Defguard

What Defguard does

Defguard Sp. z o.o. is a Polish cybersecurity company founded in 2023 that develops an open-source, on-premise enterprise VPN platform built on the WireGuard protocol and integrated with identity, multi-factor authentication, and zero-trust firewall orchestration. The product is engineered entirely in Rust for memory safety and follows a segregated architecture: a Core control plane (user management, policies, configuration) running entirely inside the customer's private network, a stateless Proxy for enrollment and MFA mediation, and a Gateway component (the only internet-exposed piece) handling WireGuard data-plane traffic. Defguard differentiates through protocol-level MFA enforcement at the WireGuard key-exchange rather than at the client login, broad SSO/IdP integration (Google Workspace, Microsoft EntraID, Okta, JumpCloud, Keycloak, plus generic OIDC, LDAP, and Active Directory), and EU-only development providing zero US CLOUD Act exposure.

The company's customers span defense and security (50+), software and gaming (100+), banking and finance (20+), industry and manufacturing (30+), data center/hosting (20+), and healthcare (10+), with named logos including Hostinger, Prusa Research (490+ employees), Dext, Outbank, NSFOCUS, Acquinox Capital, Fox.it, and Eskemm Numérique. Revenue is generated through tiered subscription licenses (a free Business tier up to 10 users, paid Business, and quote-based Enterprise with multi-year contracts), supplemented by SLA-based professional services for enterprise customers. Go-to-market combines product-led growth via the free tier, direct enterprise field sales with demo and 30-day PoC motions, and a structured channel program covering VARs, MSSPs, and whitelabel partners across Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania. Defguard has raised over €1.2 million in pre-seed funding (May 2025, led by Hard2beat), achieved ISO 27001:2023 certification (January 2026), and released its major v2.0 stable in April 2026.

Name

Defguard

Legal name

Defguard Sp. z o.o.

Website

https://defguard.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Defguard is a Polish cybersecurity company providing an open-source, on-premise WireGuard VPN platform with protocol-level MFA, IAM, and zero-trust firewall orchestration for European enterprises and MSSPs requiring data sovereignty, NIS2/GDPR compliance, and freedom from US cloud jurisdiction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Szczecin

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Licenses (Business and Enterprise): Defguard sells subscription-based licenses for its self-hosted enterprise software. Pricing is tiered by plan (Business, Enterprise) with seat count and location limits. The free Business tier (up to 10 users, 1 location) enables evaluation and land-and-expand. Paid plans unlock additional users, VPN locations, and enterprise features. Licenses are delivered via email upon payment confirmation and auto-renewed through the self-hosted software communicating with the licensing server.
2. SLA-Based Support Services: Premium support with SLA guarantees (contrast to 'as is' free support) is available for Enterprise customers via [email protected]. Email/ticket-based support is included with paid subscriptions; SLA-based support requires separate engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Defguard sells an open-source, on-premise enterprise WireGuard VPN platform that unifies VPN connectivity with protocol-level MFA/2FA and Identity and Access Management (IAM). The software is delivered as a self-hosted, segmented architecture (Core control plane, Gateway data plane, Proxy/Edge) that enforces Zero-Trust access, supports SSO with major identity providers, and provides centralized firewall policy orchestration for distributed organizations.

Product overview

Defguard is an on-premises-first Enterprise WireGuard VPN platform with integrated Identity and Access Management (IAM). The platform consists of the Core control plane (handling user management, policies, and configuration), the Gateway data plane (managing WireGuard VPN tunnels), and the Proxy/Edge component (mediating enrollment and MFA flows). Cross-platform clients (Desktop for Windows/macOS/Linux, Mobile for iOS/Android) provide end-user access with protocol-level MFA enforcement. Additional modules include Firewall Policy Orchestration for Zero-Trust ACLs, SSO/Directory Sync for identity provider integration, and High Availability for enterprise resilience. The platform is built in Rust for memory safety and follows a secure-by-design architecture where the control plane is never exposed to the public internet.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defguard Core Platform Self-hosted enterprise WireGuard VPN platform with integrated MFA/2FA and IAM, built on a Rust-based segmented architecture (Core, Gateway, Proxy/Edge) for organizations requiring data sovereignty and Zero-Trust remote access.
• Defguard Desktop Client Cross-platform VPN client for Windows, macOS, and Linux that provides WireGuard connectivity with guided enrollment, biometric MFA, and zero-touch provisioning for enterprise users.
• Defguard Mobile Client Mobile VPN client for iOS and Android with biometric MFA support (FaceID/TouchID) and secure enrollment for mobile workforce access.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~10x throughput improvement over legacy SSL VPN (FortiGate, SonicWall)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Striga.AIminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Security firm that participated alongside ISEC in testing Defguard 2.0 before its stable release in April 2026, contributing to the identification and fixing of major security findings.
• DynamateminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT services company based in Belgium (Flanders) offering cloud infrastructure, modern workplace, security, and digital transformation services. Listed Defguard partner delivering solutions across the Belgian market.
• EntiisominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT company based in Switzerland specializing in infrastructure, cloud, Microsoft 365, and modern workplace solutions for digital transformation. Delivers Defguard solutions to Swiss enterprise customers.
• EpssiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT managed services provider based in Germany delivering infrastructure, cybersecurity, and support solutions for businesses. Offers Defguard as part of its managed security services portfolio.
• Fox.it (FOX Group)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman MSSP and 34-year-old family business operating a SOC and managing infrastructure for clients from mid-sized businesses to power-plant operators. FOX Group standardized all VPN access on Defguard across 6-7 customer environments, replacing SonicWall. A flagship partner demonstrating Defguard's enterprise MSP value proposition.
• MovaciminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCybersecurity solutions company and MSSP headquartered in Thailand with offices in the US, Australia, and UK. Delivers Defguard-powered VPN solutions across multiple geographies.
• WorldWideWanminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobally operating IT system house offering hybrid infrastructure, security solutions, and managed services in over 150 countries. Delivers Defguard solutions worldwide.
• XcompminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIT infrastructure and consulting company based in Poland, offering networking, security, storage, and certified hardware solutions across Poland and Europe. Distributes and deploys Defguard for Polish and European enterprise customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tailscale: Tailscale provides a WireGuard-based mesh VPN with identity-aware zero-trust networking. It is the most direct competitor to Defguard: both build on the WireGuard protocol, both target security-conscious enterprise teams, and both emphasize identity-provider integration. Defguard differentiates on self-hosted on-premises architecture and protocol-level MFA, while Tailscale leads on developer mindshare and cloud-native ease of use.
• Netbird: Netbird is an open-source WireGuard-based network security platform with a managed cloud offering and self-hosted option. It competes directly with Defguard in the WireGuard mesh VPN category, including overlapping integrations with SSO providers and similar target use cases (remote access, site-to-site, zero-trust). Netbird is mentioned explicitly in Defguard's own comparison content.
• ZeroTier: ZeroTier is a software-defined network platform offering peer-to-peer VPN-like connectivity for enterprise and IoT use cases. It is a direct peer in the secure overlay networking category, though it uses its own protocol rather than WireGuard.
• OpenVPN: OpenVPN is a long-established open-source VPN solution with both community and commercial products, and a major reference point in Defguard's comparison content ('OpenVPN alternatives'). It serves enterprise customers with self-hosted and cloud VPN needs.

Broad incumbents

• Fortinet (FortiGate): Fortinet's FortiGate is a leading legacy SSL VPN / NGFW appliance that Defguard directly displaces (Dext migrated 300–400 employees from FortiGate to Defguard). Fortinet is a broad incumbent with a full security portfolio, channel ecosystem, and bundle pricing — the most likely incumbent Defguard competes against in replacement deals.
• SonicWall: SonicWall is a legacy SSL VPN and network security appliance vendor. Fox.it (FOX Group) explicitly replaced SonicWall with Defguard across 6–7 customer environments, making SonicWall a direct displaced incumbent in Defguard's reference pipeline.
• Cloudflare Access: Cloudflare's Zero Trust / Cloudflare Access is a cloud-delivered zero-trust network access (ZTNA) product covering VPN replacement. It is a broad incumbent alternative to Defguard with global scale, but operates on US infrastructure — which is precisely the sovereign gap Defguard targets for EU customers.
• Cisco Secure Access (AnyConnect): Cisco's AnyConnect (now part of Cisco Secure Client) and broader Secure Access portfolio is the largest legacy enterprise VPN offering globally. Cisco represents the deep incumbent Defguard competes against for enterprise VPN replacement, with substantial channel reach and bundle pricing.

Emerging players

• Twingate: Twingate is a venture-backed zero-trust network access (ZTNA) platform offering a modern alternative to legacy VPN. It overlaps with Defguard in identity-based zero-trust remote access but is delivered as a SaaS rather than self-hosted, and uses its own protocol rather than WireGuard.
• Headscale: Headscale is the open-source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server. It targets the same self-hosted, sovereignty-conscious segment as Defguard — security-aware teams that want WireGuard mesh without depending on a third-party SaaS — and represents adjacent open-source competition.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/defguard_net
• GitHubgithub.com/DefGuard
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@defguard
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/defguard

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defguard