Zero-trust access and business VPN · Comparison
Tailscale vs ZeroTier
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Tailscale | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Saves engineering timeA private WireGuard network for every laptop, phone and server, reached through your identity provider and one policy file instead of a VPN gateway. | Saves engineering timeA peer-to-peer virtual network at Layer 2 and Layer 3 for laptops, servers and embedded devices, priced per device rather than per user. |
| Overall score | 6.8Best | 5.2 |
| Free option | Free plan | Free plan |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $8/user/mo | $18/mo |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Seat + usage |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per user per month; user devices unlimited; 50 tagged resources included, then $1/mo each | Flat monthly base with included devices, then per device; no per-user fee |
| Free option | Personal: free for up to 6 users, non-commercial only; 14-day Enterprise trial for company domains | Personal: free, 10 devices, 1 network, non-commercial only |
| Reference scenario (25 users) | $200/mo on Standard ($8 × 25), $8 per user, computed | $179/mo on Scale (100 devices included, 60 used), $7.16 per user, computed |
| Annual vs monthly price | One price per plan with no billing term; annual plans through sales | Monthly prices only |
| Devices per user | Unlimited on every plan | No per-user limit; devices counted once per organization |
| Okta / Entra ID sign-in | Every plan (OIDC) | Essential and up (OIDC, desktop only) |
| SCIM | Standard and up (Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace) | Not offered |
| Device posture | Built-in checks on every plan; MDM and EDR integrations from Standard | Not offered |
| Network flow logs | Premium and up, 30 days | Not offered by the vendor |
| SIEM streaming | Premium and up | Not offered; webhooks from Essential |
| Self-hosted parts | DERP relays and peer relays | TCP relay; controller under licence or Enterprise |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II (on request); ISO 27001 not stated | SOC 2 Type II; ISO 27001 "coming soon" |
| HIPAA BAA | Not offered | Not stated |
| EU data storage | Not guaranteed; coordination server in Frankfurt | Not stated |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Tailscale gives a team identity-aware access to every device and server from the first plan, with unlimited user devices and policy as code. Flow logs and SIEM streaming start on Premium, and there is no BAA or EU residency guarantee. | From its public pages, ZeroTier is a flexible per-device virtual network with an open-source client and a strong rules engine. It does not offer device posture, SCIM or vendor-hosted flow logs, which many zero-trust buyers check for. |
Evidence: Tailscale: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; ZeroTier: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Tailscale review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Tailscale when
- You need device posture, SCIM or flow logs, which ZeroTier does not offer.
- Pick ZeroTier when
- You want to pay per device rather than per user, or need Layer 2 networking.
From our ZeroTier review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick ZeroTier when
- You want to pay per device, need Layer 2 networking, or want a controller you can host under licence.
- Pick Tailscale when
- You need device posture, SCIM, flow logs or identity-provider sign-in on phones.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- TailscaleStandard$8/user/moOne price published, no billing term; annual plans through sales
- Unlimited users, up to 10 ACL groups
- SCIM user and group provisioning
- Posture integrations: CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Intune, Jamf and more
- 50 tagged resources, then $1 a month each
- ZeroTierEssential$18/mo10 devices included, then $2 per device a month; billed monthly
- 10 networks, 5 admins
- API, service accounts and webhooks
- OIDC single sign-on and templated flow rules
- 30-day audit log
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Tailscale 2026-10-16, ZeroTier 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- TailscaleSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (6.8/10).
- Lowest starter price
- Tailscale$8/user/mo for the Standard plan.
- Highest overall score
- Tailscale6.8/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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