# Headscale 79 Hacker News commenters recommended Headscale and 23 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Free open source self-hosted control server compatible with Tailscale clients, giving full control over your network, though it is not a complete drop-in replacement and can be finicky to set up. ## Why people recommend it - Free and open source (7 comments): "Headscale is open source and it already works. You don't need to rely on anyone to use it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47621223)) "the headscale server are both open source, you don't need to rely on commercial entities" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47612816)) "If you don't trust Tailscale servers, you can host the open source equivalent, Headscale" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46188182)) - Works with Tailscale clients (4 comments): "If you prefer to self host your orchestrator you can look into Headscale, an alternative that seeks to be compatible with the clients." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46374155)) "Headscale is opensource drop in replacement for the control server which isn't, and fully compatible with Tailscale clients" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47594262)) "It's free, works extremely well, and can be used with the official Tailscale clients." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46845526)) - Full control of your network (4 comments): "Head scale is a good middle option - it uses Tailscale’s DNS system but you are able to control your network as you would with Wireguard" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478963)) "I like to self host things so I also self host Headscale (private tailnet)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46171825)) "If you don't trust Tailscale servers, you can host the open source equivalent, Headscale" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46188182)) - Runs reliably on a cheap VPS (3 comments): "Headscale turns the $5 VPS into the thing that connects my laptop to my other compute resources while I am out and about." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50017047)) "I've been smoothly running headscale on a hetzner vps for many months now. Works without issues" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47063938)) "self-hosting headscale in a discarded ThinkCentre and running it from a closet" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46371437)) ## What people warn about - Not a complete drop-in replacement (2 comments): "The headscale API is very different than the Tailscale API so if you're automating setting up clients it's not quite drop in." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47594942)) "I've been really happy with headscale, but I wouldn't call it a complete drop in replacement" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47594450)) - Finicky to set up and run (3 comments): "Headscale mostly works pretty well but its pretty finicky to get set up" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46847232)) "requires you to write and mount a complete "config.yaml" before the container will even start" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47783458)) "Headscale exists but honestly it's a pain to run compared to just paying Tailscale $18/user." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47065653)) - Overkill for basic home use (2 comments): "Tailscale or Headscale (the self-hosted version) are massively overengineered for something as basic as accessing your Linux ISOs from your phone." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50024215)) "Headscale/Tailscale only has value if you are behind a CGNAT, otherwise, it just adds extra management and complexities." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46850572)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Tailscale](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tailscale.md): 809 recommend - [ZeroTier](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zerotier.md): 19 recommend - [Tailscale Peer Relays](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tailscale-peer-relays.md): 15 recommend - [OpenZiti](https://hackerapproved.com/p/openziti.md): 10 recommend - [Tela](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tela.md): 10 recommend ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Headscale", https://hackerapproved.com/p/headscale/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).