Headscale vs OpenVPN

Comparing two open source alternatives to ExpressVPN and NordVPN. Use the comparison below to decide which one fits your needs.

Headscale

BSD-3-Clause license

Headscale is an open-source, self-hosted implementation of the Tailscale control server. Build your own private WireGuard mesh VPN without a vendor lock-in.

Visit Full details

OpenVPN

GPL-2.0

OpenVPN is an open source VPN daemon

Visit Full details

Side-by-side comparison

	Headscale	OpenVPN
License	BSD-3-Clause license	GPL-2.0
Self-hostable	Yes	Yes
GitHub Stars	44,088	14,598
Forks	2,582	3,405
Open Issues	140	225
Last Commit	Sep 23, 2026	Sep 24, 2026
First Released	Jun 21, 2020	Apr 26, 2012
Categories	Virtual Private Network	Virtual Private Network
Tags	#VPN #wireguard #tailscale	#security #VPN

GitHub stars over time

Headscale44,088

OpenVPN

Similar open source alternatives

Obscura VPN

Open-source two-party VPN that cryptographically prevents both Obscura and its exit hop from seeing your traffic.

Alternative to:

NordVPN

SelfPrivacy

Free app that turns a Hetzner or DigitalOcean VPS into your own private cloud, deploying email, Nextcloud, VPN, and more from Android or desktop.

Alternative to:

Dropbox