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Networking · head to head

NetBird vs Prometheus

NetBird logo

NetBird

Networking

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Networking

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: NetBird covers WireGuard data plane, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NetBird and Prometheus actually diverge.

Attributes where NetBird and Prometheus differ
AttributeNetBirdPrometheus
Pricing modelPer user per monthopen-source
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, DockerLinux, macOS, Windows
FoundedUnknown2015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 NetBird

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

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

What people use each for

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

NetBird

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

Prometheus

  • Monitoring and alerting systemnot NetBird
  • Time-series databasenot NetBird
  • Infrastructure metrics collectionnot NetBird

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Prometheus

Free
  • Prometheus (Open Source)Free
    • 100% open source
    • Community-driven project
    • Apache 2 License

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is NetBird or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. NetBird starts at Free and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NetBird or Prometheus?
NetBird starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does NetBird or Prometheus run on more platforms?
NetBird runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Docker. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use NetBird for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is NetBird best used for?
NetBird is most often used for replacing a vpn concentrator that backhauls all traffic through one office, giving contractors access to two specific services rather than to a subnet, connecting workloads across several clouds without peering vpcs or managing route tables, meeting a requirement that the network control plane must run inside your own infrastructure. Of those, replacing a vpn concentrator that backhauls all traffic through one office and giving contractors access to two specific services rather than to a subnet are not what Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can NetBird do that Prometheus cannot?
NetBird covers WireGuard data plane, NAT traversal with relay fallback, Identity based access control, Network routes. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Prometheus: What does Prometheus cost?

Prometheus is completely free and open source. There are no pricing tiers or paid plans. The entire project is licensed under Apache 2 and hosted on GitHub.

Source
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.

Prometheus: Is Prometheus commercial software or free?

Prometheus is 100% open source and community-driven. It is a CNCF graduated project with no commercial restrictions or licensing fees.

Source
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.

Prometheus: How is Prometheus licensed?

Prometheus is licensed under the Apache 2 License, which permits free use, modification, and distribution for commercial and non-commercial purposes.

Source
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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