Side by side
Piko vs Sōzu
Both stand on reverse proxy software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Paid APISelf-hosted
Piko offers tunneling, routing, authentication, and deployment flexibility for services that are not publicly routable. Its self-hosted model and raw-TCP routing limitation matter when planning architecture.
Visit Piko
Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted
Sōzu focuses on dynamic proxy operation, runtime updates, backend balancing, and upgrade continuity. Its self-hosted Linux deployment and AGPL licensing are important considerations before adoption.
Visit SōzuThe facts
| Piko | Sōzu | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not published | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted | Linux, Self-hosted |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Not published |
| Plans published | None | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | github.com | sozu.io |
| On reverse proxy software | #31 of 33 | #27 of 33 |
Piko: what it does well
- Outbound tunnels avoid public upstream routes
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP
- Cluster operation for fault tolerance and scaling
- JWT verification with several key types
- Prometheus endpoint, logs, and status API
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment required
- Raw TCP cannot identify target endpoints directly
- Operations require managing tunnels and infrastructure
- MIT-licensed project provides no hosted service
Sōzu: what it does well
- Runtime configuration changes without reloads
- Multiple backend load-balancing algorithms
- TLS termination with three compile-time backends
- Logs support files, sockets, TCP, and UDP
- Linux binaries and Docker images available
What to know first
- Self-hosted deployment requires operational management
- GNU Affero GPL obligations apply to covered businesses
- Fixed resource and connection limits are part of design