Quick answer
Tailscale - Tailscale's free Personal plan caps the number of users (up to 6) but not devices, with up to 3 ACL groups and 50 tagged resources. ZeroTier's free Personal plan caps devices instead (10) but doesn't mention a user limit, and includes only 1 network. ZeroTier confirms no card is required; Tailscale's page doesn't say either way.
How the free tiers compare
Tailscale's free plan allows up to 6 users with unlimited devices per account, up to 3 ACL groups, and 50 tagged resources (additional ones cost $1/month each). ZeroTier's free plan allows 10 devices and 1 network, with no credit card required. Tailscale's first paid plan, Standard, is $8 a user per month; ZeroTier's first paid plan, Essential, is $18 a month flat and raises the network count to 10.
Tailscale vs ZeroTier free tier, side by side
| TailscaleFTV 45 | ZeroTierFTV 54 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan users / devicesTailscale caps by user count; ZeroTier caps by device count. | Up to 6 users, unlimited devices per account | 10 devices |
| Networks / ACL groups | Up to 3 ACL groups | 1 network |
| Tagged resources | 50 included, additional resources $1/month each | Not applicable; ZeroTier doesn't publish a tagged-resource concept |
| Credit card required | Not stated on the pricing page | Not required |
| First paid plan price | Standard - $8/user/month | Essential - $18/month, 10 devices, 10 networks |
After you outgrow the free tier
Tailscale's Standard plan is $8 a user a month, and its Premium plan above that is $18 a user a month. ZeroTier's Essential plan is a flat $18 a month for 10 devices and 10 networks, with additional devices at $2 a month each; its Scale plan above that is $179 a month for 100 devices with unlimited networks.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | Tailscale | ZeroTier |
|---|---|---|
| A small team of 6 users moving to the first paid tierZeroTier prices by device and network, not by user, so a small team costs less on ZeroTier's first paid tier. | $48/month (Standard, 6 users at $8 each) | $18/month (Essential, flat, regardless of user count) |
| Scaling to the next tier up | $18/user/month (Premium) | $179/month flat (Scale, 100 devices) |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick Tailscale when…
- You're networking a small team (up to 6 users) with more devices per person than ZeroTier's flat 10-device cap allows.
- You want access-control groups: up to 3 ACL groups on the free plan.
- You want a bigger pool of individually tagged resources: 50 included.
- You want the cheaper per-user entry price if you outgrow the free plan: $8/user/month.
Pick ZeroTier when…
- You want a confirmed no-credit-card sign-up.
- You're a single user or small household networking a fixed set of devices (10 included) rather than a team.
- You don't need more than 1 network on the free plan.
- You want a flat monthly price rather than a per-user one if you move to the first paid plan.
Bottom line
Tailscale fits a small team better, with unlimited devices per user and access-control groups on the free plan. ZeroTier fits a single user managing a fixed device count better, with a confirmed no-card sign-up and a flat (not per-user) price on its first paid tier.
Read the full listings: Tailscale and ZeroTier. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.