What GNS3 Technologies does

GNS3 Technologies operates a network simulation and emulation software platform that enables network professionals to design, build, and test network topologies in a virtual environment without requiring physical hardware. The product targets network engineers, administrators, architects, and IT practitioners, providing a virtual environment for testing configurations, simulating complex networks, preparing for certification exams, and validating designs before production deployment. The current release is version 2.2.59, and the platform has accumulated 19.1 million downloads from 3,486,296 network professionals worldwide, making it one of the most broadly adopted network simulation tools in the market. The company's technology centers on a proprietary emulation engine supporting a wide range of network devices and topologies, complemented by a community-driven marketplace for appliances, templates, and extensions.

The business operates on a freemium model: the core software is offered as a free download from gns3.com, with a community marketplace for extended resources. Distribution is also channeled through SolarWinds, which owns the product following an acquisition, including integration with SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset (a bundle of 60+ network management tools) for cross-promotion and bundled distribution. Named enterprise adopters referenced on the website include Google, Starbucks, T-Systems, NASA, SolarWinds, and Pfizer, though these function primarily as adoption validation rather than as revenue concentration.

The company is structured as a small team (1-10 employees) headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and operates as a brand under SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC, a subsidiary of NYSE-listed SolarWinds Corporation (SWI). Prior to its acquisition, GNS3 raised approximately $600,000 in a 2014 funding round and participated in the Plug and Play accelerator in 2015. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, the freemium model implies limited direct monetization of the GNS3 product line itself, and most economic value from the GNS3 user base is likely captured at the parent level through SolarWinds' broader IT management portfolio.

Name

GNS3 Technologies

Legal name

SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC

Website

https://gns3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GNS3 Technologies operates a network simulation and emulation software platform that enables network engineers, administrators, and architects to design, build, and test network topologies virtually. Owned by SolarWinds, the free tool has served over 3.4 million professionals worldwide with 19.1 million downloads.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Emulation Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) (HDAFANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Network Virtualization & Overlays (VXLAN/EVPN) (HDABAFAD), Cloud Networking & Virtual Networking (VPC/VNet) (HDABAFAG)

Keywords

• Network emulation software
• Network simulation tool
• Virtual network lab
• Network design software
• IT infrastructure testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sunnyvale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Distribution: Free downloadable software distributed directly. Revenue model is not explicitly disclosed in the source material, but the software is offered as a free download with potential premium offerings through the marketplace or related tool integrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GNS3 Technologies develops and distributes network emulation software that enables network professionals to design, build, configure, and test network topologies in a virtual environment without requiring physical hardware. The core GNS3 application is offered as a free download and is complemented by a community marketplace where users access and share network appliances, templates, and extensions.

Product overview

GNS3 is a unified network emulation software product that empowers network professionals to build, simulate, and test network environments. The core GNS3 application serves as the primary offering, with an associated Marketplace for sharing network images and configurations. The software has reached 19.1 million downloads from over 3.4 million network professionals worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GNS3 Network Emulation Software Network emulation software that allows network professionals to design, build, configure, and test network topologies in a virtual environment without requiring physical hardware. Supports a wide range of multi-vendor network devices and configurations, used by enterprise network teams and individual practitioners for network design, simulation, and certification preparation.
• GNS3 Marketplace Online marketplace where network professionals access and share community-created resources, network appliances, templates, and extensions for use with the GNS3 platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 19.1 Million+ downloads completed by network professionals worldwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SolarWinds Worldwide, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolarWinds acquired GNS3 and maintains ownership of the platform. The company operates under SolarWinds' portfolio, with the copyright showing '© 2026 SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC'. GNS3 is integrated with SolarWinds Engineer's Toolset, offering cross-promotion and bundled distribution of 60+ network management tools alongside GNS3 software.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Juniper Paragon Automation / Juniper Labs: Juniper Networks competes with Cisco and provides vendor-aligned lab and automation tooling for its own routing/switching platforms, partially overlapping with GNS3's use case of emulating Juniper devices in multi-vendor topologies.
• SolarWinds: SolarWinds is GNS3's parent company and the broader IT management software incumbent; the Engineer's Toolset integration and shared distribution make SolarWinds both a channel and a portfolio peer in the network management tooling space.

Emerging players

• Kathará: Kathará is an open-source container-based network emulator built on Docker; it competes with GNS3 in the network emulation category with a more developer-friendly, lightweight deployment model.
• Containerlab: Containerlab is an open-source container-based network lab orchestration tool; it targets the same NetDevOps persona as GNS3 but with a lighter, container-native architecture that could attract developers moving away from VM-based emulation.
• OMNeT++: OMNeT++ is a discrete-event simulation framework widely used for academic and research-grade network simulation; it addresses a more technical, protocol-research audience that overlaps with GNS3's advanced user base.
• Skillsoft (incl. Pluralsight hands-on labs): Skillsoft (with Pluralsight hands-on labs) provides cloud-based, browser-accessible networking labs for certification and training; it competes with GNS3's certification-prep use case via a SaaS delivery model that may be more attractive to enterprise L&D buyers.

Direct peers

• EVE-NG: EVE-NG is the closest direct competitor to GNS3, offering multi-vendor network emulation in a virtualized lab environment targeted at the same network engineer persona, with overlapping feature sets around topology design and device image support.
• Cisco Packet Tracer: Cisco's free Packet Tracer is widely used in networking curricula and certification prep, overlapping heavily with GNS3's learning and certification use cases, particularly among students and early-career network professionals.
• NetSim by Tetcos: NetSim is a commercial network simulation product used in academic and R&D settings for protocol and topology modeling, overlapping with GNS3 on network behavior simulation but with a stronger academic/research tilt.
• Cisco Modeling Labs (CML): Cisco Modeling Labs is Cisco's commercial network simulation platform, directly competing with GNS3 for enterprise and certification-driven users; it benefits from native Cisco IOS image support and the broader Cisco brand.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gns3
• Facebookfacebook.com/gns3official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gns3-net

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 GNS3 Technologies