Tailscale
A mesh VPN built on WireGuard that links your devices into a private network with sign-in based access.
Our verdict
What it does well
- Free Personal plan: up to 6 users and unlimited user devices
- Client code is BSD-3-Clause on GitHub
- Uses WireGuard for encrypted connections between your devices
Where it falls short
- Personal plan is for non-commercial use only
- Coordination server is closed source (community Headscale is an alternative)
- Standard is $8 and Premium is $18 per user per month
Tailscale describes itself as a zero-trust, identity-based connectivity platform. It builds a peer-to-peer mesh network (a tailnet) where devices connect directly, and you can route all traffic through an exit node to use it like a traditional VPN. Tailscale says it uses the open-source WireGuard protocol for encrypted point-to-point connections. Clients exist for Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Chromebook, Apple TV and Amazon Fire devices.
Tailscale says its client code is open source (the tailscale/tailscale repo on GitHub is BSD-3-Clause), the DERP relay server code is open source, and its hosted coordination server is closed source. Headscale is a separate community-maintained open-source coordination server and is not part of the supported Tailscale product.
Pricing as shown, labelled per user per month: Personal $0 (up to 6 users, unlimited user devices, 3 ACL groups, 50 tagged resources; Tailscale's FAQ says it is only for non-commercial use), Standard $8, Premium $18, and Enterprise custom. Billing is by seats on your tailnet. The pricing page has no monthly/annual toggle.
Tailscale compared
Alternatives to Tailscale
A free, open-source VPN protocol and set of tools for building encrypted tunnels between devices.
- Free
- Open source
What users say
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Last updated 17 October 2026. Facts checked against the official site on 17 October 2026. How we make money