headscalevsTunnet
Two self-hosted Tailscale alternatives, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| headscale | Tunnet | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 46/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 31 in Networking | #42 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 45 143 | 223 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 073 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 7 | 10 |
| Latest release | v0.29.6 · 24 Oct 2026 | v0.9.1 · 2 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Other |
| Main language | Go | Rust |
Which one should you pick?
headscale scores 82/100 against 46/100 for Tunnet, so it is the safer default.
Tunnet ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 7 for headscale.
If you want the quickest setup, headscale is easier to run; Tunnet needs more configuration.
headscale is growing faster right now (+1 073 stars in 30 days).
headscale details →Tunnet details → All Tailscale alternatives →