# NordLayer vs Tailscale Comparison | | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Star Rating** | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.6 out of 5 | | **Total Reviews** | 126 | 31 | | **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (56.3% of reviews) | Small-Business (65.5% of reviews) | | **Entry Level Price** | Starting at $8.00 1 Users | Free 6 Monthly Active Users Per Month | --- ## Top Pros & Cons ### NordLayer Pros: - Ease of Use (6 reviews) - Setup Ease (4 reviews) Cons: - Performance Issues (5 reviews) - Limited Features (4 reviews) ### Tailscale Pros: - Ease of Use (8 reviews) - Device Connectivity (7 reviews) Cons: - Access Issues (3 reviews) - Expensive (2 reviews) --- ## Ratings Comparison | Rating | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Meets Requirements** | 8.9 (109 reviews) | 9.0 (24 reviews) | | **Ease of Use** | 9.2 (112 reviews) | 8.7 (26 reviews) | | **Ease of Setup** | 9.2 (65 reviews) | 9.4 (26 reviews) | | **Ease of Admin** | 9.0 (58 reviews) | 9.2 (13 reviews) | | **Quality of Support** | 8.5 (99 reviews) | 9.2 (13 reviews) | | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 8.5 (54 reviews) | 9.2 (8 reviews) | | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 8.4 (102 reviews) | 10.0 (20 reviews) | --- ## Pricing ### NordLayer #### Entry-Level Pricing Plan: Lite Price: Starting at $8.00 1 Users Description: Essential internet access security with basic internet threat prevention features. Key Features: - Up to 100mbs server performance - ThreatBlock - VPN protocol variety [Browse all 4 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/nordlayer/pricing) #### Free Trial No ### Tailscale #### Entry-Level Pricing Plan: Personal Price: Free 6 Monthly Active Users Per Month Description: For individuals who want to securely connect devices, servers, or software. Access nearly all of Tailscale's offerings and products for free, indefinitely. Key Features: - Users: Up to 6 - Unlimited user devices - Up to 3 ACL groups [Browse all 4 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/tailscale/pricing) #### Free Trial Yes --- ## Features Comparison By Category ### Network Access Control (NAC) | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | 9.6/10 | 6 | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Data | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Data Protection** | 9.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Remote Access** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Network Access** | 9.7 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Network | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Security** | 9.4 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Scaling** | 9.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Audit** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Logistics | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Processes** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | | **Blockage** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **IoT** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | ### Zero Trust Networking | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | 8.6/10 | 8 | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Network Management | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Network Segmentation** | 8.6 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Network Mapping** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | | **Security Analytics** | 7.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **API/Integrations** | 8.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Security | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Security Automation** | 9.4 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Application Security** | 9.8 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Workload Protection** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | | **Data Protection** | 9.8 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Identity Management | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Adaptive Access Control** | 9.3 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Identity Scoring** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | | **User Monitoring** | 8.3 (6 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Generative AI | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **AI Text Summarization** | 6.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **AI Text Generation** | 7.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | ### Firewall Software | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | 9.0/10 | 5 | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Administration | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Policy Management** | 8.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Logging and Reporting** | 8.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Application Gateway** | 8.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Concurrent Sessions** | 9.7 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Agentic AI - Firewall Software | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Functionality | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Virtual Private Network (VPN)** | 10.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Antivirus** | 8.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **URL Filtering** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Availability** | 9.0 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Monitoring | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Load Balancing** | 9.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Continuous Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Intrusion Prevention** | 9.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | | **Intrusion Detection** | 9.3 (5 reviews) | Not enough data | #### Generative AI | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **AI Text Summarization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Artificial Intelligence - Firewall | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **AI Firewall** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | N/A | N/A | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Functionality | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **User provisioning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Password manager** | Feature Not Available | Not enough data | | **Single Sign-on** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Enforces policies** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Authentication** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Multi-factor authentication** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Type | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **On-premises solution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud-solution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Reporting | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Tracking** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Reporting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Access & Permission Change Reporting** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Compliance & Audit Trail Export** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Authentication & Authorization - Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Adaptive & Contextual Access Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Administration & Governance - Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Identity Lifecycle Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Self‑Service Account Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Generative AI - Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **AI‑Driven Access Anomaly Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Automated Policy Tuning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Predictive Role Recommendations** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Secure Web Gateways | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | N/A | N/A | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Web Content and Traffic Filtering - Secure Web Gateways | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **SSL/TLS Inspection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Content Filtering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **URL Filtering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Real-Time Traffic Inspection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Ad and Tracker Blocking** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Data Protection and Loss Prevention - Secure Web Gateways | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Data Loss Prevention (DLP)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Phishing Protection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Malware Protection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud Access Security** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Access Control and Authentication - Secure Web Gateways | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Application Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Authentication and Access Control** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **User and Group Policies** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Performance and Management - Secure Web Gateways | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Customizable Policy Enforcement** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Bandwidth Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Integration Capabilities** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Reporting and Logging** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Threat Intelligence Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platforms | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | N/A | N/A | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Components - Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Wide Area Network (WAN)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Secure Web Gateway (SWG)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Firewall as a Service** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Artificial Intelligence - Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Predictive Capabilities** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Real-Time Threat Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Automation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Agentic AI - Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platforms | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Secure Service Edge (SSE) Solutions | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | N/A | N/A | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Components - Secure Service Edge (SSE) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Secure Web Gateway (SWG)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Firewall as a Service** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Artificial Intelligence -Secure Service Edge (SSE) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Automation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Predictive Capabilities** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Real-Time Threat Detection** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Agentic AI - Secure Service Edge (SSE) | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Cloud Security | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | N/A | N/A | | **Tailscale** | N/A | N/A | #### Cloud Visibility | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Data Discovery** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud Registry** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Cloud Gap Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Security | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Data Security** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Data loss Prevention** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Security Auditing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | #### Identity | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **SSO** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **Governance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | | **User Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | ### Business VPN | Product | Score | Reviews | |---|---|---| | **NordLayer** | 8.6/10 | 91 | | **Tailscale** | 9.0/10 | 16 | #### Usage | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Multi-Device Usage** | 8.9 (82 reviews) | 9.9 (16 reviews) | | **Multiple Concurrent Connections** | 8.6 (77 reviews) | 9.8 (14 reviews) | | **Protocol Choices** | 8.4 (44 reviews) | 8.3 (11 reviews) | | **Unlimited Bandwidth** | 8.4 (81 reviews) | 9.7 (13 reviews) | | **No Log Storage** | 8.6 (74 reviews) | 8.0 (11 reviews) | | **Varied Server Locations** | 8.8 (81 reviews) | 9.1 (11 reviews) | | **Unlimited Server Switches** | 8.7 (77 reviews) | 9.3 (10 reviews) | #### Miscellaneous | Feature | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Live Customer Support** | 8.3 (70 reviews) | 8.3 (7 reviews) | | **Open Source Code** | Feature Not Available | 8.9 (11 reviews) | | **Multiple Payment Methods** | Feature Not Available | 8.3 (5 reviews) | --- ## Categories **Shared Categories (1):** [Business VPN Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/business-vpn) **Unique to NordLayer (7):** [Secure Web Gateway Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/secure-web-gateways), [Zero Trust Networking Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/zero-trust-networking), [Network Access Control Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/network-access-control-nac), [Identity and Access Management (IAM) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/identity-and-access-management-iam), [Firewall Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/firewall-software), [Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/secure-access-service-edge-sase-platforms), [Secure Service Edge (SSE) Solutions](https://www.g2.com/categories/secure-service-edge-sse-solutions) --- ## Reviewer Demographics ### By Company Size | Segment | NordLayer | Tailscale | |---|---|---| | **Small-Business** | 56.3% | 65.5% | | **Mid-Market** | 33.3% | 31.0% | | **Enterprise** | 10.3% | 3.4% | ### By Industry #### NordLayer - **Computer Software:** 17.5% - **Information Technology and Services:** 11.9% - **Financial Services:** 5.6% - **Internet:** 5.6% - **Marketing and Advertising:** 5.6% - **Computer & Network Security:** 4.8% - **Hospital & Health Care:** 3.2% - **Health, Wellness and Fitness:** 3.2% - **Management Consulting:** 3.2% - **Construction:** 3.2% - **Other:** 36.5% #### Tailscale - **Information Technology and Services:** 24.1% - **Computer Software:** 24.1% - **Computer & Network Security:** 10.3% - **Higher Education:** 6.9% - **Telecommunications:** 3.4% - **Renewables & Environment:** 3.4% - **Marketing and Advertising:** 3.4% - **Internet:** 3.4% - **Industrial Automation:** 3.4% - **Financial Services:** 3.4% - **Other:** 13.8% --- ## Alternatives ### Alternatives to NordLayer - [Check Point SASE](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-sase/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (215 reviews) - [Okta](https://www.g2.com/products/okta/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1226 reviews) - [Cisco Duo](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-duo/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (514 reviews) - [Sophos Firewall](https://www.g2.com/products/sophos-firewall/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (619 reviews) - [Netgate pfSense](https://www.g2.com/products/netgate-pfsense/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (325 reviews) - [JumpCloud](https://www.g2.com/products/jumpcloud/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (3968 reviews) - [Check Point Next Generation Firewalls (NGFWs)](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-next-generation-firewalls-ngfws/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (583 reviews) - [Microsoft Entra ID](https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-entra-id/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (908 reviews) - [Agentforce 360 Platform (formerly Salesforce Platform)](https://www.g2.com/products/agentforce-360-platform-formerly-salesforce-platform/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (4000 reviews) - [BetterCloud](https://www.g2.com/products/bettercloud/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (482 reviews) ### Alternatives to Tailscale - [Twingate](https://www.g2.com/products/twingate/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (76 reviews) - [OpenVPN Access Server](https://www.g2.com/products/openvpn-access-server/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (339 reviews) - [OpenVPN CloudConnexa](https://www.g2.com/products/openvpn-cloudconnexa/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (124 reviews) - [Netgate pfSense](https://www.g2.com/products/netgate-pfsense/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (325 reviews) - [Check Point SASE](https://www.g2.com/products/check-point-sase/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (215 reviews) - [Cisco Secure Client](https://www.g2.com/products/cisco-secure-client/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (345 reviews) - [Absolute Secure Access](https://www.g2.com/products/absolute-secure-access/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (225 reviews) - [WireGuard](https://www.g2.com/products/wireguard/reviews) — 4.8/5 stars (14 reviews) - [AWS Client VPN](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-client-vpn/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (22 reviews) - [SoftEther VPN](https://www.g2.com/products/softether-vpn/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (17 reviews) --- ## Top Discussions ### NordLayer - Title: [How has NordLayer improved your network security, and what features do you rely on?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/how-has-nordlayer-improved-your-network-security-and-what-features-do-you-rely-on) — 1 comment, 1 upvote > **Top comment:** "- Encrypted data with AES-256 for secure transmission - Implemented Zero Trust Network Access to reduce internal threats - Provided safe remote access..." - Title: [What is NordLayer used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-nordlayer-used-for) — 1 comment > **Top comment:** "NordLayer helps organizations of all sizes enhance their internet security and modernize network and resource access with technical improvements aligning..." ### Tailscale No discussions available for this product. --- **Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/nordlayer-vs-tailscale)