TailscalevsWhirl
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Tailscale | Whirl | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 | 52/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 56 in VPN | #23 of 69 in AI Chat |
| GitHub stars | 38 291 | 510 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 449 | +0 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 0 |
| Latest release | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Main language | Go | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Tailscale scores 84/100 against 52/100 for Whirl, so it is the safer default.
Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Whirl.
If you want the quickest setup, Tailscale is easier to run; Whirl needs more configuration.
Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 449 stars in 30 days).
Tailscale details →Whirl details →
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