Tailscale vs Teleport (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tailscale grades higher than Teleport: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Tailscale grades higher on the free plan and ease of use. Teleport grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Tailscale
Private network that links your devices, servers and teams
Teleport
Identity-based access to servers, databases and Kubernetes
Which one is for you
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
Pick Teleport if
- Fits if you run servers and clusters and want audited, short-lived access to them
- Works for engineering teams happy to self-host the Community Edition
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to remotely control desktops, as it targets infrastructure access
- Watch out: Enterprise pricing isn't published and the pricing page asks for a form
- Watch out: FIPS support and strict-compliance features need a paid Enterprise licence
- Tight if you lack ops staff, as the Community Edition must be deployed and maintained by you
How we grade them
| 2.4GPATailscaleFair | 2.2GPATeleportFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CBusiness plans are $8 and $18 per user a month, which sits in the middle of what remote access tools charge ($4.17 to $28). The free Personal plan is judged under free. | CEnterprise has no published price, so value can't be judged and sits at C. Community Edition is free but you run it yourself, which needs a server. |
| Free plan and trial | BPersonal is free for non-commercial use with unlimited devices, 6 users and 3 ACL groups. One person could live on it, but it stops being available once the network is for work. | CCommunity Edition is free and open source, but you deploy and maintain it. Enterprise has a 14-day trial. |
| Features | CIt builds the network, subnet routing, exit nodes, SSH and access rules. The listing says it shows no remote screen, so desktop access still needs a VNC or remote desktop program on top. | BInfrastructure access, just-in-time access, machine identity, audit and governance and a desktop client cover the core of the job. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You sign in on each device and write access rules, so there is some setting up before it works. | DNo store rating on record. You deploy and operate the cluster and wire it to your identity provider. |
| Platforms and integrations | BMac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus Terraform, Kubernetes and Synology. No web client is listed. | BWeb, Windows, Mac and Linux with the Teleport Connect desktop client, plus GitHub, Slack and Kubernetes. No phone apps are listed. |
| Best for | reaching your own devices without opening ports | secure access to servers and infrastructure |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Tailscale and Teleport. How we grade
Where they differ
- Tailscale is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- Teleport is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Tailscale also covers vPN.
At a glance
| Tailscale | Teleport | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per user / month | Not published |
| Free plan | Personal plan: free for non-commercial use, with unlimited user devices, up to 6 users and up to 3 ACL groups. | Community Edition is free and open source; you deploy and run it yourself. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day trial of Teleport Enterprise |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Tailscale Inc. | Gravitational Inc. |
| Price read from | tailscale.com | goteleport.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Teleport
- Enterprise pricing is not published; the pricing page asks for a form to get a quote.
- FIPS support and strict-compliance features need a paid Enterprise license.
- Community Edition must be deployed and maintained by you.
- It is aimed at infrastructure access, not remote control of employee desktops.
Key features
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.
Teleport
- Access to infrastructure
- Connects to SSH and Windows servers, Kubernetes clusters, databases and internal apps through one access layer.
- Just-in-time access
- Privileges are ephemeral and expire, with access requests used to grant them, instead of standing credentials.
- Machine and workload identity
- Automated services can connect to protected resources using certificate-based identity instead of long-lived secrets.
- Agent and MCP access control
- The vendor says identity and access control extend to AI agents and MCP tooling.
- Audit and governance
- The platform lists access governance and compliance, with policies and audits managed in one place.
- Teleport Connect desktop client
- The docs describe a desktop client for macOS, Linux and Windows, alongside a web UI and the tsh command line.
Plans
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.
Teleport
Community Edition$0
Free and open source, self-hosted. The docs say editions differ in features, deployment options and support.
EnterpriseCustom
Cloud or self-hosted. Price on request from sales; the site says it is based on active users and protected resources.
Ways to pay less
Tailscale
- Other savings
Free for open-source projects
Tailscale's about page says the service is free for open-source projects.
Teleport
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Tailscale or Teleport?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Tailscale starts at $8 per user / month, and Teleport publishes no starting price.
Which has a free plan, Tailscale or Teleport?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Tailscale and Teleport have a free plan.
Which platforms do Tailscale and Teleport run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Tailscale lists iOS and Android apps and only Teleport lists a web app. Both list macOS, Windows and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.