Tailscale vs ZeroTier
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?
Tailscale
Zero-config mesh VPN built on WireGuard
VS
ZeroTier
Global virtual network for connecting devices anywhere
| Feature | Tailscale | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | BSL-1.1 |
| Language | Go | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary, bare-metal | binary, docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 34,934 | ★ 16,988 |
| First released | 2019 | 2014 |
| Replaces | ZeroTier | Tailscale |
Why pick each one
Choose Tailscale if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 34.9k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Choose ZeroTier if…
- Released under the BSL-1.1 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 17k GitHub stars
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Tailscale or ZeroTier better?
Tailscale is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ZeroTier if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Tailscale and ZeroTier free and open-source?
Yes. Tailscale is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and ZeroTier under BSL-1.1. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tailscale and ZeroTier with Docker?
Tailscale: check the project docs for container support. ZeroTier: yes.