head to head · open source
frp vs MasterDnsVPN
frp has 109,524 GitHub stars, 15,214 forks, 48 open issues and last shipped 5 days ago. MasterDnsVPN has 7,036 stars, 799 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 22 days ago. frp leads on adoption by 1,457% (109,524 vs 7,036 stars). frp is written in Go under Apache-2.0; MasterDnsVPN is written in Go under MIT. frp has attracted 14% as many forks as stars, MasterDnsVPN 11%. frp was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (tunnel), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| frp | MasterDnsVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 110K | ★ 7.0K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-08-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 15K | ⑂ 799 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick frp if
- You weight community size — 110K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick MasterDnsVPN if
- You want the MasterDnsVPN feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and MasterDnsVPN fits your workflow better
About frp
frp is a fast reverse proxy written in Go that exposes a local server behind a NAT or firewall to the internet, built for operators and developers who need inbound access to machines they cannot port forward.
About MasterDnsVPN
MasterDnsVPN is a Go based DNS tunneling VPN that carries TCP traffic inside DNS queries and responses, built for censorship bypass in networks where normal VPN transports are blocked, and aimed at self hosters, researchers and users in heavily filtered environments.
read the full MasterDnsVPN overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is frp or MasterDnsVPN more popular?
frp has 109,524 GitHub stars and MasterDnsVPN has 7,036. frp has the larger community by that measure.
Are frp and MasterDnsVPN free?
Both are open source. frp is licensed under Apache-2.0 and MasterDnsVPN under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between frp and MasterDnsVPN?
frp is written in Go and MasterDnsVPN in Go. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, frp or MasterDnsVPN?
Choose frp if you want the larger community (109,524 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose MasterDnsVPN if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.