Tailscale vs OpenVPN Access Server

Tailscale8.7Visit OAOpenVPN Access Server8.6Visit

Higher score Tailscale #6 in Connectivity Solutions 8.7/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Tailscale

vs

OA OpenVPN Access Server #7 in Connectivity Solutions 8.6/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 4 features Visit OpenVPN

• Tailscale fits best

  Teams connecting devices and private cloud networks

• OpenVPN Access Server fits best

  Self-hosted VPN with enterprise authentication

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Side by side

Feature	Tailscale 8.7/10 Visit ↗	OAOpenVPN Access Server 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.6
Ranking	#6 in Connectivity Solutions	#7 in Connectivity Solutions
Best for	Teams connecting devices and private cloud networks	Self-hosted VPN with enterprise authentication
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$8/user/mo	$7/unit/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	14 days
Free trial length	14 days	14 days · no card needed
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android	Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support	Tickets, Community, Docs	Tickets, Community, Docs · 24/7
Compliance	SOC 2	SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA
Integrations	16 integrations	17 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Tailscale 0/4 · OpenVPN Access Server 1/4
SSO support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Private app access	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Split tunneling	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Audit logs	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Specs
Connectivity model	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Gateway regions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Connects users, devices, clouds, and Kubernetes with encrypted overlay networking Subnet routers, MagicDNS, ACLs, and exit nodes cover varied network needs Integrates with identity providers and Terraform and Pulumi	Supports remote-access and site-to-site VPN connections. Offers SAML, LDAP, RADIUS, MFA, and granular access controls. Includes a free tier with all features and up to 2 simultaneous connections.
Cons	Personal is limited to 6 users and 3 ACL groups Standard costs $8 per user monthly; Premium costs $18 per user monthly Network flow logs and log streaming are logging features, not live monitoring	The free plan is limited to 2 simultaneous connections. Growth pricing is per simultaneous connection, not per user. Enterprise & IoT pricing is custom, with volume discounts.
Our verdict	Tailscale creates encrypted peer-to-peer overlay networks linking users, devices, servers, cloud environments, Kubernetes clusters, and workloads. It is aimed at individuals and organizations that need VPN-style connectivity without… Read the review →	OpenVPN Access Server is a self-hosted business VPN for organizations that need remote access to private networks or site-to-site connectivity. It can run on Linux servers, virtual machines, containers, on-premises infrastructure, or… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Tailscale — where it wins

  • Connects users, devices, clouds, and Kubernetes with encrypted overlay networking
  • Subnet routers, MagicDNS, ACLs, and exit nodes cover varied network needs
  • Integrates with identity providers and Terraform and Pulumi

  Where it doesn't

  • Personal is limited to 6 users and 3 ACL groups
  • Standard costs $8 per user monthly; Premium costs $18 per user monthly
  • Network flow logs and log streaming are logging features, not live monitoring

• OpenVPN Access Server — where it wins

  • Supports remote-access and site-to-site VPN connections.
  • Offers SAML, LDAP, RADIUS, MFA, and granular access controls.
  • Includes a free tier with all features and up to 2 simultaneous connections.

  Where it doesn't

  • The free plan is limited to 2 simultaneous connections.
  • Growth pricing is per simultaneous connection, not per user.
  • Enterprise & IoT pricing is custom, with volume discounts.

• Tailscale8.7/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  Encrypted overlay networking with a free personal tier and paid team controls.

  Visit TailscaleFull verdict →
• OAOpenVPN Access Server8.6/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A self-hosted VPN with broad authentication options and connection-based pricing.

  Visit OpenVPNFull verdict →