# Tailscale vs Zulip

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

| | Tailscale | Zulip |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 84/100 ✓ | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 56 in VPN | #1 of 110 in Chat |
| GitHub stars | 38 245 ✓ | 26 133 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +1 440 ✓ | +190 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | v1.104.4 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ | 12.3 · 21 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Tailscale scores 84/100 against 82/100 for Zulip, so it is the safer default.

Tailscale ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Zulip.

Tailscale is growing faster right now (+1 440 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-zulip)
- [Rocket.Chat vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/rocketchat-vs-zulip)

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