Twingate vs ZeroTier (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twingate grades higher than ZeroTier: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Twingate grades higher on features. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Twingate
Zero trust network access to replace a company VPN
ZeroTier
Peer-to-peer virtual networks for devices, servers and sites
Which one is for you
Pick Twingate if
- Fits if you are a small team that wants to retire a company VPN
- Works for homelabs, where the Home plan costs $15 a month for up to 7 users
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you grow past 5 users, as the free Starter plan stops there
- Watch out: Teams is capped at 100 users and Business at 500, then it's Enterprise through sales
- Watch out: the Home plan is limited to non-commercial use
- Watch out: only one set of prices is shown, and the monthly-billing prices aren't displayed
Pick ZeroTier if
- Fits if you have up to 10 devices at home and want them on one virtual network
- Works for developers who want an API and CLI to manage the network
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to see and control a remote screen, since it only connects devices
- Tight if you have more than 10 devices on the free plan, or want it for work, which needs a paid plan
- Pricey if you want a support ticket, as that starts at Scale, $179 a month, and Essential has community support only
- Watch out: devices past the included count cost $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 on Scale every month
How we grade them
| 2.6GPATwingateGood | 2.4GPAZeroTierFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CTeams is $5 per user a month on the page's yearly view and Business is $10, inside the category's $2.78 to $18 range. | CEssential is $18 a month for 10 devices, then $2.00 a device, which is in the upper half of what remote access tools charge ($4.17 to $28). Scale is $179 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BStarter is free for 5 users and 50 resources, with conditional access and split tunneling. A tiny team can stay on it. | BPersonal is free for non-commercial use with 10 devices, one network and one admin. One person could live on it, until the device count or work use gets in the way. |
| Features | BVPN replacement, least-privilege rules, device and identity checks and privileged access to infrastructure cover the core of the job. | CVirtual networks, peer-to-peer links, access control, UI, CLI and API. The listing says it does not share a remote screen, so desktop access needs another tool on top. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You deploy connectors, connect an identity provider and write access rules first. | CNo store rating on record. You create a network, join each device and manage rules, which takes some setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWindows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, Android and a browser extension, with Okta, Entra ID, Google Workspace, Kubernetes and SSH. No full web console client is listed. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, with an API on Essential and above. No web client is listed. |
| Best for | replacing a company VPN with access rules | peer-to-peer virtual networks for devices |
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: Twingate and ZeroTier. How we grade
Price against what you get
Twingate starts at $5 a month for each person and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ZeroTier starts at $18 a month and scores 2.3.
Twingate scores higher and starts $13 a month lower. Of the other remote desktop apps on the chart, 2 score higher than Twingate for less, and 24 score higher than ZeroTier for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- ZeroTier is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Twingate | ZeroTier | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5 per user / month (page's yearly view; monthly not shown) | $18 per month for 10 devices |
| Free plan | Starter plan: free for up to 5 users and 50 resources, with conditional access controls and split tunneling. | Personal plan: free for non-commercial use, with 10 devices, one network and one network admin. |
| Free trial | 14-day trial on Home, Teams and Business | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Twingate | ZeroTier, Inc. |
| Price read from | twingate.com | zerotier.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Twingate
- The free Starter plan stops at 5 users and 50 resources.
- Teams is capped at 100 users and Business at 500; larger accounts need Enterprise through sales.
- The Home plan is limited to non-commercial use.
- Only one set of prices is shown; the monthly-billing prices behind the yearly view are not displayed.
ZeroTier
- ZeroTier connects devices into a network; it does not share a remote screen, so desktop access needs a separate remote desktop or VNC tool on top.
- The Personal plan is limited to 10 devices, one network and non-commercial use.
- Essential includes community support only; ticketed support with an SLA starts at Scale, $179 per month.
- Devices beyond the included count are billed monthly, $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 each on Scale.
Key features
Twingate
- VPN replacement
- Staff reach office networks, cloud VPCs and other private resources through Twingate clients instead of a VPN gateway.
- Least-privilege access rules
- Access is granted per resource and per user or group, and the Teams plan adds automated least-privilege policies.
- Device and identity checks
- Conditional access is on every plan, with native device posture checks and endpoint integrations on higher plans.
- Identity provider sign-in
- Teams supports SSO through Google Workspace; Business adds Okta, Entra ID and automatic user provisioning from the IdP.
- Privileged access to infrastructure
- The Business plan lists privileged access for Kubernetes, SSH, databases and web apps, marked with an asterisk on the pricing page.
- Apps for most platforms
- The download page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and a Chrome client.
ZeroTier
- Virtual networks across sites and clouds
- Private networks that span public clouds, data centers, on-premises machines and remote devices, without proprietary hardware.
- Peer-to-peer connections
- Devices connect directly to each other whenever possible, with traffic encrypted end to end and policy enforced at every endpoint.
- Identity-based access control
- Network behavior is set by policy tied to each node's cryptographic identity, with custom flow rules on the Scale plan.
- Management through UI, CLI and API
- Personal includes a CLI, a UI and webhooks. API access and OIDC single sign-on start on Essential.
- Broad client coverage
- The download page lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Docker, FreeBSD and NAS packages.
- Post-quantum option
- ZeroTier Quantum is a separate platform for regulated and air-gapped environments, scoped per deployment through sales.
Plans
Twingate
Starter$0
Up to 5 users and 50 resources, with peer-to-peer connections, split tunneling and conditional access.
Home$15
per month for up to 7 users
For homelabs, adds service accounts, exit networks and device posture checks. Non-commercial use only.
Teams$5
per user / month (page's yearly view; monthly not shown)
Up to 100 users, SSO via Google Workspace, SaaS app gating and automated least-privilege policies.
Business$10
per user / month (page's yearly view; monthly not shown)
Up to 500 users, IdP provisioning, SSO via Okta or Entra ID, endpoint integrations and just-in-time access.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom account sizes, custom MSA and SLAs, invoice payment, geoblocking and static IPs. Sold through sales.
ZeroTier
Personal$0
Non-commercial use only. 10 devices, one network, one network admin, CLI, UI and webhooks, community support.
Essential$18
per month for 10 included devices, then $2.00 per extra device
Commercial license, 10 networks, five admins, API access, OIDC single sign-on and 30-day audit logs. Community support only.
Scale$179
per month for 100 included devices, then $1.80 per extra device
Everything in Essential plus unlimited networks, 10 network admins, custom flow rules and ticketed support with an SLA.
EnterpriseCustom
Sized for 500 or more devices, with self-hosted and air-gapped options, 90-day audit logs and priority support. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
Twingate
- Annual discount
15% off with yearly billing
The pricing page labels yearly billing on Teams and Business as 15% off.
ZeroTier
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Twingate or ZeroTier?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twingate starts at $5 per user / month (page's yearly view; monthly not shown), and ZeroTier starts at $18 per month for 10 devices. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Twingate or ZeroTier?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Twingate and ZeroTier have a free plan.
Which platforms do Twingate and ZeroTier run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Twingate lists a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android 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.