Should I self-host Tailscale?
For individuals, Tailscale's free tier IS the product — 100 devices, 3 users, $0. Headscale is a superb control-plane replacement, but you'd be self-hosting to avoid a bill that doesn't exist. It earns its place only when team pricing or compliance says the coordination server must be yours.
Tailscale's DERP relay fleet — your headscale needs its own relays or direct connectivity
MagicDNS/SSO polish and their security team watching the control plane
mesh VPN between devices · ACLs & SSO · MagicDNS · exit nodes
* Percent of the subscription price. Your time is priced at the slider's rate — $0/h ("my homelab time is free and I love it") is a legitimate position. Every number is derived from the record, never hand-written. Price source, checked 2026-08-10.
Runs comfortably on a Raspberry Pi.
FULL TIMED LOG
# Tailscale — verdict log - **Date:** 2026-08-10 - **Verdict:** NOT REALLY — keep paying - **Protocol:** v1 (2GB reference env, Docker preinstalled, AI assistant: claude-code) ## Why no compose file - This verdict is decided by economics/capability, not setup effort — the rubric doesn't require a timed install to conclude the subscription should stay (or that the replacement's cost lives elsewhere, e.g. GPUs, egress, or an installer script). ## The call For individuals, Tailscale's free tier IS the product — 100 devices, 3 users, $0. Headscale is a superb control-plane replacement, but you'd be self-hosting to avoid a bill that doesn't exist. It earns its place only when team pricing or compliance says the coordination server must be yours.