# MeshCentral vs Tailscale

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

| | MeshCentral | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 23 in Remote Access | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 7 528 | 38 215 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +250 | +1 410 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | 1.3.1 · 23 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 74/100 for MeshCentral, so it is the safer default.

MeshCentral ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for Tailscale.

If you want the quickest setup, MeshCentral is easier to run; Tailscale needs more configuration.

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 410 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [MeshCentral](https://selfhost.directory/project/meshcentral) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/meshcentral.md)
- [Tailscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/meshcentral-vs-tailscale