# actions-runner-controller vs Tailscale

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | actions-runner-controller | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 71/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #7 of 28 in CI/CD | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 6 610 | 38 231 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +93 | +1 426 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 6 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | gha-runner-scale-set-0.15.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Go | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 71/100 for actions-runner-controller, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for actions-runner-controller.

If you want the quickest setup, Tailscale is easier to run; actions-runner-controller needs more configuration.

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 426 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [actions-runner-controller](https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/actions-runner-controller.md)
- [Tailscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/actions-runner-controller-vs-tailscale