Learn how OpenVPN and Tailscale differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these vpn & secure access tools is best for you.

Both OpenVPN and Tailscale have their unique strengths and serve similar purposes effectively. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Tailscale leads in popularity with 34,530 stars vs 14,315 stars for OpenVPN. The 141% higher star count indicates stronger community adoption. In terms of developer contributions, OpenVPN has 3,370 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.
Both projects show recent activity, with OpenVPN last updated 9 hours ago and Tailscale 4 hours ago.
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash, C, Objective-C. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: OpenVPN uses Python, Perl while Tailscale leverages JavaScript, CSS, Typescript, JSX, Golang, Swift, Lua.
OpenVPN has been in development longer, starting 14 years ago, compared to Tailscale which began 6 years ago. This 7.9-year head start suggests OpenVPN may have more mature features and established processes.
Tailscale is licensed under BSD-3-Clause, while OpenVPN's license terms are not publicly specified.
Both tools serve similar use cases in VPN & Secure Access. However, they also have distinct specializations: Tailscale extends into VPN & Secure Tunnels.

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