Secure remote access has simplified managing my home lab and private services for family sharing
What is our primary use case?
Honestly, my main use case for Tailscale is my home lab and being able to access my home network devices using a Zero Trust platform that's fully secure. It has been so useful, especially for sharing some of my self-hosted services with family and friends.
For example, I use Tailscale in my home lab by having it installed on all of my devices, like my personal laptop and PC, as well as on my servers. On my servers themselves, let's say I'm hosting a web page on port 3000. I could just use my Tailscale MagicDNS name and then the port, or I could just use the Tailscale IP and the port to access those web pages. So for example, I host things like VIQUINIA and some other things I can easily access. Another use case that I have for Tailscale in my home lab is I have it installed on my firewall, which is built with OPNsense. What I do is I have it set as an exit node and I also broadcast my entire subnet. So that way, it's as if I'm connecting to a regular VPN and have access to my full home network, not just the devices that have Tailscale installed on them. I can also funnel my traffic through my home network if I'm elsewhere. Since I have my own custom DNS set up, if I am using my network as an exit node, I get free ad-blocking wherever I go.
For my organization, we use Tailscale for our database as a secure way to access our VPC. It's really great. It's an easy way for everyone to connect and disconnect. Nothing clunky, nothing being left behind, very lightweight, very nice UI, and very useful. For my home lab, it has been great because there are services you want to host, but you don't want to expose them to the public network, and using Tailscale gives you a very nice way of actually accessing that without having to deal with exposing things to public ports. I also really appreciate Tailscale services, which I forgot to mention, which involves hosting a service on Tailscale itself.
Regarding metrics, I guess a lot of times it saves hours. Sometimes I forget something at home and if I use Tailscale, I can easily access my network and grab it, whereas usually I would have to drive back home. I feel that in itself is really huge.
What is most valuable?
The best features Tailscale offers are their free tier, which is amazing. Whatever it provides, I feel it's a very good amount for what it gives you. I would honestly even be open to paying if my needs expand from what I am currently using. I feel the Zero Trust networking thing is really great. I feel the ability to also integrate Mullvad VPN into your own Tailscale network and use that as an exit node is huge. It makes a very nice, seamless experience for VPN. Rather than having multiple clients, you just use Tailscale and that handles everything for you. I also appreciate the Tailscale drop feature. I feel that's very unique, kind of a global AirDrop with anything that has Tailscale. So it's a really simplified way of sharing files, not only over your local network, but over your Tailscale network, your virtual cloud.
A unique thing that I did, which at the time was an experimental feature, but now I believe it's fully out and available, is using Tailscale files. Essentially, I had a bunch of space on my server and I made a Tailscale share. So now if I ever go on any of my devices, I have a whole file section which I can actually just drag and drop to that location and it's kind of a shared Google Drive. Any of the old storage I had lying around, I was able to convert it into my own free cloud storage.
I would say I rely on just the regular Tailscale Zero Trust network the most in my daily workflow. I feel I have that on all the time and I'm accessing things when I'm not at home. Usually, when I'm traveling, it's when it's the most useful, but if I'm staying at home and working from home, it's not as useful because I'm connected to my same network. But for example, if I'm at my in-laws' house or if I'm outside at a library or coffee shop, it's very useful to have.
What needs improvement?
I feel the speed of the control servers are a bit too slow. I feel that's the main bottleneck right now for Tailscale. For example, at my apartment, I can do 2-gig networking, but when I connect via the exit node, and I'm wired in somewhere else, and that place also has 2-gig networking, I'm at max getting half of my speed. The main bottleneck here is really the control servers and the throughput of data.
I feel Linux needs its own UI client. I had to use a custom third-party one. That is a big thing as well.
To make it a 10, I mean, have better support for Linux. That's probably the main thing, honestly. Fix the DNS things too. There's some issues where I should be able to use my own custom DNS easily and then when you move MagicDNS starts causing problems, I should be able to just have my own custom DNS that links directly into Tailscale and assign each thing its own specific hostname. I feel that doesn't work as well as expected, or maybe you do provide that, but then it's kind of obfuscated through weird documentation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Tailscale for about two years or a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Tailscale's scalability is good.
How was the initial setup?
It has been a really great product. Ever since I started using it, I got my family members to get on it and so many other people, and I very openly recommend it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I looked at Netbird or something before choosing Tailscale.
What other advice do I have?
I advise others looking into using Tailscale to start faster or look at the documentation.
Secure hybrid access has simplified remote work and has reduced traditional VPN overhead
What is our primary use case?
I have multiple use cases for Tailscale. My primary use case is providing secure remote access to internal servers, cloud workloads, and development environments without exposing services to the public internet. Tailscale replaces traditional VPN solutions and enables secure device-to-device connectivity using a Zero Trust networking model.
We deployed in a hybrid model connecting on-prem servers to private network resources with workloads in the public cloud, allowing secure access across environments without exposing services to the internet.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the Zero Trust architecture, peer-to-peer connectivity using WireGuard, easy deployment and setup, access control for granular permissions, single sign-on, subnet and routing, exit nodes, and cross-platform support.
I rely mostly on subnetting and routing in Tailscale because it allows seamless access to internal network resources without installing clients on every device, which greatly simplifies daily operations and improves workflow efficiency. Tailscale stands out for its simplicity and fast deployment with strong identity-based security, which makes it both easy to manage and highly reliable for everyday use.
Since implementing Tailscale, we have seen improved remote access reliability, reduced VPN maintenance overhead, faster onboarding for new users, and stronger security through identity-based access controls, all while significantly lowering the administrative workload.
What needs improvement?
Tailscale could be improved with more advanced network visibility and monitoring tools, cleaner pricing tiers for scaling teams, and enhanced built-in reporting for device posture and controls for enterprise environments. I would like to see Tailscale offer more intuitive access control list management for large environments, deeper analytics for traffic insights, smoother troubleshooting diagnostics within the admin console, and more flexible pricing as device and user accounts grow.
I would rate Tailscale an eight out of ten for simplicity, strong security model, and ease of deployment, with minor improvements needed in enterprise-level visibility and pricing flexibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Tailscale for the past two months.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is straightforward and easy to use, but based on the device count, the cost increases.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is good, and I have nothing to complain about.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, we used an IPsec-based VPN solution, which we switched to Tailscale because managing VPN servers, firewall rules, and user access became time-consuming and complex. We needed a simplified, more scalable Zero Trust approach for remote and cloud-based access.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup has been straightforward and predictable with the per-user subscription model and no infrastructure or hardware setup cost, making the initial deployment inexpensive.
What about the implementation team?
Since implementing Tailscale, we have seen clear return on investment by eliminating VPN server infrastructure costs, reducing remote access server setup time from hours to minutes, cutting VPN-related support tickets by around forty percent, and saving several information technology administration hours per week previously spent on firewall rules and connection troubleshooting.
What was our ROI?
We have seen clear return on investment since implementing Tailscale by eliminating VPN server infrastructure costs, reducing remote access server setup time from hours to minutes, cutting VPN-related support tickets by around forty percent, and saving several information technology administration hours per week previously spent on firewall rules and connection troubleshooting.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The setup has been straightforward and predictable with the per-user subscription model and no infrastructure or hardware setup cost, making the initial deployment inexpensive. However, the cost increases as user and device counts grow, especially when advanced features are required.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Before selecting Tailscale, we evaluated alternatives such as ZeroTier, OpenVPN, and native VPN options within Amazon Web Services. We chose Tailscale for its simplicity, faster deployment, and strong identity-based Zero Trust model.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others considering Tailscale is to start with a small pilot deployment, carefully design the access control list policies from the beginning, integrate with your identity provider early for better security control, and test subnet routing or exit nodes to fully understand how it can simplify your remote and cloud access architecture. I rate this product an eight out of ten overall.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Great multidevice network connectivity
What do you like best about the product?
I love the way it can connect my all the devices in a single network without adding the need of the same network connection.
What do you dislike about the product?
I only don't like the pricing it offers, and it doesn't offer mobile device to desktop connectivity I need to use external software with it to do so.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am currently using it to mange my office desktop and my home device simultaneously from a single laptop and also sometimes I access it through my mobile device using another software.
Familiar, Flexible UI That’s Easy to Use
What do you like best about the product?
It’s easy for me to use, and the software feels very familiar. The dashboard and overall UI are easy to understand, and they’re flexible as well.
What do you dislike about the product?
Almost everything is fine, but there’s one thing I really dislike. The free plan is okay, but the Teams plan is very expensive, and as the number of users grows over time, the cost will increase as well. Aside from that, everything is fine.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
With Tailscale, we can now safely access servers, internal tools, and systems from anywhere. It also feels very secure and easy to lock down. For our team, it has reduced IT management effort and saved us time.
Reliable Remote access Solution, Easy to Use
What do you like best about the product?
It's easy to use for me. And Very familiar Software. Dashboard and all Ui are easy to Understand.
What do you dislike about the product?
Almost everything is FIne but one thing I hate is about for free plan is fine but teams plan is very high chargable and as time number of users is grow, cost will also increase. so apart from that, everything is fine.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Through tailscale, now we can safely access servers, internal tools, and systems from anywhere. It's also very securable. and also For our team, it reduced IT management efforts and saved time.
Tailscale Makes Secure Connections to Computers and Cloud Servers Effortless
What do you like best about the product?
Tailscale enables directly connect computer, any cloud-based server, virtual machines and more just with simple click and easy to manage in one place with having different network.
What do you dislike about the product?
Only one thing is I can't access properly my laptop or any machine from my phone, this feature should be added in future.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
It really help me to connect many devices, which are on different networks that easily manage by this product. Save a lot time for setup and initialization.
Securing private cloud workflows has protected sensitive AWS resources with fine-grained access
What is our primary use case?
We have been using Tailscale for about four or five months, and we have been using it from the beginning.
For our main use case, we use Tailscale because it creates a peer-to-peer VPN mesh where we host our AWS infrastructure behind it, so the general web cannot directly access it. It is only accessible from authorized systems, such as the one that I have.
A specific example of how we use Tailscale for this peer-to-peer VPN mesh in my daily work is that the entirety of our AWS infrastructure and systems that we use to build at Flyra are behind a private VPN that is accessible using Tailscale. The general web cannot access it, so we ensure that there is nothing unauthorized accessing our servers. Authorized and recognized systems are only able to access the infrastructure and the resources that we want restricted, and that is where Tailscale comes in.
About my main use case, I am fully aware that it is end-to-end encrypted. We maintain access using ACLs, which allows us to fine-tune the fine-grained rules for who can connect and to what.
What is most valuable?
The best features Tailscale offers are highlighted by the fact that setting up Tailscale was straightforward, at least once you are following the documentation and the guides. The security is valuable, as there are many providers available, but Tailscale fulfills the requirements that we had, allowing us to access and expose internal apps without exposing them to the general internet. The complex site-to-site connections are replaced using VPNs, and we can SSH into our remote desktops or SSH into our EC2 machines in our AWS regions in a secure way.
About the features that make Tailscale stand out for me, with access control lists, we can fine-grain what can be accessed and by whom. It solved our base use case, which is keeping our secured infrastructure behind a private VPN, and that is why we started using it in the first place.
Tailscale has had more positive impacts on my organization regarding security.
What needs improvement?
Regarding how Tailscale can be improved, I think for free users, there are some limited options. However, we have a paid policy, so we pay Tailscale every month. At some point, we may want to host our own coordination servers, which Tailscale does not have right now. However, it is just a general consideration, and I doubt that we will have that problem soon.
Regarding the needed improvements for paid users, I think things are acceptable. The limits could be higher for free users, and that is all.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been a software developer for about two years, and that represents full-time experience.
What other advice do I have?
My advice to others looking into using Tailscale is that if there is a use case where you want to secure your private EC2 instances, the workflows, your Git repositories, and sensitive data, Docker images, Maven builds, Gradle builds, and so forth, behind and away from the general internet and onto your private cloud, Tailscale can act as that link, allowing you access to that private information from authorized systems while also fine-graining that control. I would rate this product a nine out of ten.
Streamlined Local VPN Setup, Needs Better Connectivity
What do you like best about the product?
I really like how Tailscale is simple to use. It’s straightforward with a Mac desktop, where you just plug in your credentials and the client's credentials, and you’re good to go. The software has simple installations and clear guides. The setup was really easy with the documentation provided, and everything went smoothly.
What do you dislike about the product?
Sometimes it might be a blocker, I would say. You might be blocked out every now and then. For example, maybe they have some caches, so they keep your credentials locally for around forty-eight hours or seventy-two hours, so you might be logged out. Network isolation or something needs to be taken care of. That could be improved for better connectivity.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Tailscale allows me to work locally without the need for commercial VPNs, solving connectivity issues by enabling local setup.
Effortless Remote Access for Home Networks
What do you like best about the product?
Being able to install it on my Mac mini (home server of sorts) and use the subnets to be able to access my routers, and generally act like Im at my house, while away. Also this works for my NAS, I can not remove any exposure to it from the internet, and allow only LAN access, which allows me to access it remotely with TS.
What do you dislike about the product?
Tailscale is good for small “home scale” networks. I find it very cumbersome for large scale networks (eg at production scale networks) where you have to want to do more advanced stuff like DNS routing, granular ACLs, etc. Some of it is technically possible with Tailscale but it is very cumbersome and doesn’t scale well. For personal use, I think netbird and zerotier to be functionally similar and different pros/cons.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I am not any sort of network guru. I just wanted to be able to access my home Linux box remotely with a laptop or tablet. Getting this set up using ddns and port forwarding through the cable box was getting to be a pain. Maybe I'm just not smart enough. I read about tailscale and a couple of YouTube videos I decided to give it a try. Couldn't have been easier. Now it's two desktops, two Amazon fire tablets, and a Linode instance later...
Secure and easy to use
What do you like best about the product?
Deploying and configuring tailscale on remote stations is quick and simple. The system is very reliable, works exactly as needed and the connection is quick and allows realtime data monitoring from remote sites.
What do you dislike about the product?
Convenience features like grouping systems and preventing certain specific stations from seeing eachother exist but are more complex than it should be to set up
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Access to remote equipment without having to install software at every site. This allows our company to monitor and troubleshoot control systems through the VPN connection without having to install software on the remote computer running Tailscale as it provides a tunnel through for us to directly connect from our office programming stations.
