NetBird provides a self-hostable control plane for WireGuard-based connectivity. WZ-IT plans the migration, integrates identity, policies and routing and can take over operations. Vendor licence and WZ-IT service are shown separately.
Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT
The following are trademarks of their respective owners: Tailscale (Tailscale Inc.), Headscale (the Headscale project (Juan Font Alonso)). WZ-IT is an independent service provider and has no business, partnership, or contractual relationship with these companies. We offer independent migration, installation, hosting, and operations services. NetBird is a trademark of NetBird GmbH. WZ-IT is an official NetBird Reseller Partner. Commercial Starter and Enterprise can be purchased through WZ-IT where required; vendor licensing and WZ-IT services are itemised separately.
Hardly any team leaves Tailscale because of the technology. The three reasons we hear again and again in conversations:
The Personal plan covers up to 6 users. Standard costs $8 and Premium $18 per occupied user seat per month (as of August 2026). At 50 user seats this results in $400 or $900 per month; additional tagged resources may be billed separately.
The data plane is based on WireGuard, while the Tailscale control plane is operated as a proprietary SaaS service. Organisations with self-hosting, data-sovereignty or specific compliance requirements therefore need to assess whether this operating model fits.
The coordination layer cannot be self-hosted, the fallback relays (DERP) are operated by Tailscale, and Funnel exposes services exclusively under *.ts.net - custom domains are not possible. If you want the entire platform on your own infrastructure, you need a different foundation.
Tailscale provides an established SaaS operating model. This page is intended for teams whose seat-based billing, data-sovereignty or self-hosting requirements no longer fit that model.
Current Tailscale Standard and Premium plans are billed per occupied user seat. The table shows list prices excluding optional additional resources:
| Users | Tailscale Standard ($8/user/month) | Tailscale Premium ($18/user/month) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $80 per month | $180 per month |
| 25 | $200 per month | $450 per month |
| 50 | $400 per month | $900 per month |
| 100 | $800 per month | $1,800 per month |
A WZ-IT proposal cannot be compared by user count alone: it includes target architecture, infrastructure, operating scope and service level. NetBird vendor terms apply separately when Commercial Starter or Enterprise is required.
Tailscale list prices as of 6 August 2026: Personal up to 6 users, Standard $8 and Premium $18 per user seat per month. Source: tailscale.com/pricing. Additional tagged resources may be billed separately. WZ-IT is an independent service provider; all trademarks belong to their respective owners.
The choice depends on self-hosting, client compatibility, functional scope and the desired operating responsibility.
An independent open-source platform with its own control plane, dashboard, group-based access policies, SSO integration and network routes. Community Edition and commercial NetBird editions differ in scope; as an official Reseller Partner, we can supply Commercial Starter or Enterprise directly where required.
View NetBird at WZ-ITA community-maintained open-source reimplementation of the Tailscale control server that is not affiliated with Tailscale Inc. Official Tailscale clients connect to your own server. The project describes its scope as a single tailnet for personal use or smaller organisations.
View Headscale at WZ-ITIf self-hosting, your own control plane or a different operating model are not required, Tailscale may remain the appropriate solution. A migration should follow concrete technical, contractual or organisational requirements.
Four steps, no big bang: your tailnet stays in production until the last device has moved over cleanly.
We capture ACLs, tags, subnet routers, exit nodes, MagicDNS names, users and devices. This provides the target design and a technical assessment of whether NetBird, Headscale or remaining with Tailscale is appropriate.
We build management, signal and relay on your infrastructure, connect your identity provider (SSO) and translate the Tailscale ACLs into group-based access policies with groups and network routes.
Both overlays run at the same time: Tailscale stays in production while the NetBird network is brought up with a separate address range and tested against the current state. No big bang, no time pressure.
Devices and user groups switch one by one in a planned order. Tailscale remains as a rollback layer for each wave - the tailnet is only decommissioned in an orderly fashion after sign-off.
Clearly defined migration
WZ-IT builds the new secure-access path, migrates a pilot group and documents testing, rollback and the wider rollout.
The concepts largely correspond - only the names differ. The most important mappings for your inventory:
| Tailscale | NetBird | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MagicDNS | NetBird DNS | Devices are reachable via names instead of IP addresses. |
| ACLs (HuJSON policy file) | Access Policies | Group-based rules in the dashboard instead of a policy file - the access logic carries over, the syntax does not. |
| Subnet Router | Network Routes | Make entire networks reachable behind a routing peer. |
| Exit Node | Exit Node | Same concept, same name: route internet traffic via a defined peer. |
| Tailscale SSH | Identity-based SSH | Availability and scope are assessed for the deployed NetBird version and edition. |
| Funnel | No 1:1 equivalent | You publish services via your own reverse proxy such as Pangolin instead - with your own domains instead of *.ts.net. More about Pangolin |
Documented mappings reviewed in August 2026. Each item is configured from scratch in the NetBird setup and tested during parallel operation.
The usual objection to any Tailscale alternative is: "Then we have to operate it ourselves." You do not - that is exactly our offering:
Setup, operations and support for your NetBird environment without automatic WZ-IT billing per user or device. The proposal is based on architecture, infrastructure, operating scope and service level; required vendor licences are shown separately.
Enquiry
Name the tailnet, users, devices, and reason for the change. We assess NetBird, Headscale, migration, and required licences.
In-depth knowledge from our remote access knowledge base.
Answers to the most important questions
Community Edition can be self-hosted without a vendor licence; infrastructure, updates, monitoring and support still create operating effort. Commercial Starter adds high availability, SCIM and device approval for up to 50 users and 500 devices. For larger or individual requirements we assess Enterprise. WZ-IT supports selection and procurement and shows the vendor licence separately from the managed service.
Not necessarily. For up to 6 users without self-hosting requirements, the Tailscale Personal plan may be sufficient. A migration should primarily be assessed when seat-based billing, data-sovereignty or compliance requirements, or the need for a self-operated control plane conflict with the existing SaaS model.
Conceptually yes, via copy and paste no. Tailscale ACLs are a HuJSON policy file, while NetBird works with group-based access policies in the dashboard or via the API. The access logic - who may access what - can be mapped completely, but the translation is manual work. It is a fixed part of our migration package and is tested against the current state during parallel operation.
Headscale is a suitable option if you want to retain official Tailscale clients. The community-maintained project is not affiliated with Tailscale Inc. and deliberately describes its scope as a single tailnet for personal use or smaller organisations. If an independent platform with its own dashboard and a different policy model is required, we assess NetBird as an alternative.
Both have a direct equivalent: MagicDNS corresponds to NetBird DNS (devices remain reachable via names), exit nodes are also called exit nodes in NetBird, and subnet routers become network routes. The concepts move with you - they are, however, configured from scratch in the NetBird setup, which we handle as part of the migration.
That depends on the number of devices, the complexity of your ACLs and the number of subnet routers and exit nodes - a serious number only exists after the inventory, and that is exactly when we give you one. Thanks to running both overlays in parallel there is no time pressure though: every device switches individually, and Tailscale remains fully functional until the last cutover.
Yes. Both are WireGuard-based overlays with their own network interfaces. We configure the NetBird address range so it does not collide with your existing tailnet - then both networks run simultaneously during the migration, and the switch happens device by device instead of as a big-bang cutover.
On your infrastructure. Management, signal and relay services run on your servers - in your own data center or with a European provider of your choice. With Tailscale, by contrast, the coordination layer runs as SaaS operated by a US provider. It is exactly this layer - device identities, key distribution, policies - that you bring back under your own sovereignty with NetBird.
WZ-IT does not automatically bill the managed service per user or device. The proposal is based on architecture, infrastructure, operating scope and service level. Required NetBird vendor licences are shown separately; details are available on our VPN flatrate page.
No. WZ-IT has no business relationship with Tailscale Inc. or the Headscale project. WZ-IT is, however, an official NetBird Reseller Partner and can supply Commercial Starter and Enterprise. Our technical assessment still covers NetBird, Tailscale and Headscale; we only recommend migration where there is a clear technical or operational reason.
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These solutions are often used together with NetBird
These solutions offer similar functionalities and can be evaluated together
These solutions are direct alternatives with similar use cases
No risk: worst case, you leave with a clearer understanding of your project than before.
“WZ-IT's advice on our Azure migration was technically sound and completely non-binding right from the intro call - we took away a great deal.”
“WZ-IT moved our studio infrastructure from decentralised individual devices to a central platform: every site is securely connected via VPN, new devices are onboarded automatically and an entire site is provisioned from a template, without manual steps on location. What impressed me most is the breadth and depth of their knowledge: Timo and Robin are not a typical IT provider who sets up a server and leaves. The two of them think their way into highly complex infrastructure and software topics, work through every requirement we put in front of them, and build networking, provisioning and operations so that everything fits together in the end. WZ-IT is an excellent partner for complex software, network and architecture projects.”
Steve Kirchner
Managing Director, nextGYM GmbH
“Professional, honest and technically thoroughly sound: WZ-IT set up our Proxmox and backup infrastructure securely and future-proof. The consulting from Timo and Robin was objective and needs-driven, the implementation smooth and the final documentation exemplary. You can tell immediately that business-critical infrastructure is thought through holistically from the outset here and implemented with clear ownership.”
Pascal Block
Project Manager, Stadtwerke Brühl GmbH
Stadtwerke Brühl - municipal energy and infrastructure utility.
“Communication with WZ-IT was open, friendly and professional from the very beginning. Mr. Wevelsiep and Mr. Zins responded to every one of our questions patiently, promptly and respectfully, and contributed their own suggestions and good ideas on how to modernize our server infrastructure and adapt it even better to our needs. Throughout, WZ-IT consistently kept our need for data sovereignty and GDPR compliance in mind. Even short-notice adjustments and change requests from our side were implemented quickly and patiently and integrated consistently into the overall concept. From planning to the final handover, every step was documented transparently and comprehensively - so if a provider change should ever become necessary, the documentation would let us onboard a successor into our infrastructure very quickly. We are extremely satisfied with WZ-IT and hope to continue working together for a long time.”
Christoph Mußmann
Project Officer, DGHO e.V.
DGHO - German Society for Hematology and Medical Oncology.
“I got to know Timo and Robin as dedicated and professional partners who make a lot of things possible for their clients that initially seem impossible. I felt very well advised. The services offered have thoroughly convinced me. (translated)”
Andrea Pawlowski
Communications Manager, Golem.de
Golem.de - leading German IT news outlet.
“While looking for a partner to integrate a local AI solution, we came across Timo and Robin - and could not have made a better decision. They quickly understood our requirements and solved technical challenges competently and pragmatically. We were particularly impressed by the straightforward collaboration, their high level of expertise and the speed of implementation. We are delighted to have Timo and Robin at our side as reliable business partners and look forward to our next projects together. (translated)”
Henrik Jeche
Head of IT Administration
ml&s - full-service provider for the electronics industry.
“With Timo and Robin, you're not only on the safe side technically - you also get the best human support! Whether it's quick help in everyday life or complex IT solutions: the guys from WZ-IT think along with you, act quickly and speak a language you understand. The collaboration is uncomplicated, reliable and always on an equal footing. That makes IT fun - and above all: it works! Big thank you to the team! (translated)”
Sonja Aßer
Data Manager, ARGE
ARGE Neue Medien - master data & digital standards for plumbing and building technology.
“I recently worked with Timo and the WZ-IT team, and honestly, it turned out to be one of the best tech decisions I have made for my business. Right from the start, Timo took the time to walk me through every step in a simple and calm way. No matter how many questions I had, he never rushed me. The results speak for themselves. With WZ-IT, we reduced our monthly expenses from $1,300 down to $250. This was a huge win for us.”
Aleksandr Shuliko
CTO, EVA Real Estate
EVA Real Estate - leading real-estate agency in Dubai.
“WZ-IT manages our Proxmox cluster reliably and professionally. The team handles continuous monitoring and regular updates for us and responds very quickly to any issues or inquiries. They also configure new nodes, systems, and applications that we need to add to our cluster. With WZ-IT's proactive support, our cluster and the business-critical applications running on it remain stable, and high availability is consistently ensured. We value the professional collaboration and the noticeable relief it brings to our daily operations.”
Pascal Hakkers
Aphy AG
Aphy AG - AI platform for hotel back-office.
“WZ-IT provided very competent support in implementing our server and virtualization infrastructure. As part of the project, a Proxmox-based virtualization environment was set up along with a virtual machine for our application systems. Additionally, a structured backup concept was implemented. A particular focus was on security: the setup of a VPN tunnel and the clean implementation of encryption and access concepts were professionally executed. The structured consulting as well as the reliable and swift implementation deserve special mention. We are very satisfied with the services provided and are happy to recommend WZ-IT.”
John Hellmerichs
Managing Director, AInergy GmbH
AInergy - consultancy for energy and facility management.
“We have had very good experiences with Mr. Wevelsiep and WZ-IT. The consultation was professional, clearly understandable, and at fair prices. The team not only implemented our requirements but also thought along and proactively. Instead of just processing individual tasks, they provided us with well-founded explanations that strengthened our own understanding. WZ-IT took a lot of pressure off us with their structured approach - that was exactly what we needed and is the reason why we keep coming back. (translated)”
Matthias Zimmermann
Managing Director, Annota GmbH
Annota - healthtech startup with an AI documentation assistant.
“Timo and Robin from WZ-IT set up a RocketChat server for us - and I couldn't be more satisfied! From the initial consultation to the final implementation, everything was absolutely professional, efficient, and to my complete satisfaction. I particularly appreciate the clear communication, transparent pricing, and the comprehensive expertise that both bring to the table. Even after the setup, they take care of the maintenance, which frees up my time enormously and allows me to focus on other important areas of my business - with the good feeling that our IT is in the best hands. I can recommend WZ-IT without reservation and look forward to continuing our collaboration! (translated)”
Sebastian Maier
Managing Director, Yonju GmbH
Yonju - business coaching and AI products.
“Counting on WZ-IT team was crucial, their expertise and solutions gave us the pace to deploy in production our services, even suggesting and performing improvements over our configuration and setup. We expect to keep counting on them for continuous maintenance of our services and implementation of new solutions.”
Gabriel Sanz Señor
Managing Director, Odiseo Solutions
Odiseo Solutions - software engineering for the space industry.
“WZ-IT supported us professionally with the provisioning and setup of NetBird. Alongside the technical implementation, we also received well-founded advice on connecting our Kubernetes clusters. The recommendations were concrete and directly actionable. The collaboration was consistently reliable, fast and on equal terms. We can recommend WZ-IT without reservation.”
Kai Clauß
Head of Development, SweetConnect GmbH
SweetConnect - cross-manufacturer Industry 4.0 platform for confectionery production.
Whether a specific IT challenge or just an idea - we look forward to the exchange. In a brief conversation, we'll evaluate together if and how your project fits with WZ-IT.
Companies worldwide trust WZ-IT
