netplex vs EVE-NG vs GNS3 in 2026
and what neither of them fixed.
This is the comparison everyone searches for, so here it is plainly. EVE-NG is the better server for several users. GNS3 is the better free tool for one person. In June 2026 EVE-NG ended its Community build and introduced a 7-node Freemium tier, which changed the answer for many people. We make a competing product, so we put ourselves in the third column. Judge the rows yourself.
We are not neutral, so we say so up front. netplex. competes with both of these tools. That is exactly why every row below is something you can check yourself rather than something you have to take our word for - node limits from their own pages, install steps from their own docs, the Community to Freemium change from EVE-NG's own site. Checked against EVE-NG 7.2.0-18 and GNS3 3.0.6 / 2.2.61 on 12 October 2026. Where EVE-NG or GNS3 is genuinely better than us, the row says so, and there is a section near the bottom that lists those cases in plain language. If you find a row that is wrong or has gone stale, tell us and we will change it.
Neither one is wrong.
They are wrong for different people.
Best if you want one server a whole team uses
EVE-NG got the design right years ago: one Linux computer, everyone connects to it, labs live in one place. The catch in 2026 is the price of entry. The free Community build reached end of life in June 2026 and Freemium took its place: 7 nodes per EVE server, two admin accounts, non-commercial use. Pro (150 EUR) raises that to 1,024 nodes per lab; its licence is tied to one VM or computer, and you can re-host it yourself.
Best if you want free and you are working alone
GNS3 is genuinely free with no node limit, has a real API. GNS3 3.0 added a browser web UI, users and roles, and its server runs on Linux or the GNS3 VM. The older 2.2 line (still maintained) is a desktop app talking to a VM that runs the devices. Either way you run a server, and consoles still open through a local client pack.
Consoles: EVE-NG is in the browser, GNS3 is not yet
EVE-NG's console is HTML5 in the browser by default; a client pack for native telnet or VNC links is optional. GNS3's web UI still opens consoles through a local client pack (its HTML5 console is only planned), and the 2.2 GUI launches a local terminal. So the person opening a GNS3 lab has to install and configure something first.
The lab is not a file you can review
EVE-NG labs are XML files and GNS3 projects are project files. We found no built-in git workflow in either, so comparing two versions of a lab or having an automatic build create one is more work than it needs to be. For study that does not matter. For a team that keeps its network setup as code, it is worth a look.
EVE-NG, GNS3 and netplex.,
row by row.
| Feature | EVE-NG Freemium / Pro |
GNS3 3.0 and 2.2, free |
netplex. Associate, free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free node limit | 7 per EVE server, two admin accounts, non-commercial use | None | None (one running lab at a time on Associate) |
| Cost to remove the limit | Pro licence (150 EUR) | Already free | Already free |
| Licence tied to hardware | Pro: tied to one VM or computer, re-host yourself | No | Free tier needs no key; paid licences are node-locked |
| What you install | One server VM or bare metal | 2.2: desktop app plus a VM. 3.0: a Linux server (or the GNS3 VM) and a browser | One x86-64 Linux server, then nothing on the client |
| Client software needed | None for the HTML5 console (client pack optional) | 2.2 GUI, or 3.0 web UI in a browser (client pack for consoles) | None - a browser |
| Console in the browser | Yes - HTML5 console and HTML desktop | No - HTML5 console only planned | Yes |
| Works on macOS and Chromebooks | Browser yes, HTML5 console yes | 3.0 web UI yes; consoles need a client pack | Yes (browser); the server needs x86-64 Linux |
| Documented public API | Documented (some calls outdated, per EVE-NG) | Yes | Yes - versioned REST |
| MCP server for AI agents | No | Built-in MCP service in the 3.1 pre-release, not stable 3.0 | MCP server (beta), 80+ tools; read-only below Architect |
| Topologies in git | Labs are XML files; no built-in git | Not checked | Yes - .npx is plain JSON |
| Real vendor images | Yes - you supply them | Yes - you supply them | Yes - you supply them |
| Docker containers as nodes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Packet capture | Integrated Docker Wireshark plus HTML console capture | Local Wireshark via client pack; web Wireshark in newer builds | In browser or to Wireshark |
| Link impairment (delay, loss, jitter) | Yes - Link Quality (delay, loss, jitter, rate) | Yes - per-link filters (delay, jitter, loss, corruption) | Presets on every tier; custom values on Professional |
| Runs across several hosts | Yes - EVE Cluster on every edition | Yes - controller plus compute servers | Beta - VXLAN across hosts |
| Built-in switch and router nodes (no image needed) | Partial - unmanaged L2 switch only, no router node | Partial - Ethernet switch and hub only, no router node | Yes - a built-in switch and Linux router start instantly |
| Lab backup to GitHub / git | No | No | Yes - push backups to GitHub, GitLab or any git remote |
| Scheduled backups to SSH / SFTP / SMB / cloud | Yes | No | Yes - on a timer, to your own SSH/SFTP or SMB server or cloud storage |
| LXC container nodes | No | No | Yes - LXC nodes |
| Network-namespace nodes (about 50 ms start) | No | No | Yes - lightweight namespace nodes, no image |
| MicroVM nodes (Firecracker) | No | No | Yes - Firecracker MicroVM nodes (beta) |
| Themes and accent colours | Yes | Yes | Yes - 6 themes and 9 accent colours |
| Export the topology as PNG / PDF / SVG | No | Yes | Yes - PNG (1x-3x, transparent), PDF or SVG |
| Export to draw.io / Mermaid / Graphviz / SSH config / Nornir | No | No | Yes - draw.io, Mermaid, Graphviz, SSH config, hosts file, Nornir inventory |
| Recently deleted labs (restore within days) | No | No | Yes - restore a deleted lab within 3 days (labs that had a backup repository) |
| Coloured tags on devices | No | No | Yes - free-text tags, each with its own colour |
| Windows / Linux desktops in a browser tab | Yes | Yes | Yes - RDP and VNC desktops in the browser |
| Host dashboard (CPU / RAM history and alerts) | No | No | Yes - 1-hour and 24-hour history, email/webhook alerts |
| Edit the lab as code next to the canvas | No | No | Yes - a JSON code panel kept in sync with the drawing |
| Push your own code as a device | No | No | Yes - CLI, VS Code task or git hook |
| IPv6 labs | No | No | Yes - IPv6 addresses and traffic between nodes |
| UI in 5 languages | No | No | Yes - English, Arabic (right-to-left), Chinese, Spanish and French |
| Restore centre (lab history, file or whole platform) | Yes | Partial - Project snapshots with restore (API docs); no restore centre | 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 | Yes - a Cloud gateway node, NAT or bridge, the only way out of a lab |
| Native console connector (your own terminal) | Yes | Partial - Console app setting incl. custom command; seen in 3rd-party guide | Yes - opens consoles in SecureCRT, PuTTY, Windows Terminal, iTerm2 and more |
| Side-by-side config diff viewer | No | No | Yes - one diff viewer with a commit picker and restore button |
| Imports EVE-NG .unl and GNS3 projects | - | - | Yes - .unl and GNS3 projects |
Node limits and features are from EVE-NG's own Features Compare, download and Community pages and GNS3's own docs and releases, read 12 October 2026.
So which one? Here is the actual decision.
Working alone, comfortable with a free tool and a local client pack for consoles: GNS3. Running a team or a training lab on one server: EVE-NG (Freemium for small non-commercial labs, Pro for bigger ones). Want a browser for everything, the topology as a plain file you can keep in git, or no node cap on a free tier: that is the gap we built for. The EVE-NG comparison and the GNS3 comparison go deeper on each.
When to stay with them
GNS3 is free and open source with no node cap and no account. EVE-NG's free edition already includes clustering, AD/Radius login and a browser console - if it already works for you, there is no urgent reason to move. What we have that they do not is a documented API with a CLI, a Python SDK and an MCP server (beta) on top, topologies stored as plain JSON, and no node cap on the free tier.
What we changed and what we kept.
Same real firmware under QEMU. Different everything around it.
Nothing to install on the client
Console, canvas, packet capture and file transfer all live in the browser tab. No client pack, no desktop GUI. (You still run one server, as you do with EVE-NG.)
No node cap on the free tier
The ceiling is your RAM, not a licence file, and it does not change when a tier does. The free tier runs one lab at a time.
Import both of them
EVE-NG .unl files and GNS3 projects import directly, so evaluating us is not a rebuild.
Labs that live in git
The .npx format is plain JSON. Diff two versions, review a topology in a pull request, roll one back.
Automation that is supported
A versioned REST API, a CLI, a Python SDK and an MCP server for AI agents (beta, read-only below Architect).
netplex vs EVE-NG vs GNS3,
the common questions.
Weighing up another tool? Read the side-by-side.
vs EVE-NG
The 7-node Freemium cap, the fixpermissions step, the per-VM Pro licence - and what changes without them.
vs GNS3
GNS3 3.0 now has a browser UI too; the classic setup is a desktop GUI plus a server. Compared with one browser tab anyone on your network can open.
vs EVE-NG Pro
No node limit here; the free tier needs no licence key, and EVE-NG Pro's licence is tied to one VM or computer.
vs Cisco CML
Cisco's own images and per-seat licence (Free 5 nodes, Personal $199, Plus $349), next to a multi-vendor platform with a free tier.
Or skip the choice
and import both.
EVE-NG .unl files and GNS3 projects import directly. Free tier, no node limit (one running lab at a time), nothing to install on anyone's laptop.
Last reviewed October 2026 · Spotted something out of date? Tell us.