# PairDrop vs Tailscale

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

| | PairDrop | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 75/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 86 in File Sharing | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 11 714 | 38 215 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +255 | +1 410 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 0 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | — | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 75/100 for PairDrop, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for PairDrop.

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

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

## Details

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

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