# socks5-proxy-server vs Tailscale

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

| | socks5-proxy-server | Tailscale |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 43/100 | 84/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #5 of 10 in Network | #1 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 145 | 38 241 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +1 436 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 1 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | v1.20.0 · 29 Nov 2025 | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-3-Clause |
| Main language | JavaScript | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 43/100 for socks5-proxy-server, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 1 for socks5-proxy-server.

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 436 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [socks5-proxy-server](https://selfhost.directory/project/socks5-proxy-server) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/socks5-proxy-server.md)
- [Tailscale](https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/tailscale.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/socks5-proxy-server-vs-tailscale