Localport vs Tailscale
Tailscale and Localport are different products. Tailscale joins your machines into one private network. Localport gives access to single devices and ports, and gives local services public URLs.
Tailscale is free for up to 6 users. A team of 25 pays $200 a month there, and $24 on Localport.
Last checked 2 October 2026
Tailscale is a private network
- A peer-to-peer mesh built on WireGuard
- Encrypted end to end
- Every device runs the client and joins the network
- Free for up to 6 users
Localport is access to one device at a time
- A device joins no network
- Nothing is reachable until you open a port and grant access
- Rules name who reaches which device
- Public URLs for local services, for visitors with no client
What it costs
Tailscale is free for up to 6 users. Above that it is priced per user, and Localport is priced per team.
| Tailscale | Localport | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| A team of 6 Tailscale Personal covers up to 6 users | Free | $24 a month | |
| A team of 10 Standard, 10 users at $8 | $80 a month | $24 a month | 3.3x less |
| A team of 25 Standard, 25 users at $8 | $200 a month | $24 a month | 8.3x less |
| A team of 50 Standard, 50 users at $8 | $400 a month | $24 a month | 16.7x less |
Tailscale Premium is $18 per user. Localport figures are Pro, which covers up to 50 members and is $20 a month billed yearly.
Side by side
| Tailscale | Localport | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | One private network of all your devices | Access to one device and port at a time |
| Default | Devices reach each other, narrowed by access rules | Nothing is reachable until granted |
| Connection path | Peer to peer, with relays as a fallback | Through the region you choose |
| Public URLs | Funnel: ports 443, 8443 and 10000, TLS only, ts.net names | HTTP, TCP and TLS, custom domains |
| Pricing | Per user: Standard $8, Premium $18 | One flat price per team |
Tailscale fits when
- You want all your own machines on one private network
- You want every connection encrypted end to end, peer to peer
- You are an individual or a team of up to 6 and want it free
Localport fits when
- Your devices sit on customer networks and must not join yours
- A contractor or a pipeline needs one device, not a network
- You share a local service with people who install nothing
- You want the bill to stay flat as the team grows
What Localport covers
- Access to any port you open on a device
- Grants per member, role or machine, revoked instantly
- An access log of every connection
- Public URLs over HTTP, TCP and TLS
What stays in your hands
- Machine-to-machine networking stays with a VPN, if you need one
Common questions.
Tailscale details are from Tailscale pricing, What is Tailscale, Connection types, Tailscale Funnel as published on 2 October 2026.
Is Localport a VPN like Tailscale?
No. Tailscale connects your machines into one private network. Localport connects one person or machine to one port on one device, and nothing else on that device's network is reachable.
Is Localport end-to-end encrypted like Tailscale?
Tailscale encrypts all traffic end to end. On Localport, a TLS tunnel is encrypted end to end and Localport cannot decrypt it. Other traffic is encrypted on every hop and never stored.
How does pricing compare with Tailscale?
Tailscale is free for up to 6 users, then $8 per user per month on Standard. Localport Pro is $24 a month for up to 50 members, so a team of 25 pays $24 instead of $200.
Does every device need a client?
The device you reach runs the Localport agent. A visitor to a public tunnel installs nothing.