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Networking · head to head

Ivanti vs Nebula

Ivanti logo

Ivanti

Networking

Security, service management, and unified endpoint management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Nebula logo

Nebula

Networking

Certificate based overlay network from Slack, with identity and firewall rules carried in the certificate

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Nebula has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Ivanti no pricing information published - enterprise custom pricing required; Nebula the open source project has no user interface, no enrolment workflow and no revocation service, so certificate issuing, distribution and expiry become scripts you write and then have to keep working.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ivanti and Nebula actually diverge.

Attributes where Ivanti and Nebula differ
AttributeIvantiNebula
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquoteOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebLinux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, FreeBSD

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Networking).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ivanti

Nothing recorded that Nebula does not also cover.

Only in Nebula

  • Certificate carried identity
  • Group based host firewall
  • Lighthouse discovery
  • Noise protocol encryption
  • Unsafe routes
  • Managed option

What people use each for

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

Ivanti

  • Controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforcesnot Nebula
  • Automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scalenot Nebula
  • Enforcing device compliance before network access in regulated industriesnot Nebula
  • Prioritizing vulnerability patches by risk levelnot Nebula
  • Enabling passwordless zero-trust access without VPN infrastructurenot Nebula

Nebula

  • Flattening a network across several clouds and datacentres without VPC peering or route tablesnot Ivanti
  • Very large fleets where a central policy service on the connection path is unacceptablenot Ivanti
  • Environments that already run an internal certificate authority and want the network to use itnot Ivanti
  • Replacing per host iptables rules with policy written against roles that follow the hostnot Ivanti

Where each one falls short

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

Ivanti

  • no pricing information published - enterprise custom pricing required

Nebula

  • The open source project has no user interface, no enrolment workflow and no revocation service, so certificate issuing, distribution and expiry become scripts you write and then have to keep working.
  • Revoking a compromised host means distributing a blocklist entry to every other host and reloading them, which is a fleet wide operation rather than a click, and easy to get wrong under pressure.
  • Changing a host group membership means reissuing and redeploying its certificate, so policy changes are a deployment rather than a configuration edit.
  • There is no identity provider integration or single sign on in the open source version, so it maps well to servers and badly to a fleet of user laptops.
  • NAT traversal is best effort and hosts behind symmetric NAT need a relay configured deliberately, so connectivity failures show up as intermittent rather than immediate and are awkward to diagnose.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ivanti

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Ivanti review.

Nebula

Free
  • NebulaFree
    • Full functionality under the MIT licence
    • No host limit
    • You operate the certificate authority and lighthouses
  • Defined Networking$undefined/month
    • Hosted control plane and enrolment
    • Managed certificate lifecycle and revocation
    • Policy and DNS interface

Which should you pick?

Choose Ivanti if

Nothing in the data separates Ivanti from Nebula on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Ivanti review

Choose Nebula if

  • You need certificate carried identity.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, FreeBSD.
  • You also want group based host firewall.
Nebula review

Questions people ask

Is Ivanti or Nebula better?
Neither clearly leads. Ivanti starts at On request and Nebula at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ivanti or Nebula?
Nebula has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ivanti and Free for Nebula.
Does Ivanti or Nebula run on more platforms?
Ivanti runs on Web. Nebula runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, FreeBSD.
Can I use Nebula for free?
Yes. Nebula has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ivanti starts at On request.
What is Ivanti best used for?
Ivanti is most often used for controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces, automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale, enforcing device compliance before network access in regulated industries, prioritizing vulnerability patches by risk level. Of those, controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces and automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale are not what Nebula is typically brought in for.
What can Ivanti do that Nebula cannot?
Nebula covers Certificate carried identity, Group based host firewall, Lighthouse discovery, Noise protocol encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ivanti: How much does Ivanti cost?

Ivanti does not publish pricing on their website. As an enterprise solution, pricing is customized based on organizational needs. Contact Ivanti through their website to request a demo and pricing information.

Source
Nebula: Does it use WireGuard?

No. Nebula predates the common WireGuard mesh tools and uses the Noise protocol framework with its own certificate format.

Nebula: Can I run it without Defined Networking?

Yes, entirely. Defined Networking sells the control plane conveniences, not the network itself.

Nebula: How do I revoke a host?

Add its certificate fingerprint to the blocklist in the configuration of the other hosts and reload them. There is no online revocation check.

Nebula: Is it a good fit for laptops?

Less so than the identity provider based tools. There is no single sign on, so every laptop needs a certificate issued and renewed by whatever process you build.

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