GNS3. Rebuilt for 2026.
Browser-native. No local server.
GNS3 has been the standard for 15 years - and its own 3.0 line (still in beta) is racing toward a browser-based, multi-user model. netplex. ships that today: stable, browser-native, no local server confusion, no VMware dependency, no memory leaks after 14 hours.
"90% of the problems that users experience on Windows comes down to one thing: the GNS3 Local server." - GNS3 GitHub pinned issue. The local server vs GNS3 VM question is the most-searched GNS3 topic. netplex. has no local server. There is nothing to configure.
Fifteen years of technical debt.
GNS3 knows it too.
Fair note: GNS3's own 3.0 release (still in beta, Linux-only server) is trying to fix several of these - a browser UI, concurrent multi-user access. That's a good sign the old model needed replacing. Below is what's still true for the GNS3 most people actually run today (the stable 2.2 line), and what 3.0 does and doesn't fix yet.
The local server vs GNS3 VM decision
GNS3 can run as a local server, a remote server, or inside a dedicated GNS3 VM. "These different options are confusing to people, which results in frustration." Even 3.0 (beta) doesn't remove this for Windows/Mac users - its server now runs on Linux only, so you still need the GNS3 VM or a remote Linux host before you ever open a browser.
VMware / VirtualBox required
To avoid the local server mess, most users end up inside a GNS3 VM running in VMware Workstation, VMware Player or VirtualBox. That means an extra hypervisor to install, configure and maintain on your laptop before your first node even boots - 3.0's browser UI runs on top of this same VM once it's up, it changes how you reach the server, not whether you need one running somewhere.
Memory leak after long sessions
GNS3 starts at ~200 MB RAM and climbs to ~540 MB after 14 hours with devices paused - not even running. Long cert-study sessions eventually require a full restart to reclaim memory. This is a tracked, open issue (GitHub #2213) that has existed for years.
Client ≠ server version → lab won't open
GNS3's desktop GUI requires the client and server to be exactly the same version - still today's default. Update the client and forget to update the server? Your lab file refuses to open until both match. 3.0's browser UI sidesteps this by construction (the server serves its own UI, no separate client to drift) - but it's still beta.
Sharing means a file, not a link
On the stable 2.2 line, sharing a GNS3 lab still means exporting a .gns3project file and sending it over email or Slack, with the recipient needing matching images and the same GNS3 version. 3.0 (beta) adds concurrent multi-user access to one server - real progress - but that's shared access to someone's project, not a shareable link or a one-click clone into your own workspace.
Classroom delivery is still manual
GNS3's stable 2.2 line has no built-in multi-user or classroom model - running 25 students means 25 separate installations, images and VMware setups. 3.0 (beta) targets classroom/cloud deployments and adds auth for concurrent users, but there's no published classroom mode: no per-student isolated pods, no teacher broadcast, no grading from a snapshot.
GNS3 vs netplex.
Both free. Very different experience.
| Feature | GNS3 Free / open source |
netplex. Tier shown per row |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in browser | Beta only (GNS3 3.0) - stable 2.2 is desktop app + local server | Yes - full UI in browser, stable today |
| Requires local software install | Yes - GNS3 2.2 (stable) + VMware/VirtualBox; 3.0 beta still needs a VM or Linux host | No - nothing on client machines |
| Console access method | 2.2: native Telnet/VNC (external app). 3.0 beta: websocket console for some nodes + a local WebClient Pack for the rest | Browser-native terminal - every node type, nothing local to install |
| Multi-user / collaboration | Beta only (GNS3 3.0) - concurrent access with auth; no real-time co-edit | Not currently offered |
| Topology sharing | Export .gns3project file | Share a link · clone to your account |
| Image pipeline | Manual - download, place, configure | 8-stage automated pipeline |
| Packet capture | Via native Wireshark app | Browser-native · no install |
| REST API | Basic - limited endpoints | Full REST API - all tiers |
| Terraform + Ansible | No | Architect · beta |
| AI agent access (MCP) | No | Professional · beta |
| Multi-host distributed fabric | No | Architect · beta |
| Link QoS (delay / jitter / loss) | Via OS-level config | Yes - all tiers |
| Memory use over time | 200 MB → 540 MB (14 hrs paused, known leak) | Fixed overhead per node - no growth |
| Client / server version sync | Desktop GUI (2.2, today's default): must match exactly. 3.0 beta's browser UI is served by the server itself, so this doesn't apply there | One deployment - nothing to sync |
| Education / student mode | Not built in | Not currently offered |
| IPv6 labs | Requires manual setup | OSPFv3, BGP4+, SLAAC, SRv6 run natively; dual-stack tooling in development |
| GNS3 .gns3project import | - | Yes - same workflow as .unl import |
| Setup time (first lab running) | VMware + GNS3 + VM setup = 2+ hours | Under 5 minutes |
GNS3 figures reflect the stable 2.2 line (still the default most users run) plus documented changes in the 3.0 beta, sourced from GNS3's own blog, docs and GitHub (July 2026). Memory figures from GitHub Issue #2213.
GNS3 proved the model works. We shipped it - stable, today.
No beta tag, no separate desktop client to keep in sync, no VMware detour before your first node boots.
No local process. No local anything.
GNS3's dominant model today is still a local desktop app talking to a local server. Its 3.0 beta is moving toward server-side and browser access - the direction netplex. already ships, stable, with the automation and multi-host layers GNS3 doesn't have yet.
One server, any browser
Install netplex. once on a dedicated host. Every engineer, student or teammate reaches it from any browser - laptop, tablet, borrowed machine. No installs. No version sync. No VMware.
Share labs with a link
Every lab has a shareable URL. Non-users can view the topology live in their browser. Account holders can clone the lab to their own workspace with one click - no file exports, no image matching.
AI agent access via MCP
A real MCP server ships alongside the REST API - point any AI agent (Claude, Cursor, whatever you already use) at a running lab and it can see the topology, read configs and run commands. · beta
Scale beyond one machine
An orchestrator schedules your topology across as many worker hosts as you own, stitched together with encrypted VXLAN. · roadmap, beta
Image pipeline - drop and walk away
Upload an image and the automated pipeline classifies, converts, sets permissions and boot-tests it. The result is a human-readable device name in the palette, not a raw file path.
Education built in
The Class tier gives each student an isolated pod with their own live lab. The teacher can freeze the room, reset all pods to a clean topology, or grade from a snapshot - all from one screen.
Your GNS3 projects come with you.
Same 30-second import as EVE-NG.
Export from GNS3
File → Export portable project. This bundles the topology and any saved configs into a .gns3project file.
Import in netplex.
Labs → Import → GNS3 (.gns3project) and drop the file. Device kind mapping is automatic for common types.
Start your lab
Select all nodes, press Start. Double-click any node to console in. No Telnet client, no SecureCRT - just your browser.
Topology preserved
All node positions, interface assignments and link types carry across from the GNS3 project file.
Configs carry too
Saved startup configurations embedded in the project come across automatically.
EVE-NG and containerlab
Same importer handles .unl and containerlab YAML. Consolidate everything into one platform.
Stop fighting your lab tool.
Focus on the exam.
GNS3 is genuinely powerful - but half the study-guide threads on Reddit are troubleshooting the tool, not the protocol. netplex. gets out of your way: open a browser, build the topology, console in.
- Pre-built lab templates for CCNA, CCNP, CCIE - import and study immediately
- Knowledge Base with 35 step-by-step lab guides built in
- Share your topology with a study group - one link, zero file exports
- Browser-native packet capture - click the link, see the traffic
GNS3 to netplex.
The questions people actually ask.
Last reviewed September 2026 · Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
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