Tailscale
Tailscale is a zero-config VPN software that creates secure mesh networks between your devices and cloud resources using the WireGuard protocol to simplify remote access and internal connectivity.
Zscaler Internet Access
Zscaler Internet Access is a cloud-native security service edge platform that provides AI-powered threat protection and data loss prevention to secure your users, workloads, and devices anywhere they connect.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Tailscale | Zscaler Internet Access |
|---|---|---|
| Website | tailscale.com | zscaler.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Custom |
| Starting Price | Free | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 0 days free trial | ✓ 0 days free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2019 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Canada | San Jose, USA |
Overview
Tailscale
Tailscale makes creating a secure network between your computers, servers, and cloud instances as easy as installing an app. It builds a private mesh network—called a tailnet—that connects your devices directly to each other using the WireGuard protocol. This means you can access your home office computer from a coffee shop or connect to a private database in the cloud without managing complex firewall rules or centralized VPN gateways.
You can manage identity and access through your existing providers like Google, Microsoft 365, or GitHub, ensuring that only authorized users can reach your sensitive resources. It handles the difficult parts of networking, like NAT traversal and key rotation, automatically in the background. Whether you are a developer connecting to a local test environment or an enterprise securing thousands of endpoints, it provides a stable, encrypted connection that works across any provider or location.
Zscaler Internet Access
Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) transforms how you secure your workforce by moving your security stack to the cloud. Instead of routing traffic through a slow corporate VPN or physical appliances, you connect users directly to the world’s largest security cloud. This ensures your team stays protected from malware, ransomware, and phishing attempts whether they are working from the office, a home network, or a coffee shop.
You can replace outdated web gateways with a unified platform that inspects all traffic, including encrypted data, without slowing down your connection. It simplifies your infrastructure by eliminating the need to manage hardware, while giving you full visibility into every user activity and potential threat across your entire organization. By using a zero-trust architecture, you ensure that security follows the user, not the network.
Overview
Tailscale Features
- Zero-Config Mesh VPN Connect your devices directly to one another without manual port forwarding or complex firewall rules.
- Single Sign-On Integration Use your existing identity providers like Google, Microsoft 365, or Okta to authenticate users and devices.
- MagicDNS Access your devices using short, easy-to-remember names instead of tracking changing IP addresses across your network.
- Tailscale SSH Manage SSH access to your servers using your tailnet identity instead of distributing and rotating static SSH keys.
- Split DNS Configure specific DNS servers for different domains so your internal queries stay private while public traffic flows normally.
- Exit Nodes Route all your internet traffic through a specific trusted device on your network to stay secure on public Wi-Fi.
- Subnet Routers Expose entire existing networks to your tailnet so you can access legacy devices that cannot run the software.
- Access Control Lists Define granular security policies in code to restrict which users can access specific devices or ports.
Zscaler Internet Access Features
- AI-Powered Sandbox. Stop zero-day threats by instantly analyzing suspicious files in a virtual environment before they ever reach your network.
- Cloud Firewall. Scale your security across all ports and protocols to protect your branch offices without deploying expensive physical hardware.
- Full SSL Inspection. Inspect encrypted traffic at scale to find hidden threats without sacrificing the browsing speed your team expects.
- Data Loss Prevention. Protect your sensitive information by automatically blocking unauthorized uploads of company data to personal cloud apps.
- URL Filtering. Manage your team's web access by blocking dangerous or inappropriate websites across your entire global organization.
- Bandwidth Control. Prioritize your business-critical applications like Zoom or Microsoft 365 over less important web traffic to ensure performance.
Pricing Comparison
Tailscale Pricing
- Up to 3 users
- Up to 100 devices
- MagicDNS
- Tailscale SSH
- Community support
- Admin console access
- Everything in Personal, plus:
- Up to 10 users included
- User & group management
- Basic access control lists
- Email support
- 1 identity provider
Zscaler Internet Access Pricing
Pros & Cons
Tailscale
Pros
- Extremely simple setup process for all devices
- Reliable connectivity even behind strict firewalls
- Generous free tier for personal projects
- Minimal impact on system performance and battery
- Seamless integration with existing identity providers
Cons
- Requires a third-party identity provider login
- Limited advanced routing features for complex setups
- Mobile app can occasionally drain battery
- Admin console lacks some deep auditing logs
Zscaler Internet Access
Pros
- Eliminates the need for expensive on-premise security hardware
- Provides consistent security policies for remote and office workers
- Fast global performance through a massive distributed cloud network
- Excellent visibility into encrypted traffic and user web activity
Cons
- Initial configuration requires significant technical expertise
- Policy management interface can feel complex for new users
- Customer support response times can vary during implementation