Alternatives
Best Zerotier alternatives in 2026
Data compiled by Toolradar Updated How we rate
Cite this list: Toolradar, best Zerotier alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/zerotier
5 direct alternatives to Zerotier and 3 more tools in the same category, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.
Quick answer
- OpenVPN is the top alternative to Zerotier on our list, followed by Cloudflare and Twingate.
- 5 of the 8 alternatives have a free plan, starting with OpenVPN.
- Highest rated: Tailscale, 4.8 out of 5 from 38 ratings, Sep 2026.
- 8 alternatives
- 5 direct
- 5 with a free plan
Top 3 alternatives to Zerotier
OpenVPN
#1 Top pickOpen-source VPN protocol and software
Starting price
From $7 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026
4.3 /5 across SourceForge, Trustpilot, G2 and more · 574 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Cloudflare
#2Internet security & performance
Starting price
From $25 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026
4.3 /5 on PeerSpot · 79 ratings, May 2026
Twingate
#3Zero-trust network access, better than VPN
Starting price
From $5 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026
4.6 /5 on G2 · 82 ratings, Sep 2026
Zerotier vs 8 alternatives
| Tool | Starting price (Nov 2026) | Free plan | Rating | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Price: Free + paid | Free plan: Yes | 4.2 out of 5, from 25 ratings across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot (25) | |
| Price: $7/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.3 out of 5, from 574 ratings across SourceForge, Trustpilot, G2 and more (574) | Direct alternative |
| Price: $25/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.3 out of 5, from 79 ratings on PeerSpot (79) | Direct alternative |
| Price: $5/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.6 out of 5, from 82 ratings on G2 (82) | Direct alternative |
 | Price: Free | Free plan: Yes | 4.4 out of 5, from 17 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (17) | Direct alternative |
 | Price: $8/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.8 out of 5, from 38 ratings across G2 and Capterra (38) | Direct alternative |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 2,341 ratings across G2 and Capterra (2,341) | Same category as Zerotier |
 | Price: $3.49/mo | Free plan: No | 4.0 out of 5, from 18,319 ratings across G2, Capterra, SourceForge and more (18,319) | Same category as Zerotier |
 | Price: $1.5/mo | Free plan: No | 4.7 out of 5, from 3,747 ratings on G2 (3,747) | Same category as Zerotier |
Why people consider alternatives to Zerotier
ZeroTier creates virtual networks across locations. Software-defined networking-connecting devices anywhere as if local. The networking is virtual. The reach is global.
Here are the real cost and limitation gotchas that push teams to look elsewhere:
- Free tier was reduced from 25 devices to 10 devices and from unlimited networks to 1 network. Existing free users may have been grandfathered, but new signups get the reduced limits
- Network admin seats are limited per tier: 1 (Personal), 5 (Essential), 10 (Scale). Additional admin seats require upgrading to a higher tier, you cannot add admins a la carte
- Self-hosted controllers are possible (open source) but eliminate central management features, audit logging, and support. Running your own controller saves money but adds operational burden
- Audit logs are only available on Essential and above (30-day retention). Scale gets extended retention. Compliance-focused organizations may need Scale tier purely for audit requirements
The 5 direct alternatives below cover the same core job (security) with different trade-offs. The 3 tools marked "Same category as Zerotier" fit the category but replace Zerotier less directly.
Zerotier by the numbers
Toolradar data: Its head-to-head comparison pages had 99 visits in the last 30 days, ranking #14 of 179 tools with 20+ compare-page visits in Cloud & Infrastructure. As of Nov 2026.
| Metric | Zerotier | Peer median | Position (1 is best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | 57% have one | n/a |
| Listed as an alternative to | 8 tools | 3 | #114 of 520 (joint) |
| User rating | 4.2/5 (across the web, 25 ratings) | 4.5/5 | #178 of 226 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews |
| Compare-page visits, last 30 days | 99 visits | 33 | #14 of 179 tools with 20+ compare-page visits |
Visitors most often compare Zerotier with Tailscale, WireGuard and Cloudflare (last 30 days, Nov 2026).
Listed as an alternative to: #113 on 2026-10-16 to #114 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 520 tools, 1 is best).
Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. All Cloud & Infrastructure data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.
Cite this: Toolradar, “Zerotier by the numbers”, Nov 2026.
Security leaderboards from Toolradar data
Toolradar ranks Security tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Nov 2026.
Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 171 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | HashiCorp Vault | $0.50/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | Runbox | $0.66/mo, billed yearly |
| 3 | uTerminal | $0.83/mo, billed yearly |
| 4 | Alive | $0.99/mo, billed monthly |
| 5 | Addy.io | $1/mo, billed yearly |
Lowest entry price, per-user plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 40 tools priced per user, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoho Mail | $1/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | AccessOwl | $1.50/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 3 | Corma | $3/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 3 | Duo Security | $3/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 3 | Fastmail | $3/user/mo, billed monthly |
Lowest entry price, flat team plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 15 tools priced as a flat team plan, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hide.me | $2.50/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 2 | 1Password | $3.99/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 3 | Malwarebytes | $5/mo flat, billed yearly |
| 4 | Sentaro | $6/mo flat, billed yearly |
| 5 | Avast | $6.50/mo flat, billed yearly |
Most visited, last 30 days
Distinct visitor sessions on the tool's Toolradar page over the last 30 days, with bots excluded by our analytics. A session counts once however many times it reloads the page.
Counted among 11 tools with 50+ visits.
| # | Tool | Visits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proton VPN | 1,427 visits |
| 2 | Hide.me | 834 visits |
| 3 | Windscribe VPN | 639 visits |
| 4 | Opera | 619 visits |
| 5 | ZoogVPN | 365 visits |
Most media coverage, last 30 days
Number of distinct articles published in the last 30 days by independent press, blogs and newsletters that mention the tool. A story carried by several outlets counts once; the vendor's own blog, review sites, forums and republishing sites do not count.
Counted among 33 tools mentioned in the last 30 days.
| # | Tool | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ServiceNow | 21 articles |
| 2 | GitLab | 13 articles |
| 3 | ConnectWise | 12 articles |
| 4 | BitGo | 9 articles |
| 5 | Harmonic Security | 5 articles |
A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 234 of 735 Security tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “Security leaderboards”, Nov 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All Security statistics.
8 alternatives to Zerotier
Direct alternatives come first, ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review. Tools marked "Same category as Zerotier" follow, ranked the same way.
- 1
OpenVPN
Free planOpen-source VPN protocol and software
4.3 /5 across SourceForge, Trustpilot, G2 and more · 574 ratings, Sep 2026
From $7/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
- 2
Cloudflare
Free planInternet security & performance
4.3 /5 on PeerSpot · 79 ratings, May 2026
From $25/mo, billed yearly; free plan available
- 3
Twingate
Free plan Higher rated by usersZero-trust network access, better than VPN
4.6 /5 on G2 · 82 ratings, Sep 2026
From $5/user/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
- 4
WireGuard
100% free Higher rated by usersFast, simple, and secure VPN protocol
4.4 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 17 ratings, Aug 2026
Free
- 5
Tailscale
Free plan Higher rated by usersSecurely connect your devices like they're on the same network, anywhere
4.8 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 38 ratings, Sep 2026
From $8/user/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
- 6
ServiceNow
Paid Higher rated by usersDigitize and automate workflows for IT, HR, and customer service
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 2,341 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
Same category as Zerotier
- 7
NordVPN
Paid Battle-tested at scaleOnline VPN service for privacy
4.0 /5 across G2, Capterra, SourceForge and more · 18,319 ratings, Sep 2026
From $3.49/mo, billed monthly
Same category as Zerotier
- 8
NinjaOne
Paid Higher rated by usersThe easiest IT management platform for unified endpoint management and IT operations.
4.7 /5 on G2 · 3,747 ratings, Mar 2026
From $1.50/endpoint/mo, billed monthly
Same category as Zerotier
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Zerotier?
Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to Zerotier are OpenVPN, Cloudflare, Twingate. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.
Is there a free alternative to Zerotier?
Yes. WireGuard is 100% free (no paid upgrade path) (Fast, simple, and secure VPN protocol). Freemium tools on this list offer a free tier with paid upgrades; they are not the same as fully free.
Why do people look for Zerotier alternatives?
Common reasons teams switch away from Zerotier: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in security. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.
Side-by-side comparisons
In-depth comparison pages for Zerotier versus each alternative.
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