# PanWatch vs Tailscale

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

| | PanWatch | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 62/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 9 in Fintech | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 2 281 | 38 286 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +130 | +1 444 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 12 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | 0.20.0 · 23 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Python | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 62/100 for PanWatch, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 12 for PanWatch.

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

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 444 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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