Is there a free alternative to Tailscale?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Headscale (open source, BSD-3-Clause) and NetBird (open source, BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs).

How much does Tailscale cost?

Tailscale's Standard plan costs $8 a month, which is $96 a year (per user/month (Personal plan is $0 for up to 6 users)). Source: the official pricing page at tailscale.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

Which Tailscale alternatives run on Linux?

Headscale (self-hosted server; web UI) and NetBird (self-hosted server; web UI).

Can you self-host a Tailscale alternative?

Yes. Headscale and NetBird run on your own server.

Are these Tailscale alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Headscale (BSD-3-Clause) and NetBird (BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs).

Free alternatives to Tailscale

Swap Tailscale for Headscale or NetBird and stop paying $96/yr.

2open source2run on Linux2self-hostable

Prices and project data checked Oct 17, 2026 · How we check

$96/yr Standard Verified on tailscale.com, Oct 17, 2026

2 alternatives

Headscale

Self-hosted server About Headscale →

Open source · BSD-3-Clause Linux Self-hostable

juanfont/headscale44.4k★last push Oct 7, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

Self-host

Runs on your own Linux server, with Docker files in the repo. Setup docs are on headscale.net.

NetBird

Self-hosted server About NetBird →

Open source · BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs Linux Self-hostable

netbirdio/netbird29.9k★last push Oct 12, 2026checked Oct 17, 2026

Self-host

Runs on your own Linux server. Setup docs are on netbird.io.

At a glance

Free alternatives to Tailscale compared
Alternative	License	Linux	AUR	Self-host	Stars
Headscale	BSD-3-Clause open source	Yes	—	Yes	44.4k★
NetBird	BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs open source	Yes	—	Yes	29.9k★

Tailscale alternatives: questions

Is there a free alternative to Tailscale?: Yes. The 2 free alternatives are Headscale (open source, BSD-3-Clause) and NetBird (open source, BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs).
How much does Tailscale cost?: Tailscale's Standard plan costs $8 a month, which is $96 a year (per user/month (Personal plan is $0 for up to 6 users)). Source: the official pricing page at tailscale.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.
Which Tailscale alternatives run on Linux?: Headscale (self-hosted server; web UI) and NetBird (self-hosted server; web UI).
Can you self-host a Tailscale alternative?: Yes. Headscale and NetBird run on your own server.
Are these Tailscale alternatives open source?: Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: Headscale (BSD-3-Clause) and NetBird (BSD-3-Clause + AGPL-3.0 server dirs).

Built or know a better alternative to Tailscale? Suggest it free, or get it featured on this page.

Networking

More to cancel in Networking

All Networking →