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Quick comparison: NetBird vs Tailscale vs ZeroTier

  • Purpose:
  • NetBird: mesh VPN with granular access control, optional self-hosted
  • Tailscale: mesh VPN with SSO, simplicity-first, SaaS control plane

  • ZeroTier: flexible L2/L3 virtual networks, SaaS or self-hosted controller

  • Installation:

  • NetBird: official script, netbird client
  • Tailscale: official script, tailscaled service

  • ZeroTier: official script, zerotier-one service

  • Control/Console:

  • NetBird: app.netbird.io or self-hosted
  • Tailscale: admin.tailscale.com (SaaS)

  • ZeroTier: my.zerotier.com or own controller

  • Routes / LAN access:

  • NetBird: advertised routes via dashboard; access policies
  • Tailscale: --advertise-routes + approval in console

  • ZeroTier: managed routes per network

  • ACLs/Policies:

  • NetBird: access policies by groups/peers
  • Tailscale: centralized JSON ACLs

  • ZeroTier: Flow Rules per network

  • DNS:

  • NetBird: per-peer/network DNS settings
  • Tailscale: MagicDNS and managed nameservers

  • ZeroTier: per-network DNS assignments

  • Self-hosted:

  • NetBird: yes (control plane and TURN optional)
  • Tailscale: limited (Headscale alternative, community-maintained)

  • ZeroTier: yes (controller)

  • Typical use cases:

  • NetBird: secure site-to-site and servers with fine-grained control
  • Tailscale: quick device/team connectivity with SSO
  • ZeroTier: L2/L3 overlays, labs and hybrid networks