Top pick · highest health
Firezone
Secure remote access gateway that supports the WireGuard protocol. It offers a Web GUI, 1-line install script, multi-factor auth (MFA), and SSO.
DockerElixir
Comparison
Open source alternatives to NordVPN
We track 2 open-source NordVPN alternatives, of which 1 currently score 70 or above on Repoly's GitHub health scale and 2 ship a Docker image. Firezone leads on health at 96/100 with 1270 commits in the last 90 days; across all 2 projects you are choosing between Apache-2.0.
updated Oct 2026 2 alternatives best health 96 ★ 15k combined 1,271 commits / 90d 2 with Docker
Top picks to replace NordVPN
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Healthiest
Health 96/100: 1,270 commits in 90 days, latest release gateway-1.6.4, Docker image available.
Showing 2 of 2 tools
All 2 NordVPN alternatives, ranked by health
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Outline Server
A proxy server that runs a Shadowsocks instance for each access key and a REST API to manage the access keys.
DockerNodejs
NordVPN alternatives compared
Firezone edges Outline Server 96 to 41, and most of the difference is commit activity: 1,270 commits in 90 days against 1 commits in 90 days. Firezone also has the largest following, at 9.1k stars.
The most recent release is Firezone gateway-1.6.4, published yesterday. None of the measured options scores under 40. By stack, Elixir (1) and Nodejs (1) are the most common. Firezone and Outline Server are permissively licensed.
| Tool | Health | Stars | Licence | Last commit | Docker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firezone Steady at 96 since 11 Sep | 96 | 9.1k | Apache-2.0 | today | Yes |
| Outline Server Down 1 point since 11 Sep, no release for 20 months | 41 | 6.3k | Apache-2.0 | 2 days ago | Yes |
NordVPN alternatives: common questions
What is the most maintained open source alternative to NordVPN?
Firezone scores highest at 96/100, with 1270 commits in the last 90 days, 9.1k stars on GitHub and its latest release (gateway-1.6.4) published yesterday. It is also the most active by raw commit count.
Which NordVPN alternatives use a permissive licence?
2 of 2 are permissively licensed (MIT, Apache, BSD or similar): Firezone (Apache-2.0), Outline Server (Apache-2.0). 0 use copyleft licences such as GPL or AGPL, which require you to publish changes if you distribute a modified version.
Which NordVPN alternatives run in Docker?
2 of 2 publish a Docker image or Compose file: Firezone, Outline Server. Docker support contributes 10 of the 100 available health points, because it is the clearest signal that self-hosting is a supported path rather than an afterthought.
Is Firezone or Outline Server the better NordVPN alternative?
On measured health Firezone leads, 96 to 41. Firezone has 1,270 commits in 90 days, 9.1k stars and gateway-1.6.4 from yesterday; Outline Server has 1 commits in 90 days, 6.3k stars and server-v1.12.3 from 1.7 years ago. Firezone is ahead or level on every term Repoly measures.
Are the NordVPN alternatives still maintained?
1 of the 2 measured options score 70 or above. Every measured option had commits in the last 90 days. None scores under 40.
What languages are the NordVPN alternatives written in?
Elixir: Firezone. Nodejs: Outline Server. The stack matters if you plan to extend or patch the tool yourself.
