Best Vetted Alternatives to Tailscale

N

NetBird

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.4/10

Rep Score: 880 Saves

Self-hosted or Cloud-managedOpen source (with commercial hosted plans)

Plays nice with

GitHubGitLabSlackGoogleAzureOkta

Best forSecurity-conscious teams that want a Tailscale-like experience with open-source control and self-hosting flexibility.

Open-source self-hosted option available; hosted plans add managed infrastructure, collaboration, and enterprise features.

Summary

Open-source zero trust networking platform that combines WireGuard-based VPN connectivity with access control, identity integration, and self-hosting options.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to NetBird when they want open-source ownership, self-hosting, and WireGuard-based zero trust networking without giving up ease of use.

Pros

🟢Open-source and self-hostable
🟢Built on WireGuard for strong performance

Cons

🔴Smaller ecosystem than Tailscale
🔴Some enterprise features depend on hosted or paid offerings

0 builders switched

Go to NetBird

N

NetBird

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.4/10

Rep Score: 880 Saves

Self-hosted or Cloud-managedOpen source (with commercial hosted plans)

Plays nice with

GitHubGitLabSlackGoogleAzureOkta

Best for

Security-conscious teams that want a Tailscale-like experience with open-source control and self-hosting flexibility.

Cost

Open-source self-hosted option available; hosted plans add managed infrastructure, collaboration, and enterprise features.

Summary

Open-source zero trust networking platform that combines WireGuard-based VPN connectivity with access control, identity integration, and self-hosting options.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to NetBird when they want open-source ownership, self-hosting, and WireGuard-based zero trust networking without giving up ease of use.

Pros

🟢Open-source and self-hostable
🟢Built on WireGuard for strong performance
🟢Supports modern identity and access workflows

Cons

🔴Smaller ecosystem than Tailscale
🔴Some enterprise features depend on hosted or paid offerings
🔴May require more operational effort if self-hosted

0 builders switched

Go to NetBird

Z

ZeroTier

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

7.4/10

Rep Score: 840 Saves

Free TierProfessionalCloud-managedFreemium proprietary

Plays nice with

GitHubSlackGoogleAzureOkta

Best forDistributed teams needing a flexible mesh VPN and virtual LAN alternative for remote access and site connectivity.

Free tier available for small networks; paid plans add managed networking, admin controls, and business features.

Summary

Software-defined networking platform for creating secure virtual networks across devices, sites, and cloud environments with a strong peer-to-peer architecture.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to ZeroTier when they want a similarly simple overlay network with a different networking model and more flexible virtual LAN-style connectivity.

Pros

🟢Easy to set up for distributed teams
🟢Works across major operating systems and cloud environments

Cons

🔴Advanced enterprise governance requires paid plans
🔴Can require more networking knowledge for complex topologies

0 builders switched

Go to ZeroTier

Z

ZeroTier

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

7.4/10

Rep Score: 840 Saves

Free TierProfessionalCloud-managedFreemium proprietary

Plays nice with

GitHubSlackGoogleAzureOkta

Best for

Distributed teams needing a flexible mesh VPN and virtual LAN alternative for remote access and site connectivity.

Cost

Free tier available for small networks; paid plans add managed networking, admin controls, and business features.

Summary

Software-defined networking platform for creating secure virtual networks across devices, sites, and cloud environments with a strong peer-to-peer architecture.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to ZeroTier when they want a similarly simple overlay network with a different networking model and more flexible virtual LAN-style connectivity.

Pros

🟢Easy to set up for distributed teams
🟢Works across major operating systems and cloud environments
🟢Good free tier for evaluation and small deployments

Cons

🔴Advanced enterprise governance requires paid plans
🔴Can require more networking knowledge for complex topologies
🔴Some teams prefer more centralized policy control

0 builders switched

Go to ZeroTier

H

Headscale

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.7/10

Rep Score: 810 Saves

Open SourceSelf-hosted

Best forTeams that want Tailscale-like connectivity with full self-hosted control over coordination and identity infrastructure.

Free and open source; operational costs depend on your own infrastructure and maintenance.

Summary

Open-source control server implementation compatible with the Tailscale client protocol, enabling self-hosted coordination for WireGuard mesh networks.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to Headscale when they want to keep the Tailscale client experience but fully control the coordination plane and data residency.

Pros

🟢Strong fit for self-hosting and data sovereignty
🟢Compatible with Tailscale clients in many setups

Cons

🔴Requires self-management and infrastructure expertise
🔴Not an official Tailscale product

0 builders switched

Go to Headscale

H

Headscale

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.7/10

Rep Score: 810 Saves

Open SourceSelf-hosted

Best for

Teams that want Tailscale-like connectivity with full self-hosted control over coordination and identity infrastructure.

Cost

Free and open source; operational costs depend on your own infrastructure and maintenance.

Summary

Open-source control server implementation compatible with the Tailscale client protocol, enabling self-hosted coordination for WireGuard mesh networks.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to Headscale when they want to keep the Tailscale client experience but fully control the coordination plane and data residency.

Pros

🟢Strong fit for self-hosting and data sovereignty
🟢Compatible with Tailscale clients in many setups
🟢No software license cost

Cons

🔴Requires self-management and infrastructure expertise
🔴Not an official Tailscale product
🔴Feature parity may lag behind the commercial service

0 builders switched

Go to Headscale

OA

OpenVPN Access Server

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.1/10

Rep Score: 790 Saves

SubscriptionEnterpriseSelf-hosted or ManagedCommercial proprietary

Plays nice with

GoogleAzureOktaAWS

Best forEnterprises that need a proven, centrally managed VPN for remote access, compliance, and traditional network segmentation.

Commercial subscription pricing based on concurrent connections or users; free community options exist separately in the OpenVPN ecosystem.

Summary

Enterprise VPN platform for secure remote access and private networking, with centralized administration and broad client support.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to OpenVPN Access Server when they need a traditional enterprise VPN with centralized control, mature compliance features, and broad legacy compatibility.

Pros

🟢Mature and widely trusted VPN technology
🟢Strong administrative controls and policy options

Cons

🔴Less seamless than modern mesh VPN tools
🔴Can be more complex to deploy and maintain

0 builders switched

Go to OpenVPN Access Server

OA

OpenVPN Access Server

Alternative to Tailscale

SecurityB

8.1/10

Rep Score: 790 Saves

SubscriptionEnterpriseSelf-hosted or ManagedCommercial proprietary

Plays nice with

GoogleAzureOktaAWS

Best for

Enterprises that need a proven, centrally managed VPN for remote access, compliance, and traditional network segmentation.

Cost

Commercial subscription pricing based on concurrent connections or users; free community options exist separately in the OpenVPN ecosystem.

Summary

Enterprise VPN platform for secure remote access and private networking, with centralized administration and broad client support.

Why Switch

Teams switch from Tailscale to OpenVPN Access Server when they need a traditional enterprise VPN with centralized control, mature compliance features, and broad legacy compatibility.

Pros

🟢Mature and widely trusted VPN technology
🟢Strong administrative controls and policy options
🟢Broad client compatibility across platforms

Cons

🔴Less seamless than modern mesh VPN tools
🔴Can be more complex to deploy and maintain
🔴User experience is typically less frictionless than Tailscale

0 builders switched

Go to OpenVPN Access Server