Softwr

Networking · head to head

Kentik vs NetBird

Kentik logo

Kentik

Networking

Network observability platform built on flow and traffic data, sold on annual-only contracts starting around $24,000/year

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
NetBird logo

NetBird

Networking

Open source WireGuard mesh VPN with identity based access policies and a hosted control plane

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only NetBird has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Kentik contracts are annual only, so there is no monthly option for a team wanting to trial the platform under real production load before committing to a year of spend; NetBird self hosting requires an identity provider, and the bundled option adds a second unfamiliar service to operate, so the free path costs more administrative time than the docker compose file suggests.
  • They diverge on capability: Kentik covers Flow-based traffic analysis, NetBird covers WireGuard data plane.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Kentik and NetBird actually diverge.

Attributes where Kentik and NetBird differ
AttributeKentikNetBird
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelAnnual contract only, per tierPer user per month
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, APILinux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Docker

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 Kentik

  • Flow-based traffic analysis
  • Synthetic testing
  • Cloud network monitoring
  • DDoS detection
  • API-driven querying

Only in NetBird

  • WireGuard data plane
  • NAT traversal with relay fallback
  • Identity based access control
  • Network routes
  • Posture checks
  • Full self hosting

What people use each for

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

Kentik

  • A network engineering team at an ISP or large enterprise needing flow-level traffic visibility beyond basic uptime monitoringnot NetBird
  • A cloud-heavy organisation wanting visibility into cloud provider network cost and performance across multiple providersnot NetBird
  • A security or network operations team wanting DDoS detection layered on top of standard traffic monitoringnot NetBird
  • A team needing synthetic testing alongside passive flow analysis in one platform rather than two separate toolsnot NetBird

NetBird

  • Replacing a VPN concentrator that backhauls all traffic through one officenot Kentik
  • Giving contractors access to two specific services rather than to a subnetnot Kentik
  • Connecting workloads across several clouds without peering VPCs or managing route tablesnot Kentik
  • Meeting a requirement that the network control plane must run inside your own infrastructurenot Kentik

Where each one falls short

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

Kentik

  • Contracts are annual only, so there is no monthly option for a team wanting to trial the platform under real production load before committing to a year of spend
  • The Pro tier's $24,000/year starting price is a serious commitment relative to general infrastructure monitoring tools, and it is aimed specifically at flow-level traffic visibility rather than general host monitoring
  • Add-on modules for advanced DDoS protection, service provider analytics and the Firehose pipeline are priced separately, so real deployment cost frequently exceeds the Pro sticker price
  • Premier tier pricing is entirely quote-based, so organisations needing more than Pro's limits (50 users, 1,000 FPS, 120-day retention) cannot get a number without a sales conversation
  • It is a specialised flow and traffic analytics tool, not a general infrastructure monitoring platform, so most buyers will still need a separate tool like PRTG or Icinga for host and service uptime checks
  • Data retention is capped at 120 days for traffic and 45 days for forensic data even on Pro, which may be short for organisations with longer compliance or investigation requirements

NetBird

  • Self hosting requires an identity provider, and the bundled option adds a second unfamiliar service to operate, so the free path costs more administrative time than the docker compose file suggests.
  • Peers that cannot connect directly fall back to relays, and on a self hosted deployment that relay bandwidth is your cost and your bottleneck rather than an included service.
  • If the self hosted management server is down, existing tunnels keep working but no new peer can join and no policy change takes effect, which makes it a component that needs its own availability plan.
  • Some capabilities aimed at larger organisations sit in the paid cloud tiers, so a self hosted deployment does not have exactly the same feature set as the hosted one.
  • The project moves quickly and configuration and deployment layouts have changed between versions, so self hosted upgrades need reading release notes rather than pulling a new image.

Pricing, plan by plan

Kentik

On request
  • Pro$24000/year
    • 50 users
    • 1,000 flows per second baseline
    • 2.5M synthetics credits
  • Premier$undefined/year
    • 1,000 users
    • 5M synthetics credits
    • Custom dimensions and scheduled reporting

NetBird

Free
  • Self hostedFree
    • Full functionality under an open source licence
    • No peer or user limit
    • You operate management, signal and relay
  • Cloud FreeFree
    • Hosted management and relays
    • Small user and peer allowance
    • Identity provider integration
  • Cloud Team$undefined/month
    • Per user per month billing
    • Managed global relay footprint
    • Posture checks and activity events

Which should you pick?

Choose Kentik if

  • You need flow-based traffic analysis.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want synthetic testing.
Kentik review

Choose NetBird if

  • You need wireguard data plane.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Docker.
  • You also want nat traversal with relay fallback.
NetBird review

Questions people ask

Is Kentik or NetBird better?
Neither clearly leads. Kentik starts at On request and NetBird at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Kentik or NetBird?
NetBird has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Kentik and Free for NetBird.
Does Kentik or NetBird run on more platforms?
Kentik runs on Web, API. NetBird runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Docker.
Can I use NetBird for free?
Yes. NetBird has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Kentik starts at On request.
What is Kentik best used for?
Kentik is most often used for a network engineering team at an isp or large enterprise needing flow-level traffic visibility beyond basic uptime monitoring, a cloud-heavy organisation wanting visibility into cloud provider network cost and performance across multiple providers, a security or network operations team wanting ddos detection layered on top of standard traffic monitoring, a team needing synthetic testing alongside passive flow analysis in one platform rather than two separate tools. Of those, a network engineering team at an isp or large enterprise needing flow-level traffic visibility beyond basic uptime monitoring and a cloud-heavy organisation wanting visibility into cloud provider network cost and performance across multiple providers are not what NetBird is typically brought in for.
What can Kentik do that NetBird cannot?
Kentik covers Flow-based traffic analysis, Synthetic testing, Cloud network monitoring, DDoS detection. NetBird covers WireGuard data plane, NAT traversal with relay fallback, Identity based access control, Network routes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Kentik: Is there a monthly billing option?

No, Kentik states contracts are annual only.

NetBird: Is the self hosted version crippled?

No. The management, signal and relay components are all open source and the network works without any NetBird operated service.

Kentik: What is the entry price?

Pro starts at $2,000/month billed as $24,000/year for 50 users and baseline flow and synthetics quotas.

NetBird: How does it differ from Tailscale?

Similar model and similar clients, but Tailscale keeps its coordination server proprietary. NetBird publishes its whole control plane, which is the reason most self hosters choose it.

Kentik: Does Kentik replace general infrastructure monitoring tools like PRTG?

No, it is focused on flow-based traffic and network observability rather than general host and service uptime monitoring.

NetBird: Do I need to open firewall ports?

No inbound ports are required. Peers make outbound connections to the signal service and to each other.

NetBird: What happens to traffic if NetBird the company disappears?

On a self hosted deployment, nothing, since you run every component. On the cloud service you would need to stand up your own control plane and re-enrol peers.

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