Tailscale vs OpenVPN: Market Share & Adoption Data (August 2026)

Tailscale logoTailscale#108 by adoption#197 by spend
OpenVPN logoOpenVPN#209 by adoption#244 by spend

Tailscale holds 0.13% of SaaS market share by adoption (#108 overall); OpenVPN holds 0.06% (#209), and has climbed 19 rank positions in the last 12 months.

Tailscale vs OpenVPN market share over time

Monthly market share by adoption and by spend, full history. Share is each product's percentage of all SaaS purchasing activity tracked in the dataset that month.

MonthTailscale adoption shareOpenVPN adoption shareTailscale spend shareOpenVPN spend share
Jan-20220.08%0.02%0.01%0.06%
Feb-20220.08%0.02%0.01%0.06%
Mar-20220.08%0.03%0.01%0.06%
Apr-20220.07%0.02%0.01%0.05%
May-20220.06%0.04%0.01%0.05%
Jun-20220.06%0.04%0.00%0.04%
Jul-20220.05%0.04%0.00%0.03%
Aug-20220.05%0.04%0.01%0.04%
Sep-20220.04%0.04%0.01%0.05%
Oct-20220.04%0.05%0.01%0.05%
Nov-20220.04%0.05%0.01%0.05%
Dec-20220.04%0.05%0.01%0.05%
Jan-20230.04%0.06%0.01%0.05%
Feb-20230.05%0.06%0.01%0.05%
Mar-20230.05%0.06%0.02%0.07%
Apr-20230.05%0.07%0.02%0.08%
May-20230.05%0.07%0.02%0.08%
Jun-20230.06%0.07%0.02%0.09%
Jul-20230.06%0.07%0.02%0.09%
Aug-20230.06%0.07%0.02%0.09%
Sep-20230.06%0.07%0.02%0.09%
Oct-20230.06%0.07%0.02%0.14%
Nov-20230.06%0.08%0.03%0.16%
Dec-20230.06%0.08%0.03%0.17%
Jan-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.17%
Feb-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.17%
Mar-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.17%
Apr-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.16%
May-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.16%
Jun-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.17%
Jul-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.17%
Aug-20240.06%0.08%0.02%0.16%
Sep-20240.07%0.08%0.03%0.16%
Oct-20240.07%0.08%0.03%0.13%
Nov-20240.07%0.07%0.03%0.11%
Dec-20240.08%0.07%0.03%0.10%
Jan-20250.08%0.07%0.03%0.11%
Feb-20250.08%0.07%0.03%0.11%
Mar-20250.09%0.07%0.04%0.10%
Apr-20250.10%0.07%0.04%0.10%
May-20250.11%0.06%0.04%0.09%
Jun-20250.12%0.06%0.04%0.09%
Jul-20250.13%0.06%0.04%0.08%
Aug-20250.14%0.06%0.05%0.08%
Sep-20250.15%0.06%0.05%0.08%
Oct-20250.15%0.06%0.05%0.06%
Nov-20250.15%0.06%0.05%0.06%
Dec-20250.15%0.06%0.05%0.05%
Jan-20260.15%0.06%0.07%0.06%
Feb-20260.15%0.06%0.07%0.06%
Mar-20260.14%0.06%0.07%0.05%
Apr-20260.14%0.06%0.06%0.05%
May-20260.13%0.06%0.06%0.05%
Jun-20260.12%0.06%0.06%0.05%
Jul-20260.12%0.06%0.06%0.05%
Aug-20260.13%0.06%0.07%0.05%

Spend rank vs adoption rank

ProductRank by adoptionRank by spendAdoption shareSpend share12-mo rank change
Tailscale#108#1970.13%0.07%-9
OpenVPN#209#2440.06%0.05%+19

Tailscale ranks higher by adoption (#108) than by spend (#197) — it is widely adopted at a comparatively low price point.

OpenVPN ranks higher by adoption (#209) than by spend (#244) — it is widely adopted at a comparatively low price point.

What companies adopt after leaving OpenVPN

Among companies whose OpenVPN subscription lapsed in the last 90 days, these are the most-adopted tools in the same workflow, as a share of switchers:

  1. GitHub — adopted by 63.6% of switchers
  2. Atlassian — adopted by 63.6% of switchers
  3. N/A — adopted by 54.5% of switchers

Which stack does each tool live in?

Tools most often found alongside Tailscale

ToolCategoryOverlap with companies paying for Tailscale
OpenAIAI Platforms & Model Ops87.2%
FigmaMarketing & Growth82.1%
GitHubEngineering & DevOps80.8%
AdobeMarketing & Growth79.5%
Google WorkspaceCollaboration & Productivity78.2%

Tools most often found alongside OpenVPN

ToolCategoryOverlap with companies paying for OpenVPN
AdobeMarketing & Growth83.8%
AtlassianCollaboration & Productivity80.9%
FigmaMarketing & Growth79.4%
OpenAIAI Platforms & Model Ops79.4%
GitHubEngineering & DevOps77.9%

Analyst take: what the data says about Tailscale vs OpenVPN

Tailscale has the clearer adoption lead as of August 2026, ranking #108 overall compared with OpenVPN at #209. OpenVPN is closing the gap: it climbed 19 positions, while Tailscale dropped 9 positions. By spend, Tailscale ranks higher (#197 versus #244), which shows where more of the measured software budget currently sits. The switching signal adds useful context: after leaving OpenVPN, some companies adopted GitHub or Atlassian. The practical takeaway is to separate market position from product fit: the rankings show which tool is more established and where buying momentum is moving, but they do not measure features, price, or quality. Use those signals to build a shortlist, then decide against your own workflows and requirements.

Tailscale and OpenVPN at a glance

Tailscale: Tailscale is a VPN service that provides secure remote access to shared resources for teams. It allows team members to easily connect their devices and development environments to access resources remotely. The product offers several use cases, including Business VPN, remote access, site-to-site net

OpenVPN: OpenVPN is a platform designed for implementing virtual private network (VPN) techniques. It facilitates secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections, whether in routed or bridged configurations, and offers solutions for remote access capabilities.

ProductCategorySubcategoryPrimary teamAI classification
TailscaleIT & SecurityNetwork & VPNIT / OpsTraditional
OpenVPNIT & SecuritySecurityIT / OpsTraditional

Tailscale vs OpenVPN: frequently asked questions

Which is more popular, Tailscale or OpenVPN?

Tailscale is more widely adopted in this data as of August 2026. It ranks #108 overall, while OpenVPN ranks #209. This measures observed software adoption, not product quality or suitability for a particular company.

Which is growing faster, Tailscale or OpenVPN?

OpenVPN has climbed 19 rank positions in the last 12 months, while Tailscale dropped 9 positions. This is a change in relative adoption rank; it does not prove that companies are leaving one product for the other.

Do companies switch between Tailscale and OpenVPN?

There is a switching signal after companies leave OpenVPN. The most common measured destinations include GitHub, Atlassian, N/A. This shows what happened next in the data, not why a company changed tools.

Which is bigger by spend, Tailscale or OpenVPN?

Tailscale ranks higher by measured spend. Tailscale is #197 and OpenVPN is #244. Spend rank shows where more of the observed software budget sits; it does not explain pricing or value.

Is Tailscale better than OpenVPN for zero-trust networking use cases?

This data cannot determine which product is better. It measures adoption, spend position, momentum, and—in some cases—overlap. Use those signals to understand market position, then compare the products against your own workflows, requirements, and budget.