Best Self-Hosted Alternatives to Tailscale
Tailscale costs about $96/year and keeps your data on its servers. These researched, open-source alternatives give you the same workflow on hardware you own — here's what each needs to run.
The alternatives
Common questions
Is self-hosting actually cheaper than Tailscale?
Tailscale costs $96/year. A VPS from $4.59/mo covers any of the 4 alternatives below, saving roughly $41/year.
Are these Tailscale alternatives really free?
The software is open-source and free to run. Your only cost is the server it runs on — often a few dollars a month, less than most SaaS subscriptions.
How much server do I need to self-host one?
Most of these run comfortably on a small VPS — 1–2 GB of RAM is enough for a single-user or small-team setup. Each app's page lists its minimum RAM.
Will I lose features by leaving Tailscale?
It depends on the app. The alternatives below cover the core workflow; polish and integrations vary, so check each one's stack and difficulty before you commit.