strongSwan vs Tailscale
strongSwan
strongswan.org
Tailscale
tailscale.comSide by side
| Figure | strongSwan | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 8 |
| Spec score · Business VPN Software | 8.4 (#32) | 9.4 (#5) |
| Spec score · Virtual Private Network Software | 8.3 (#22) | 8.8 (#11) |
| Spec score · Connectivity Solutions | 8.3 (#13) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Founded | 2005 | 2019 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | A NetworkManager plugin integrates strongSwan with Linux desktops, and an Android app is available. | Official integration documentation covers cloud servers, containers and virtual machines, serverless apps, databases, code environments, firewalls, web servers, NAS devices and MDM. |
| Support | Free support includes documentation, GitHub Discussions, and an IRC channel; commercial support is also available from listed providers. | Tailscale provides documentation, a support request form, community channels, and plan-dependent support levels; Premium lists priority support. |
Plans
strongSwan
- GPLv2 open-source licenseFree
- Commercial license and supportPriced on request
Tailscale
- PersonalFree
- Standard$8 a month
- Premium$18 a month
- Additional tagged resources$1 a month
- Add more tagged resources$1 a month
- Mullvad$5 a month
- Mullvad add-on$5 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
In their own words
strongSwan
strongSwan has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Tailscale
Tailscale is a zero-config VPN for connecting users and devices across a network. It uses WireGuard to form low-latency peer-to-peer connections, which Tailscale says are end-to-end encrypted so it cannot read users’ traffic. Administrators can use access control lists to specify which users may connect to which devices. Supported identity providers handle authentication, and SCIM supports user and group provisioning. Monitoring features include configuration audit logs, network flow logs, webhooks, and log streaming to SIEM partners. Device posture information can be used in connectivity rules. Taildrop transfers files between devices, while node sharing lets users share a node without exposing it to the public internet. The service runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, and Windows. Personal is free forever for non-commercial use and supports up to six users; Standard costs $8 per user per month. Premium costs $18 per user per month and includes priority support.