Tailscale vs ZeroTier: privacy compared
Tailscale and ZeroTier are both rated in mesh VPNs and private networks against the same 7 public criteria. Tailscale is based in Canada (Five Eyes); ZeroTier is based in the United States (Five Eyes).
| Criterion | Tailscale Our pick | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | Grade D D (50/100) | Grade F F (38/100) |
| Jurisdiction | Canada Five Eyes | United States Five Eyes |
| Open source Is all the source code needed to run the product public? | Partial source | Partial source |
| No trackers or telemetry Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default? | No source | No source |
| No ads or data sales Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data? | Partial source | Partial source |
| Independent audit Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years? | Partial source | No |
| Keys stay on devices Is traffic encrypted between devices with private keys created on each device, so the coordination server and relays cannot read it? | Yes source | Yes source |
| Self-hosted coordination server Can the coordination or control server be self-hosted with open-source software? | Partial source | Partial source |
| No connection logs by default Are connection logs and client diagnostic logs kept off the vendor's servers unless a user or admin turns them on? | Partial source | Unknown |
Which is more private, Tailscale or ZeroTier?
Tailscale scores higher on the public criteria: 50 out of 100, against 38 for ZeroTier. Tailscale does better on independent audit. How scoring works
Summaries
Tailscale. Tailscale scores 50 out of 100 (grade D) on the mesh VPNs and private networks criteria. It meets 1 of 7 criteria: keys stay on devices. It partly meets open source, no ads or data sales, independent audit, self-hosted coordination server and no connection logs by default. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry. It is based in Canada: Five Eyes member.
ZeroTier. ZeroTier scores 38 out of 100 (grade F) on the mesh VPNs and private networks criteria. It meets 1 of 7 criteria: keys stay on devices. It partly meets open source, no ads or data sales and self-hosted coordination server. It does not meet no trackers or telemetry and independent audit. Still needing evidence: no connection logs by default. It is based in the United States: Five Eyes member; subject to the US CLOUD Act.
Compare all 17 mesh VPNs and private networks