ShlinkvsTailscale
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Shlink | Tailscale | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 84/100 |
| Rank in category | #3 of 23 in URL Shortener | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 5 381 | 38 263 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +78 | +1 421 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 13 | 14 |
| Latest release | v5.1.8 · 21 Oct 2026 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | PHP | Go |
Which one should you pick?
Tailscale scores 84/100 against 70/100 for Shlink, so it is the safer default.
Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 13 for Shlink.
If you want the quickest setup, Shlink is easier to run; Tailscale needs more configuration.
Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 421 stars in 30 days).
Shlink details →Tailscale details →