No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.

Tailscale vs ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 17, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
4.9
Users save time and costs, with simpler setup and fewer security issues, when using Tailscale instead of traditional VPNs.
Sentiment score
6.2
ThreatLocker enhances security, reduces costs, boosts productivity, and facilitates growth by blocking unauthorized applications and preventing malware.
Previously, networks with FortiGate were used, and that forced us to spend on hardware. With Tailscale, that type of investment is not necessary.
Devops Engineer at Allenta
We have seen clear return on investment since implementing Tailscale by eliminating VPN server infrastructure costs.
System Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
With Tailscale, I set it up and forget it because it just works, allowing me to avoid worrying about the whole VPN aspect of my home network architecture.
Application Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
If something were to happen without ThreatLocker, the cost would be huge, and thus, having it is definitely worth it.
Tier 1 IT Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees
Based on what we use ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform for with the same functionalities and packaging, it was around 13 or 14 hours.
Head Of Cyber Security at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
We have the MDR package as well, and just knowing someone is watching those endpoints at 3:00 a.m. is a lifesaver that you cannot put a dollar figure on.
System Administrator at Gwynedd Mercy University
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.2
Tailscale's reliable service and comprehensive resources minimize support needs, but responsive support is praised when contacted.
Sentiment score
7.8
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform excels in customer support with quick resolutions, expert assistance, and effective live chat services.
Tailscale is that reliable, and their documentation answers any questions I have.
Application Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
The user interface, documentation, and support for Tailscale are fabulous.
IT Support / Sysadmin
I would give it a ten out of ten.
DevOps Engineer at CloudKite.io
They have been very responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable.
Systems Security Analyst & Deputy Security Officer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
I would rate their customer support a ten out of ten.
Director, Managed Services at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Their support is world-class.
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Tailscale is efficient, scalable, and reliable across platforms, supporting numerous devices with no downtime, easy expansion, and cost-effective pricing.
Sentiment score
7.8
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform seamlessly scales across organizations, managing thousands of endpoints, ensuring performance, and easy user integration.
I would say it is really scalable, and I do not think I have ever experienced any downtime with Tailscale.
Software Engineer at Psycontech
As a free-tier user, I have tested my limits, connecting the maximum amount of devices, and everything performed great.
Application Security Engineer at a tech vendor with 501-1,000 employees
We have over 300 to 400 devices that use Tailscale that we connect with and utilize on a daily basis.
IT Support Engineer at a security firm with 11-50 employees
I started off with just the servers, and within a month and a half, I set up the entire company with ThreatLocker.
Technical Engineer at Cloud 1 Solutions
It seems to primarily operate on the endpoints rather than at a central location pushing out policies.
Systems Security Analyst & Deputy Security Officer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform scales very smoothly with our growing needs.
CEO at Mostro
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Users praise Tailscale's stability and ease of use, noting rare disruptions and easy post-setup connectivity with scalability benefits.
Sentiment score
7.9
Organizations find ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform stable and reliable, with minor issues quickly resolved by support.
Tailscale is a SaaS platform, so Tailscale scales it themselves.
DevOps Engineer at CloudKite.io
Tailscale is stable; it has never given me downtime on their side.
Infrastructure Lead & Student Developer (also Head of Ops - FOSSCET) at College of Engineering Trivandrum
For what we use it for—interconnection and networks—it is very stable.
Devops Engineer at Allenta
For five years, we have not had a problem.
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Once deployed, it downloads the policies locally, so even if the computer doesn't have internet, it doesn't matter.
Information Cybersecurity Technology Specialist at Freez.it
It has been very stable, reliable, and accessible.
COO at Panda Technology
 

Room For Improvement

Users propose Tailscale enhancements in UI, performance, anti-censorship, integration, and pricing while addressing multi-account and tailnet issues.
Users seek improved training, integrations, transparency, UI, and communication in ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform for enhanced usability and administration.
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.
System Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
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.
Software engineer
I would like Tailscale to provide more censorship-resistant options, such as Shadowsocks or VLESS, as fallback protocols.
IT Support / Sysadmin
Controlling the cloud environment, not just endpoints, is crucial.
COO at Panda Technology
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform could improve by being a little more hands-off, perhaps by having a team inside ThreatLocker that does all the vetting of patches; having one person hired by ThreatLocker to check out patches means that a million other industries using ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform do not have to vet the same patch, ultimately saving time and money around the world.
Technical Support Engineer at CMIT Solutions of Central Orlando
This feedback would help us understand what is learned in real-time, especially during a one-hour learning mode setup, ensuring we remain aware of potentially unnecessary learned items.
Server Administrator at Clay County Sheriff's Office
 

Setup Cost

Tailscale offers affordable pricing with a generous free tier, ideal for small teams and cost-effective initial setup.
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform provides flexible, scalable pricing with tiered plans and negotiable deals, ensuring cost-effectiveness and transparency.
Tailscale has definitely made it so I don't have to incur additional costs.
Senior Technical Support Specialist at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
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.
System Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
I never used a license. I never purchased or bought anything more than the basic free license.
Field Service Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
After conversations with other partners, it became clear we underpriced it initially, which caused most of our issues.
Director, Managed Services at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
We are moving towards the Unified solution, where they basically bundle everything together, providing us better stability with the ability to bring in new product offerings without having to go back to the customer and say, 'This is going to cost you.'
Supervisor, Client Security at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Money is saved because it is not costly, and I would suggest it for other companies.
Helpdesk Engineer at Computer Network Infrastructure (CNI) Consultants
 

Valuable Features

Tailscale offers seamless cross-platform integration and security, simplifying remote access and connectivity with Zero Trust architecture for all users.
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform excels in app control, security features, and support, enhancing IT efficiency and company security.
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.
Software Engineer
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.
System Engineer at a healthcare company with 11-50 employees
Tailscale's security is fabulous, especially the access control features and the ability to use existing OAuth accounts for access.
IT Support / Sysadmin
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform's ability to block access to unauthorized applications has been excellent.
Cyber Security Specialist at Bremmar Consulting
It protects our customers.
CTO at Zettabytes
The major benefit is fewer breaches overall, as nothing can be run without prior approval. This helps my company protect its data and secure itself effectively.
Tier 1 IT Engineer at a retailer with 11-50 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Tailscale
Ranking in ZTNA
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (2nd)
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Pla...
Ranking in ZTNA
5th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
82
Ranking in other categories
Network Access Control (NAC) (4th), Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP) (5th), Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) (4th), Application Control (1st), ZTNA as a Service (5th), Ransomware Protection (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the ZTNA category, the mindshare of Tailscale is 6.6%, down from 18.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform is 2.6%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
ZTNA Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Tailscale6.6%
ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform2.6%
Other90.8%
ZTNA
 

Featured Reviews

Adeniyi Stephen - PeerSpot reviewer
DevOps Engineer at CloudKite.io
Secure access has simplified hybrid connectivity and has unified multi-cluster workflows
I would say that in terms of Tailscale, if I have so many tailnets I need to connect to, there are some issues in the login process that need a little bit of attention from the Tailscale team. Sometimes, you would probably need to restart your entire system for it to connect. As a DevOps as a Service engineer, I have so many clients that are using Tailscale, and I would need to connect to maybe five different tailnets because they are different clients. Client A might have a Tailscale, Client B, Client C, and so on. When changing between tailnets, sometimes it hangs. Sometimes you might need to restart your entire system. This is a bit of a headache in that aspect. However, I believe if you are just using a particular tailnet, just one, then it is quite easy and there won't be any headache. For me, I think it can be improved in the aspect of having multiple tailnets to connect to. A good refresh on the Tailscale side and the backend side to refresh the connection anytime there is a new connection to be made would be helpful. Instead of needing to restart the system, it should be able to refresh itself. The connection side and connecting to multiple Tailscale instances can be problematic, and sometimes you have to restart your system when switching between them. The ACL sometimes is like another language on its own entirely. It is fine, but they need to make it in a YAML format instead of the current format because it is quite new and something you have to go and study. If they can make it like a YAML format, that would be better. Aside from the switching which I mentioned and the fact that you have to relearn their ACL, if the ACL could be in a YAML format instead of JSON format, that would be beneficial. I don't think there is much they can do about the switching of tailnets, but if they can have a YAML format of the ACL, that would be good. Every other thing is a ten out of ten. The connection-wise is easy to set up and easy to install. It is good to have things connected all together from on-premises, from so many environments, and even exit nodes as well. It is good overall. The pricing, I think Tailscale can be a little bit on the higher side. It is not for teams with just small users. If you want to set it up for small users and a small startup, I don't think you can afford it and might need to go to other open-source alternatives. It is good for teams that have maybe fifty plus users or one hundred users. In terms of pricing, I would say it is on the higher side, but it is worth it. The price is worth the functionality. As a user, I would say it is more on the higher side, but based on its functionality, it is worth the price.
Santo Joy - PeerSpot reviewer
Head Of Cyber Security at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees
Security controls have been strengthened with granular application, ringfencing, and access policies
The features of ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform that I like the most are the Ringfencing, elevation control, storage control, and application whitelisting functionality. For examples of how these features benefit my company, we were looking for a solution across various vendors to actually implement application whitelisting controls. ThreatLocker's agent, which is very lightweight and does not use much CPU or RAM, helped us achieve that solution. Ringfencing was an add-on that ticked off a lot of Australian framework security controls, which is the reason we chose it. My impression of the allowlisting feature in terms of managing which software, scripts, and libraries run on my devices is that ThreatLocker's community page has a lot of information around this, which is very helpful. Not only that, the Cyber Hero support that ThreatLocker provides gives us insights and best practices, helping us achieve that solution and guiding us to the right platform. The impact of Ringfencing on controlling the behavior of approved applications has been a big winner for us because it is something that many other platforms do not provide as a functionality. Having that allowed us to identify what applications talk to each other, which is something that many other platforms do not do. The network control feature impacts my ability to manage network traffic across my endpoints and servers. We have not used this widely across all our partners, but wherever required, we use it. It has been an easy solution for those customers to get that control implemented. The elevation feature's role in facilitating just-in-time administrative access for approved applications shows that elevation control helps in many use cases involving remote control platforms, door usage, and security system platforms that require local admins. There are many solutions that provide this functionality, but the licensing cost seems to be expensive, and it also adds another solution into the mix. Rather than doing that, we try to use ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform to achieve that control. Regarding the storage control feature, I have used it. The primary function is USB blocking, which is very widely adopted, and also just locking down and allowing certain users to access certain file locations helps us there. When it comes to enforcing policy-driven access over various storage devices, it depends on the business risk adapted by the companies that we support, but generally the use case is USB and external storage devices where companies know that is a risk, but they do not have appropriate solutions. There are EDR platforms that claim to do this, but ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform does it at an advanced level. My assessment of the efficiency of the real-time threat intelligence and category controls employed by Web Control in blocking malicious and non-compliant sites leads me to think that Web Control is another functionality within ThreatLocker Zero Trust Endpoint Protection Platform that is an add-on on top of the current set. That is another solution that we use based on what is required for the company, but again, that is not widely adapted yet for our partners.
report
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which ZTNA solutions are best for your needs.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
15%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
9%
Computer Software Company
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise4
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business56
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise13
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Tailscale?
I have a pretty basic use of Tailscale. I do not deploy it for a big organization, so I am generally happy with the product itself and have no special requests for a different feature that I would ...
What is your primary use case for Tailscale?
My main use case for Tailscale is to access my home network remotely. In my home network, I have deployed a wide range of microservices. For example, I use Tailscale to back up my pictures, and I n...
What advice do you have for others considering Tailscale?
I rate Tailscale overall a ten out of ten. I chose ten out of ten because the ease of installation, access to documentation, friendly UI, ease of tracking and debugging, and the facility I have to ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform is that the pricing is reasonable, the cost is fair, and the licensing is not too high.
What needs improvement with ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
I would suggest adding an AI-based policy recommendation feature to ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform because we have to create every policy manually. If there were a custom AI that could help with ...
What is your primary use case for ThreatLocker Allowlisting?
Our main use case for ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform is to provide endpoint security and to control each and every application end-to-end that can run on the company's devices, primarily to secur...
 

Also Known As

No data available
Protect, Allowlisting, Network Control, Ringfencing
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bamboo Health, Duolingo, Shiguredo, Instacart, Corelight, Machinify, Bolt, Mercari, Cobalt, Yugabyte, Jasper, VersaBank, Zego, Gini and Finter
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about Tailscale vs. ThreatLocker Zero Trust Platform and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,725 professionals have used our research since 2012.