NetBird vs Tailscale (2026): which should you pick?

Pick NetBird if

• Fits if you want a private network for a team of up to 5 for free
• Works for people who want the option of hosting it themselves

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you pass 5 users, as the free plan stops there
• Watch out: extra machines beyond the included amount cost €0.50 each a month on Team and Business
• Watch out: prices are in euros and the page doesn't say whether they assume monthly or yearly billing
• Watch out: the self-hosted pricing couldn't be read from the page text

Pick Tailscale if

• Fits if you want to reach a home computer, NAS or server from outside without opening ports
• Works for a small team that needs a private link between laptops and servers

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see and control a remote screen, because it only connects devices and needs a separate remote desktop tool
• Not for you if the network is for work and you want it free, as Personal is non-commercial only
• Tight if you need more than 3 ACL groups on the free plan, since Standard at $8 a user raises that to 10
• Pricey if you need just-in-time access or flow logs, which start on Premium at $18 per user a month
• Watch out: the coordination server is closed source, per Tailscale's own open source page

NetBird

• Prices are in euros, and the page does not say whether they assume monthly or yearly billing.
• Machines beyond the included amount cost €0.50 each per month on Team and Business.
• Billing counts only users and machines that connected at least once in the period.
• The pricing for the Self-Hosted tab could not be read from the page text.

Tailscale

• Tailscale connects devices into a network; it does not show a remote screen by itself, so desktop access still needs a remote desktop or VNC program running over it.
• The Personal plan is for non-commercial use only, and a tailnet on a company domain is treated as business use.
• Just-in-time access, network flow logs and log streaming need Premium at $18 per user / month.
• Tailscale's open source page says the clients and relay servers are open source but the coordination server is closed source; Headscale is a separate community-built alternative.

NetBird

Peer-to-peer WireGuard network

Devices connect directly over a WireGuard-based network, with no open ports or firewall changes needed, per the vendor.

Identity-based access policies

Resources are grouped and access is limited by policy; users and groups can be provisioned from an identity provider.

SSO and MFA

Sign-in works with Okta, Microsoft, Google and others, and the identity provider's MFA settings apply.

Posture checks

Business plan policies can require a firewall or antivirus, check geo and network location, and use MDM and EDR data.

Activity logging

Network configuration changes are logged, and the Business plan adds connection traffic events streamed to SIEM tools.

Cloud or self-hosted

The pricing page has Cloud and Self-Hosted tabs, and the homepage offers to run NetBird open source.

Tailscale

Private network between devices

Each signed-in device joins a tailnet and can connect to the others directly, so a personal computer or a server can be reached from outside without public-facing ports.

Subnet routers and exit nodes

A subnet router lets devices that cannot run Tailscale be reached through one that can, and an exit node sends internet traffic out through a chosen device.

Tailscale SSH

SSH access to servers is authorized by the same identity and access rules as the rest of the tailnet. Advanced SSH features are on Premium.

Access control with ACL groups

Rules decide which users and tagged resources can reach each other. The number of ACL groups rises from 3 on Personal to 10 on Standard and 300 on Premium.

Admin and identity controls

Paid plans add SCIM user provisioning, MDM configuration and device posture checks; Premium adds just-in-time access, flow logs and log streaming.

Free tier for home use

The Personal plan covers unlimited devices for up to 6 users at no charge, for non-commercial use such as a homelab or a home network.

NetBird

• Free€0

  per user / month, up to 5 users

  100 machines, peer-to-peer connections, social SSO and MFA, access controls, private DNS and community support.

• Team€6

  per user / month (billing period not shown)

  Unlimited users, 100 machines plus 10 per user, enterprise IdP SSO, SCIM provisioning and audit logs.

• Business€12

  per user / month (billing period not shown)

  Adds device approvals, MDM and EDR controls, posture checks and traffic event logging and streaming.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Unlimited machines, custom invoicing, priority support, solutions engineer help and custom MSAs and SLAs.

Tailscale

• Personal$0

  Non-commercial use only. Unlimited user devices, up to 6 users, up to 3 ACL groups, up to 50 tagged resources and 1,000 minutes a month for ephemeral resources.

• Standard$8

  per user / month

  Unlimited users, SCIM, up to 10 ACL groups, MDM configuration, device posture integrations and advanced user roles.

• Premium$18

  per user / month

  Up to 300 ACL groups, 10,000 ephemeral minutes a month, just-in-time access, advanced Tailscale SSH, network flow logs and log streaming.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom device limits, a custom MSA, custom tailnet subdomains, solutions engineer help and invoice payment. Sold through sales.

NetBird

No public discounts listed.

Tailscale

• Other savings

  Free for open-source projects

  Tailscale's about page says the service is free for open-source projects.