NetPilot

EVE-NG Alternative

The NetPilot AI agent delivers a working cloud lab in ~2 minutes — no 7-node cap, no server to set up.

Describe any network in plain English — NetPilot's AI agent designs, configures, and deploys real multi-vendor CLIs you can SSH into.

Try NetPilot FreeWatch Demo
app.netpilot.io

How NetPilot differs from EVE-NG

EVE-NG is a capable self-hosted platform. NetPilot combines cloud-native + AI-designed + multi-turn iteration + 2-minute deployment in one product — different bet, different use case.

Cloud-native

Browser only. Nothing to install.

The alternative

EVE-NG requires a dedicated server / VM (16 GB RAM minimum, 8 vCPUs, Ubuntu). CloudMyLab hosting starts at $23/week.

AI-designed

Describe any multi-vendor topology in plain English. AI designs + generates per-vendor configs + deploys.

The alternative

EVE-NG is manual lab building — drag-drop topology, source + upload each vendor image, type every config by hand.

Multi-turn iteration

"Add an Arista spine and move OSPF to area 0.0.0.1" — AI updates across all affected devices.

The alternative

EVE-NG: edit each device config by hand, reload, debug per change. No cross-device coordination.

2 minutes vs 1-2 days

~2 minutes from prompt to working multi-vendor lab.

The alternative

EVE-NG: 1-2 days of server provisioning + OS install + license + image sourcing + per-device CLI config.

See It in Action

Watch NetPilot build a complete multi-vendor network lab from a single plain-English description — no server setup, no manual config.

EVE-NG Frustrations NetPilot Solves

EVE-NG is powerful. The overhead of running it keeps you from focusing on networking.

Server Setup & Maintenance

EVE-NG requires a dedicated server or powerful VM (16 GB RAM minimum, 8 vCPUs, Ubuntu-based). Installing, OS patching, clustering, and ongoing maintenance eats time away from actual networking.

Image Management Complexity

Finding, uploading, and converting device images is tedious. Each vendor needs different formats. Keeping images organized and licensed becomes a job in itself.

Licensing + Hardware Costs

EVE-NG's free v7 "Freemium" tier is capped at 7 nodes (the 63-node Community Edition reached end-of-life June 2026). EVE-NG Pro costs 150 EUR for 1024 nodes. Both require your own server (16 GB+ RAM) plus image sourcing. CloudMyLab hosting starts at $23/week but you still manage everything manually.

Performance + Node Limits

Large topologies strain EVE-NG. Constant resource juggling for memory, CPU, and node counts. NetPilot scales on cloud infrastructure — no local resource ceiling.

NetPilot vs EVE-NG

EVE-NG is a self-hosted emulator. NetPilot is a cloud-native emulator with an AI network engineer built in.

Primary use case
NetPilot
Enterprise change validation + rapid labs (POC, research)
EVE-NG
Home lab; existing Pro on-prem deployments
Cloud-hosted / browser access
NetPilot
Browser only, any device
EVE-NG
Self-hosted server required (or $23/wk CloudMyLab)
AI-designed topology + configs
NetPilot
Plain English → complete lab
EVE-NG
Manual lab building
Multi-turn natural-language iteration
NetPilot
Conversational updates across all devices
EVE-NG
Edit configs by hand, per device
Time to first working lab
NetPilot
~2 minutes
EVE-NG
1-2 days of server + license + images
Hardware requirements
NetPilot
Any browser — zero local hardware
EVE-NG
16 GB+ RAM, 8 vCPU dedicated server
Image sourcing / management
NetPilot
Nokia SR Linux + FRR + Linux built-in; BYOI for commercial
EVE-NG
Upload + convert each vendor image by hand
Licensing / cost
NetPilot
Free tier; enterprise plan for teams
EVE-NG
Free v7 Freemium capped at 7 nodes (63-node Community EOL June 2026); Pro 150 EUR (1024 nodes); CloudMyLab $23/wk
Multi-vendor in one topology
NetPilot
9+ vendors (growing), prompt-driven
EVE-NG
Only if you source each vendor's image
AI troubleshooting across devices
NetPilot
Agent diagnoses + fixes cross-device
EVE-NG
Self-diagnose, per device
Existing on-prem Pro infrastructure
NetPilot
Cloud-native; self-hosted / air-gapped on-prem available
EVE-NG
Runs on your owned server + Pro license
Maintenance burden
NetPilot
Zero — fully managed
EVE-NG
OS patches, clustering, images, uptime

Switch from EVE-NG in Minutes

No migration, no export/import — just describe your lab and iterate conversationally.

1

Describe Your Lab

"Build a 4-AS BGP lab with MPLS L3VPN" or "data-center fabric with Arista + Cumulus + FRR." Plain English, no diagrams or pre-built templates required.

app.netpilot.io
2

AI Designs + Configures

Complete topology with IP addressing, per-vendor protocol configuration, and working adjacencies — generated in under 2 minutes. No manual image upload.

app.netpilot.io
3

Iterate Conversationally

"Add a route reflector cluster and redistribute OSPF into BGP" — AI handles the cross-device changes. No server to reboot, no VPN, no node-limit juggling.

app.netpilot.io

Everything You Did in EVE-NG — Faster

NetPilot supports all enterprise scenarios plus AI-powered generation and natural-language iteration.

CCNA / CCNP / CCIE labs
BGP + MPLS + EVPN
Data-center fabrics
Firewall testing (Palo Alto, Fortinet)
Multi-vendor (Cisco / Juniper / Arista / Nokia)
SD-WAN scenarios
Automation testing
Team collaboration

Bottom line

Pick EVE-NG when you need:

  • •You have existing Pro on-prem server infrastructure to run on
  • •You want a fully self-hosted lab on a server you already run, with no AI in the loop
  • •You need very large topologies (1024-node Pro tier)
  • •You already have a curated image library you want to keep

Pick NetPilot when you need:

  • •Multi-vendor labs running in ~2 minutes, not 1-2 days
  • •AI-designed topologies + per-vendor configs from plain English
  • •Multi-turn natural-language iteration — no manual re-CLI
  • •Browser-accessible from any device, zero server to maintain
  • •No 150 EUR Pro license, no $23/wk hosting, no node-cap juggling

Verdict:EVE-NG is the right tool if you have a dedicated server and a curated image library already invested. NetPilot is the 80% case — multi-vendor labs in minutes, AI-designed, natural-language iteration, no server to run.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about EVE-NG alternatives and cloud-native AI-powered network labs

NetPilot combines cloud-native (no dedicated server, no 16 GB+ RAM Ubuntu VM), AI-designed topology (plain English → per-vendor configs automatically), multi-turn natural-language iteration (change fabric topology without rewriting device configs), and 2 minutes to working lab vs 1-2 days of server + license + image management. EVE-NG Pro costs 150 EUR plus your own hardware plus image sourcing; NetPilot offers a free tier with zero infrastructure.
Yes. NetPilot is the cloud-native AI-powered EVE-NG alternative — no dedicated server, no 150 EUR Pro license. Supports 9+ network OSes (Nokia SR Linux, FRR, Linux built-in; Cisco IOL, Juniper cRPD, Arista cEOS, Palo Alto, Fortinet via BYOI) and generates working configurations from plain English in ~2 minutes. CloudMyLab hosts EVE-NG starting at $23/week, but you still manage images and build topologies manually. As of 2026, NetPilot is the productized cloud + AI-native combination for EVE-NG users who want multi-vendor topologies without the Ubuntu VM.
EVE-NG runs on a dedicated server or VM (16 GB RAM minimum, 8 vCPUs) — it's the proven choice for teams running their own multi-vendor infrastructure on-prem or air-gapped. CloudMyLab rents hosted EVE-NG servers starting at $23/week if you want the same stack without self-hosting, though image and topology management stays manual. As of 2026, NetPilot is the productized cloud-native alternative in this category — zero server required, AI-generated topology and configs, ~2 minute deploy.
On current EVE-NG (v7, June 2026) the free "Freemium" tier caps at 7 nodes per lab and is admin-only. The older 63-node Community Edition (v6.2.x) reached end-of-life in June 2026 — its legacy ISO is still downloadable but unsupported (old Ubuntu base) and isn't carried into v7. EVE-NG Pro costs 150 EUR for 1024 nodes and multi-user. Every self-hosted option requires your own server hardware (16 GB RAM, 8 vCPUs) and manual image sourcing. NetPilot's free tier includes cloud-hosted labs with AI generation; enterprise plans add dedicated environments + BYOI + SSO.
Yes, but the free tier changed. EVE-NG v7 (June 2026) introduced a free "Freemium" mode capped at 7 nodes (admin-only). The 63-node Community Edition (v6.2.x) that many engineers remember reached end-of-life in June 2026 — the legacy ISO is still downloadable but unsupported (old Ubuntu base) and isn't carried forward into v7. Pro remains 150 EUR for 1024 nodes plus your own hardware. NetPilot's free tier is cloud-hosted with AI-designed labs and no node hardware to manage.
On current EVE-NG (v7, June 2026) the free "Freemium" tier is available but capped at 7 nodes (admin-only); the older 63-node Community Edition reached end-of-life in June 2026. EVE-NG Pro costs 150 EUR for 1024 nodes. Both require 16 GB+ RAM server hardware + manual image sourcing + ongoing maintenance time. CloudMyLab-hosted EVE-NG starts at $23/week. NetPilot's free tier includes cloud-hosted labs + AI-designed configs; no hardware, no licensing tiers (commercial NOS images are bring-your-own).
Yes. NetPilot runs entirely in the cloud — no server to provision, no VM to maintain (commercial NOS images are bring-your-own). EVE-NG needs a dedicated 16 GB+ RAM server; NetPilot works from any browser on any device. AI generates complete topologies and per-vendor configurations from plain-English descriptions, and you iterate via multi-turn natural-language conversation.
EVE-NG is a self-hosted network emulator that runs on a dedicated server — you install it, source images, and configure devices by hand. On current EVE-NG (v7) the free "Freemium" tier caps at 7 nodes; Pro costs 150 EUR (1024 nodes). The older 63-node Community Edition reached end-of-life in June 2026. NetPilot is cloud-native with AI that generates topologies and per-vendor configs from plain English, iterates via multi-turn natural-language conversation, and deploys in ~2 minutes — no server, no licensing tiers (commercial NOS images are bring-your-own).
Yes. NetPilot's enterprise plan includes a self-hosted / on-prem deployment for teams with existing server infrastructure, compliance, or data-residency requirements — same deployment model as an on-prem EVE-NG Pro server, plus the AI agent and multi-vendor topology generation. It can run fully air-gapped on your own local LLM (Ollama, vLLM, or Microsoft Foundry Local), with no cloud and no phone-home at runtime. Cloud-hosted is the default self-serve product; the on-prem / air-gapped deployment is available via Contact Sales.

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Ready to Skip the Server Setup?

Join network engineers who moved from EVE-NG to NetPilot for cloud-native AI-designed multi-vendor labs. Free tier — no credit card required.

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