
Founded2020Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Fig

No use cases recorded yet. See the Fig review.

WireGuard

  • Site-to-site VPN connectivity for datacentres and branch officesnot Fig
  • High-performance VPN applications requiring minimal latency and CPU overheadnot Fig
  • Embedded systems and IoT devices with strict memory and storage constraintsnot Fig
  • WireGuard-based managed services (Tailscale, Mullvad VPN) providing abstraction over raw protocolnot Fig
  • Kernel module for Linux-based VPN appliances and firewallsnot Fig
  • Research and development in cryptographic protocol designnot Fig

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Fig

  • Shut down on 1 September 2024. Amazon acquired Fig in August 2023 and folded it into Amazon Q Developer, which now carries the terminal autocomplete
  • The standalone desktop app is no longer available or supported
  • The completion specs remain open source on GitHub, but the product that consumed them is gone

WireGuard

  • Manual key management required; WireGuard does not provide automated peer discovery or key distribution mechanisms
  • No built-in support for address allocation or DHCP; all IP assignments must be manually configured
  • Limited to UDP; TCP encapsulation requires wrapper tools, making it unsuitable for environments blocking UDP
  • Stateless protocol design means lost packets trigger peer disconnection rather than transparent reconnection
  • Requires operational expertise to securely configure and deploy; not suitable for non-technical users without wrapper tools (Tailscale, Mullvad)

Pricing, plan by plan

Fig

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Fig review.

WireGuard

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the WireGuard review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Fig if

  • You want to start without paying.
Fig review

Choose WireGuard if

  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD.
WireGuard review

Questions people ask

Is Fig or WireGuard better?
Neither clearly leads. Fig starts at Free and WireGuard at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Fig or WireGuard?
Fig starts at Free and WireGuard at Free.
Does Fig or WireGuard run on more platforms?
Fig runs on Web. WireGuard runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD.
Can I use Fig for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

WireGuard: Is WireGuard free?

Yes, WireGuard is free and open-source software. The Linux kernel module is licensed under GPLv2; implementations for other platforms use MIT or Apache 2.0 licences. There are no licensing fees.

Source
WireGuard: How does WireGuard differ from IPsec and OpenVPN?

WireGuard replaces complex negotiation protocols and state machines with simple public-key cryptography. Its code is roughly 100 times smaller than IPsec, making it faster to audit, deploy, and maintain. It uses modern cryptographic primitives rather than legacy algorithms.

Source
WireGuard: Can I use WireGuard for a commercial VPN service?

Yes. Several commercial VPN services (Mullvad, IVPN, ProtonVPN) use WireGuard as their underlying protocol. You must implement peer management, key distribution, and endpoint selection on top of the WireGuard protocol.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Fig

More on WireGuard

Keep looking

Other head to heads