Netgate pfSense vs Tailscale
Side-by-side from the Top 11 ranking of The 11 Best Business VPNs. Last verified June 9, 2026.
The short answer
Netgate pfSense ranks higher on Top 11 (#10 vs #11) for IT teams securing remote access. A powerful, customizable option for technical teams comfortable with open-source software.
At a glance
| Netgate pfSense | Tailscale | |
|---|---|---|
| Top 11 rank | #10 / The 11 Best Business VPNs | #11 / The 11 Best Business VPNs |
| Score (out of 9.4) | 7.3 | 7.1 |
| Best for | Flexible open-source-based VPN solution | Effortless peer-to-peer mesh networking |
| Pricing | $ (Software is free, requires hardware/cloud instance) | $$ ($6 to $18/user/mo) |
| HQ | Austin, USA | Toronto, Canada |
| Founded | 2012 | 2019 |
Netgate pfSense
A powerful, customizable option for technical teams comfortable with open-source software.
www.netgate.com/pfsense-plus-softwareTailscale
A developer-focused mesh network that makes secure device-to-device connections incredibly simple.
tailscale.com/Methodology and scoring weights live at /methodology. No vendor pays for placement — see about.