Headscale AlternativesVPN Services & Virtual LAN Software like Headscale

Headscale is described as 'An open source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server. HeadScale-ui is a complementary project to have a Web UI for this' and is a VPN service in the security & privacy category. There are more than 10 alternatives to Headscale for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone apps. The best Headscale alternative is Tailscale, which is free. Other great apps like Headscale are LogMeIn Hamachi, NetBird, SoftEther VPN and ZeroTier.

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Alternatives list

  1. Tailscale icon

    Tailscale

     46 likes
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    Private networks made easy. Connect all your devices using WireGuard, without the hassle. Tailscale makes it as easy as installing an app and signing in.

    41 Tailscale alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Kubernetes
    • F-Droid
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • OpenWrt
    • Docker
    Tailscale screenshot 1
     

    • Tailscale is the most popular Windows, Android, Mac & iPhone alternative to Headscale.

    • Tailscale is the most popular free alternative to Headscale.

    • Tailscale is Freemium and ProprietaryHeadscale is Free and Open Source
  2. LogMeIn Hamachi icon

    LogMeIn Hamachi

     209 likes
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    A hosted VPN service that provides secure connections, extending LAN-like network connectivity to mobile users and teams. Create secure virtual networks on demand across public and private networks. Manage and maintain from anywhere on the web, with free options for up to five devices.

    33 LogMeIn Hamachi alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Register client
     
  4. NetBird icon

    NetBird

     27 likes
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    NetBird is an open-source Zero Trust networking platform that makes it easy for engineers to create fast, secure, and private networks with simple, decentralized management.

    28 NetBird alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    • Docker
    List of connected machines (peers)
     

    • NetBird is the most popular Web-based & Self-Hosted alternative to Headscale.

    • NetBird is the most popular Open Source alternative to Headscale.

    • NetBird is Freemium and Open SourceHeadscale is Free and Open Source
    • NetBird is LightweightHeadscale is not according to our users
  5. SoftEther VPN icon

    SoftEther VPN

     121 likes
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    SoftEther VPN ("SoftEther" means "Software Ethernet") is one of the world's most powerful and easy-to-use multi-protocol VPN software. It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD and Solaris.

    52 SoftEther VPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    SoftEther VPN screenshot 1
     
  6. ZeroTier icon

    ZeroTier

     95 likes
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    Enables encrypted peer-to-peer virtual Ethernet networks across platforms for remote device access, secure virtual LANs, gaming, private or public network creation, and seamless setup without port forwarding or complex configuration, suitable for personal or business use.

    52 ZeroTier alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • Self-Hosted
    ZeroTier screenshot 1
     
    |
    1
    Comments about ZeroTier as an Alternative to Headscale
    mzs_47
    Negative
    0

    Switched to a unrecognized license - SSPL which is not FLOSS.

    Headscale Icon
    ZeroTier icon
    • ZeroTier is Freemium and ProprietaryHeadscale is Free and Open Source
  7. ngrok icon

    ngrok

     39 likes
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    ngrok exposes local servers behind NATs and firewalls to the public internet over secure tunnels.

    61 ngrok alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    ngrok screenshot 1
     
  9. Tinc VPN icon

    Tinc VPN

     26 likes
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    tinc is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) daemon that uses tunnelling and encryption to create a secure private network between hosts on the Internet.

    44 Tinc VPN alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
     
  10. Netmaker icon

    Netmaker

     9 likes
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    Netmaker is a tool for creating and managing virtual networks. Netmaker consists of a server, an agent, and a UI. You spin up the Netmaker server and then install netclient (the agent) on your computers. Netmaker will do the rest.

    13 Netmaker alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Self-Hosted
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • Linux
    Netmaker screenshot 1
     
  11. defguard icon

    defguard

     1 like
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    defguard is an SSO & VPN Server based on OpenID and WireGuard VPN with unique secure & private architecture for building secure and privacy-aware organizations.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Windows
    • Docker
    • Kubernetes
    defguard screenshot 1
     
  12. Twingate icon

    Twingate

     3 likes
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    Provides secure access through zero trust principles, replacing traditional VPNs for remote work, enabling centralized management, user connectivity, and application-level privilege without infrastructure changes.

    21 Twingate alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    Twingate screenshot 1
     

    • Twingate is the most popular commercial alternative to Headscale.

    • Twingate is Paid and ProprietaryHeadscale is Free and Open Source
    • Twingate is LightweightHeadscale is not according to our users
  13. Nebula by Slack icon

    Nebula by Slack

     3 likes
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    Nebula is a scalable overlay networking tool with a focus on performance, simplicity and security. It lets you seamlessly connect computers anywhere in the world. Nebula runs on Linux, OSX, and Windows. Mobile is in active development.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Nebula by Slack screenshot 1
     
  14. wireport icon

    wireport

     2 likes
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    Self-hosted ingress proxy & VPN tunnel. Securely exposes private local & Docker-based services to the Internet, with free, automatically renewable SSL certificates and docker container hostname resolution.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    Hostname resolution (hostname = docker container name)
    Ingress proxy with free, automated SSL certificate provisioning and renewal
     
12 of 20 Headscale alternatives