Many companies write comparisons which make their product far superior to other technology. Funnily, their competitors say the same thing about them. Lets instead compare Tailscale (based on open source Wireguard) versus NetFoundry (based on open source OpenZiti) with the aim of being genuinely useful.
In my opinion, Tailscale/WireGuard excel at simple, internet-based connectivity with fantastic time-to-value, great for home labs and small organisations. NetFoundry and OpenZiti offer a robust, enterprise-grade solution for zero trust networking across a vast array of simple and complex use cases. Let’s look at that in depth. Below I’ll show where each shines, where each struggles—and how they actually “do” zero trust (if you want the TL:DR on this, IMHO any overlay that stops at the NIC is a better VPN, not full least-privilege and zero trust principles… and any amount of marketing does not change this).
Tailscale
Tailscale builds on WireGuard. It’s beloved because setup is absurdly easy, NAT traversal just works, and small teams get device-to-device connectivity fast. There is plenty written about Tailscale versus Wireguard if you want to go deeper. Its ideal choice for these use cases:
Home Labs
If you want personal access with minimal fuss, this is your happy path. MagicDNS, quick installs, and a friendly UI get you productive in minutes. Its open-by-default connectivity makes it accessible for hobbyists and tech enthusiasts looking to add a secure networking layer to their home or small network setups. This includes Tailscale Funnel (in public preview), supporting easy public sharing of resources on the public internet. Honestly, go to Reddit, and you will see many people saying something like “it was stupidly easy to set up”.
VPN Replacement for Smaller Organizations
For small teams or organizations that need secure, straightforward connectivity, Tailscale serves as an excellent VPN alternative. These use cases tend to focus on user connectivity, shared resources, and third-party access – i.e., predominately client-server, across the WAN using internet connectivity and Tailscale as a cloud-delivered SaaS. It facilitates secure access to shared resources with minimal ACL management, which “just works” due to its host-based, open-by-default connectivity. Smaller businesses can set up and maintain their networks without needing a full IT department. The trade-off appears as environments grow: ACL sprawl and IP/port-centric policy management become friction.
Partial Zero Trust Networking
Tailscale supports some Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) principles by connecting users securely to resources without exposing the entire network. You can add IdP auth, posture checks, and short-lived user sessions, which is better than a flat VPN. But the core model remains VPN-style reachability restricted by ACLs rather than per-service, closed-by-default policy. Identity is node-level (device keys/tags). Once traffic decrypts on the NIC, identity essentially “dies at tunnel exit,” so deeper micro-segmentation relies on tighter ACLs, more tailscaled instances, or extra proxies.
NetFoundry
NetFoundry (and its open-source counterpart, OpenZiti) is purpose-built for large-scale, complex zero trust networking requirements. The overlay is socket-scoped and closed by default. Every connection has a per-service X.509 identity, enforces mTLS connectivity can be established (and thus bytes sent). No inbound listening ports are required—services can be dark to the underlay. It is highly versatile, offering a range of robust tools and features, making it well-suited for these advanced use cases:
Embedded Use Cases for MSPs and Product/Software Companies:
NetFoundry excels in environments requiring secure connectivity embedded within applications and services. You can embed NetFundry directly into apps/services via SDKs (Go, Java, Python, C/C++, .NET, JS, Swift, Android) or use generic tunnelers. Policy is evaluated per socket, even when a service sits behind a proxy. MSPs and product teams get multi-tenant controls, billing, RBAC, white-label options, and automation-friendly APIs.
Large-Scale Zero Trust Networking for any use case
NetFoundry is designed with zero trust networking at its core, supporting granular, identity-based access and micro-segmentation, which is closed by default. It also enables ZTN across diverse scenarios across IT, OT and IoT, from multi-cloud to remote access, machine-to-machine and even serverless applications. It supports constrained-resource devices, complex edge environments, and clientless connections, ensuring secure connectivity for any device or network setup. Its independent PKI system allows for private key management and end-to-end encryption, allowing it to operate in environments where third-party decryption is not feasible or desirable. This makes NetFoundry ideal for enterprises needing detailed access controls, scalable policy enforcement, and the flexibility to manage secure access across large, complex environments, including air-gapped networks and hybrid cloud setups.
How both implement zero trust principles
Tailscale/WireGuard center identity at the node (device keys/tags) with IP/port ACLs; WireGuard brings up the tunnel and app auth rides above it. Once traffic decrypts on the NIC, identity no longer tracks each socket, services typically listen on host interfaces, and revocation is often at the host/node level. Control is cloud-hosted by default (Headscale/DIY possible).
NetFoundry/OpenZiti center identity at the service/socket: a controller issues per-service X.509, mTLS happens before the first byte, with optional E2E encryption, and closed-by-default policy is evaluated pre-accept. Services need no listening ports (SDKs dial out; tunnelers can bind localhost), letting you revoke a single misbehaving service without touching the host. Tokens add business rules but don’t replace a transport that cryptographically binds peers, rotates keys, survives NAT, and audits. Ops choices differ too: Tailscale leans managed control plane; NetFoundry/OpenZiti can be SaaS or fully self-hosted with BYO-CA. NetFoundry also supports enterprise features such as FIPs, and allows complete whitelabelling.
So what’s the mesh end-game?
- Connectivity: punch NAT, kill inbound ports.
- Continuous verification: every flow presents fresh identity.
- Auditability: logs tie back to which workload spoke, not just an IP.
- Least-privilege micro-segmentation: per-socket policy lets you kill one service without touching the host.
NetFoundry gives you all four (and more) out of the box. Tailscale gives you #1 and half of #2—you’ll bolt on the rest with higher-layer tokens anyway.
What DEF CON 33 reinforced
Recent research presented at DEF CON spotlighted how several ZTNA/SSE stacks concentrate trust in vendor POPs/clients and sometimes fall down on auth, token handling, or posture checks. The takeaway wasn’t “ZTNA is dead,” but that architecture matters: systems that are closed-by-default, minimize centralized trust anchors, and verify identity/authorization continuously reduce blast radius when components fail. That aligns with a socket-scoped, identity-first mesh. I wrote more on the topic here.
How to choose (the short version)
- Pick Tailscale/WireGuard when you want the simplest possible setup for device-to-device access; your ACL surface will stay small; and a VPN-centric model—hardened with IdP and posture—is enough.
- Pick NetFoundry/OpenZiti when you need per-service identity, mTLS and E2EE before first byte, no inbound ports, and the option to embed zero trust into apps (or to self-host for sovereignty/regulatory reasons). It’s built for multi-tenant, OT/edge, and “revocation at 03:00” realities.
This isn’t about “VPN vs. ZTNA marketing”; it’s identity-and-policy at the socket versus reachability gated by ACLs. Tailscale/WireGuard are fantastic for straightforward environments. When you need least-privilege that holds at scale—with continuous verification, minimal exposure, and surgical revocation—a socket-scoped overlay like NetFoundry/OpenZiti matches the job description. The DEF CON findings simply underline why built-in identity beats bolted-on.
For a deeper understanding of TailScale versus NetFoundry, check out this white paper: NetFoundry OpenZiti vs. TailScalte, a Technical Comparison.
Alternatively, contact us to experience how NetFoundry implements zero trust principles for every use case, and compares to VPN-based solutions. Start your free trial or book a live demo with our team today.
