Tailscale VPN
The practical guide to Tailscale — the zero-config mesh VPN built on WireGuard — how it differs from raw WireGuard, installing it across a real homelab, exit nodes, self-hosted alternatives like Headscale, and honest pricing.
Part 1
What Is Tailscale? A Mesh VPN Explained
Tailscale explained: how its WireGuard-based mesh VPN, coordination server, and NAT traversal actually work, what the free plan includes in 2026, and who it fits.
Part 2
Tailscale vs WireGuard: The Real Difference
Tailscale isn't a WireGuard competitor, it's WireGuard with a coordination server, NAT traversal, ACLs, and exit nodes wrapped around it. A first-hand decision framework for when raw WireGuard is enough and when Tailscale's managed layer earns the tradeoff, with sourced pricing and performance figures.
Part 3
How to Install Tailscale on a Homelab
A subnet route sat approved in the admin console and still didn't work. The real-world install walkthrough across an Ubuntu server, a Raspberry Pi, and a Proxmox host/LXC — auth flow, MagicDNS, ACL tags, and the two gotchas (LXC's missing /dev/net/tun, the two-step route requirement) that actually cost time.
Part 4
Tailscale Exit Nodes: Route Traffic From Home
Hotel wifi doesn't need to see your traffic. Setting up a Tailscale exit node so a phone or laptop routes through home instead — the two-command setup, the DNS-leak toggle most guides skip, and a real cost/speed comparison against a commercial VPN.
Part 5
Tailscale Alternatives: Headscale & More
Tailscale's free tier caps out at 6 users. Headscale, Netbird, ZeroTier, and Twingate compared on real free-tier limits, self-hosting effort, and what switching actually costs.
Part 6
Is Tailscale Free? Pricing and Plans Explained
Added a second person to your tailnet and worried a bill is coming? Tailscale's free Personal plan covers 6 users with unlimited devices per user after the April 2026 rework — the real math on what's actually free and when Standard or Premium pays off.
Part 7
Tailscale: The Complete Mesh VPN Guide
Search results for Tailscale scatter across install guides, pricing pages, and comparisons with no map between them. This hub ties all six — what it is, WireGuard internals, install, exit nodes, pricing, and Headscale — into one decision path from a homelab that runs it.