Headscale vs Headscale-Admin
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Headscale
Open-source self-hosted Tailscale control server
VS
Headscale-Admin
Web UI for managing self-hosted Headscale networks
| Feature | Headscale | Headscale-Admin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 42,612 | ★ 1,104 |
| First released | 2020 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Tailscale | Tailscale Admin Console |
Why pick each one
Choose Headscale-Admin if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Headscale or Headscale-Admin better?
Neither is universally better. Headscale has the larger community, while Headscale-Admin is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Headscale and Headscale-Admin free and open-source?
Yes. Headscale is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Headscale-Admin under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Headscale and Headscale-Admin with Docker?
Headscale: yes. Headscale-Admin: yes.