EVE-NG Pro alternative
No node limit, free
Free to start
No key on the free tier
Everything EVE-NG Pro does,
plus lab-as-code, SDKs and MCP, for $35 more.
EVE-NG Pro vs netplex. Professional, paid next to paid. EVE-NG Pro is around 150 EUR per licence: time-limited, tied to one VM or computer, up to 1,024 nodes per lab. netplex. Professional has no node limit, runs any number of labs at once, and is free during the beta. Here is the full row-by-row comparison.
Both are paid tiers. EVE-NG Pro is 150 EUR licensed to one VM or computer, with up to 1,024 nodes per lab. netplex. Professional has no node limit and is free during the beta. Looking for the free pair? See EVE-NG Freemium vs netplex. Associate.
Feature comparison
EVE-NG Pro vs netplex. Professional
EVE-NG Pro vs netplex. Professional
Paid next to paid.
| Feature | EVE-NG Pro Paid · 150 EUR per licence, time-limited |
netplex. Professional Paid tier · free during beta |
|---|---|---|
| Max nodes | 1,024 per lab | No limit, any number of running labs |
| Modern browser UI (React canvas) | HTML5 UI (V7 added a new theme) | Yes |
| In-browser consoles (SSH · serial) | HTML5 console | Integrated |
| Integrated packet capture | Integrated (Docker Wireshark + HTML console capture) | Browser-native |
| Licence-free nodes (FRR · VyOS) | Yes - FRR Docker template, VyOS image supported | Yes |
| One-click app nodes (Wireshark) | Yes - Docker nodes incl. Wireshark and HTML Desktop console | Yes |
| Snapshots · backup | Built-in Backup Manager (full backup/restore); no git integration found | Snapshots plus git-backed backup and restore |
| Fault injection (link · node up/down) | Yes - hot link connect/disconnect, link suspend/resume | Yes |
| REST API | Yes - JSON API (docs partly outdated, per EVE-NG) | Full REST API |
| Lab as code (plan / apply) | No plan/apply workflow documented; labs are XML files managed via the API | Plan/apply with git-friendly .npx lab files |
| AI agent access (MCP) | No official MCP server found on eve-ng.net | MCP server (beta), 80+ tools, read-only |
| Runs across several hosts | Yes - EVE Cluster (Master/Satellite), no extra licence | Beta - 2 hosts over VXLAN |
| Link impairment (delay · jitter · loss · rate) | Yes - Link Quality | Custom delay, jitter, loss and rate |
| AMD CPU support | Yes with EPT (Ryzen 3900+, newer EPYC); older AMD can have issues | Yes - KVM on x86-64, Intel or AMD |
| Licence portability | Tied to one VM or computer; self-service re-host (internet check every 24h) | Licence is node-locked to the machine |
| Live presentation mode | No | Laser pointer, spotlight and live annotation |
| Real vendor images | Yes - you supply them | Yes - you supply them |
| Docker containers as nodes | Yes | Yes |
| Client software needed | None for the HTML5 console (client pack optional) | None - a browser |
| Works on macOS and Chromebooks | Browser yes, HTML5 console yes | Yes (browser); the server needs x86-64 Linux |
| Built-in tool nodes (scanner, multicast, traffic) | No | Yes - network scanner, multicast, traffic generator and bandwidth tester nodes (Professional) |
| Built-in switch and router nodes (no image needed) | Partial - unmanaged L2 switch only, no router node | Yes - a built-in switch and Linux router start instantly |
| Lab backup to GitHub / git | No | Yes - push backups to GitHub, GitLab or any git remote |
| Scheduled backups to SSH / SFTP / SMB / cloud | Yes | Yes - on a timer, to your own SSH/SFTP or SMB server or cloud storage |
| LXC container nodes | No | Yes - LXC nodes |
| Network-namespace nodes (about 50 ms start) | No | Yes - lightweight namespace nodes, no image |
| MicroVM nodes (Firecracker) | No | Yes - Firecracker MicroVM nodes (beta) |
| Themes and accent colours | Yes | Yes - 6 themes and 9 accent colours |
| Export the topology as PNG / PDF / SVG | No | Yes - PNG (1x-3x, transparent), PDF or SVG |
| Presentation mode (laser, spotlight, pen) | No | Yes - laser pointer, spotlight, pen and annotation (Professional) |
| Export to draw.io / Mermaid / Graphviz / SSH config / Nornir | No | Yes - draw.io, Mermaid, Graphviz, SSH config, hosts file, Nornir inventory |
| Read-only share link for a live lab | No | Yes - a link anyone can watch, nobody can change (Professional) |
| Recently deleted labs (restore within days) | No | Yes - restore a deleted lab within 3 days (labs that had a backup repository) |
| Coloured tags on devices | No | Yes - free-text tags, each with its own colour |
| Start-up configs pasted at first boot, named sets | Yes | Yes - paste once, switch between named sets |
| Windows / Linux desktops in a browser tab | Yes | Yes - RDP and VNC desktops in the browser |
| Host dashboard (CPU / RAM history and alerts) | No | Yes - 1-hour and 24-hour history, email/webhook alerts |
| Edit the lab as code next to the canvas | No | Yes - a JSON code panel kept in sync with the drawing |
| Smart image import (auto-detect, disk guard, boot test) | No | Yes - names the image, refuses when the disk is too full, boot-tests it |
| Push your own code as a device | No | Yes - CLI, VS Code task or git hook |
| Import other tools' labs | No | Yes - EVE-NG .unl, GNS3, Containerlab, Docker Compose |
| IPv6 labs | No | Yes - IPv6 addresses and traffic between nodes |
| UI in 5 languages | No | Yes - English, Arabic (right-to-left), Chinese, Spanish and French |
| Restore centre (lab history, file or whole platform) | Yes | Yes - restore a lab from history or a file, or the whole platform from a snapshot (admin) |
| Gateway node to the internet or host network | Yes | Yes - a Cloud gateway node, NAT or bridge, the only way out of a lab |
| Config drift detection | No | Yes - compares a saved golden config with the running one (Professional) |
| Live traffic animation on cables | No | Yes - links flash as packets flow (Professional) |
| Native console connector (your own terminal) | Yes | Yes - opens consoles in SecureCRT, PuTTY, Windows Terminal, iTerm2 and more |
| Side-by-side config diff viewer | No | Yes - one diff viewer with a commit picker and restore button |
| Setup (first lab running) | Install the ISO, load images by hand, add a licence | Install the ISO on a VM or bare metal, or import the OVA; then import images |
EVE-NG facts from the eve-ng.net Features Compare page and licence documentation, read 12 Oct 2026 against EVE-NG 7.2.0-18. netplex. rows are code-verified.
Straight with you
EVE-NG Pro is a time-limited licence you renew, and it needs an internet check about once a day. It is a fair deal with a large template library. netplex. doesn't ship anyone's licensed images either; you bring your own. What netplex. changes is that node count isn't something you buy - the free tier has no limit from day one.
More EVE-NG comparisons
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Questions
EVE-NG Pro questions,
EVE-NG Pro questions,
answered plainly.
What does EVE-NG Pro cost?
Around EUR 150 per licence, licensed per concurrent session (renewal is bought separately), from EVE-NG's Features Compare page. The cost scales with how many people lab at once, not with how many accounts exist, so a training team of ten who all lab on a Tuesday needs ten sessions.
How is the EVE-NG Pro licence tied to my server?
EVE-NG's EULA ties the Pro licence to one VM instance or one physical computer, and it is time-limited. EVE-NG offers a self-service re-host process for moving it to a new machine, and the licence needs an internet check about every 24 hours. Plan for that if your lab server is cut off from the internet. netplex.'s paid licences are also node-locked to the machine; the free tier needs no licence key.
Does EVE-NG Pro remove the node limit?
It raises it rather than removing it - Pro allows up to 1,024 nodes per lab, which in practice is far beyond what any single server's RAM will run. The real ceiling is your hardware. netplex. has no configured cap on any tier, including the free one (which runs one lab at a time).
Is Pro worth it if I used Community?
If your labs outgrow Freemium's 7 nodes, Pro buys you the node headroom and role-based users (and the Community Edition reached end of life in June 2026) - that is a fair deal and a mature product. Note that the browser console, API, Docker nodes, Cluster and AD/Radius login are already in every EVE-NG edition. What Pro does not give you is topologies you can put in git, which is one reason people look elsewhere.
Can I move an EVE-NG Pro lab to netplex.?
Yes. Export the lab as a .unl file and import it - nodes, links, interface assignments and saved startup configs come across. See the full EVE-NG comparison for what does and does not transfer.
Last reviewed October 2026 · Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
Skip the Pro licence.
Start with no node limit.
Free Associate tier - no node limit (one running lab at a time), modern UI, in your browser.