Head to head · VPNs and secure access
Tailscale vs OpenVPN: Market Share & Payment Activity (October 2026)
- Payment-activity rank
- #112
- Spend rank
- #188
- Payment-activity rank
- #215
- Spend rank
- #235
Tailscale accounts for 0.12% of all software purchases on Cledara (#112 overall); OpenVPN holds 0.06% (#215), and has climbed 24 rank positions in the last 12 months.
Quick answer
As of October 2026, Tailscale ranks #112 and OpenVPN #215 in Cledara's software popularity ranking. They account for 0.12% and 0.06% of all software purchases respectively. Over the last 12 months, Tailscale dropped 20 positions and OpenVPN climbed 24 positions, based on real software purchases by companies using Cledara.
Market share over time
Each product's monthly share of all software payment activity on Cledara, so you can see who is gaining ground and when.
View the chart data
| Month | Tailscale | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Feb 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Mar 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Apr 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| May 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Jun 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Jul 2022 | 0.1% | 0% |
| Aug 2022 | 0% | 0% |
| Sep 2022 | 0% | 0% |
| Oct 2022 | 0% | 0% |
| Nov 2022 | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 2022 | 0% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2023 | 0% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2023 | 0% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Apr 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| May 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Oct 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Nov 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Dec 2023 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Apr 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| May 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Oct 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Nov 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Dec 2024 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Apr 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| May 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2025 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Oct 2025 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Dec 2025 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Feb 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| May 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jun 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Aug 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Oct 2026 | 0.1% | 0.1% |
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Spend rank vs payment-activity rank
Which stack does each tool live in?
Tailscale
- OpenAI 87.6%
- Figma 83.1%
- GitHub 82%
- Adobe 78.7%
- Anthropic 78.7%
OpenVPN
- Adobe 84.1%
- Atlassian 81.2%
- GitHub 81.2%
- OpenAI 81.2%
- Figma 79.7%
What the data shows for Tailscale vs OpenVPN
Tailscale is the more popular of the two, ranking #112 as of October 2026, ahead of OpenVPN at #215. OpenVPN is closing the gap: it climbed 24 positions over the past year, while Tailscale dropped 20 positions. Over the past year, Tailscale's share of all software purchases has fallen from 0.15% to 0.12%, while OpenVPN's has held at 0.06%. Tailscale also ranks higher by spend (#188 versus #235), so it leads on both how often companies buy it and how much they pay. By spend, Tailscale takes 0.07% of all software spend and OpenVPN 0.05%. Each product's popularity and spend history is charted below, month by month. For buyers, the rankings show which product the market is choosing and which has the momentum; pair that with a trial against your own workflows and budget to make the final call.
Tailscale vs OpenVPN: frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Tailscale or OpenVPN?
Tailscale is more popular: it ranks #112 in Cledara's software popularity ranking, ahead of OpenVPN at #215 as of October 2026. The ranking counts every purchase and renewal over the last 12 months, so it reflects the tool companies keep paying for.
How have Tailscale and OpenVPN changed in popularity?
OpenVPN has climbed 24 rank positions in the last 12 months, while Tailscale dropped 20 positions. That has narrowed the gap between OpenVPN and the leader, Tailscale.
Do companies switch between Tailscale and OpenVPN?
There is no strong switching pattern between Tailscale and OpenVPN in Cledara's data. Each product's popularity and spend history is charted above, so you can see how both have moved over time.
Which is bigger by spend, Tailscale or OpenVPN?
Tailscale ranks higher by spend: Tailscale is #188 and OpenVPN #235. The spend ranking orders every software product by how much companies pay for it over the last 12 months.
Is Tailscale better than OpenVPN for zero-trust networking use cases?
Tailscale is the more popular choice (#112 against #215), and Tailscale wins more of the budget by spend. Use that market signal to shortlist, then trial both against your own zero-trust networking workflows and budget.
How does your company compare?
This page shows the market. Cledara shows how your own software stack and spend compare, and helps you manage every subscription in one place.