# rackpad vs Tailscale

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

| | rackpad | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 53/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #15 of 34 in Network Management | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 423 | 38 249 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +1 444 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.8.5 · 20 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | Typescript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 53/100 for rackpad, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for rackpad.

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

## Details

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

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