# Pangolin vs ZeroTier Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Pangolin and ZeroTier are both networking on a Mac, so the pick depends on workflow. Choose Pangolin when you want self-hosted, identity-aware proxying through your own domain. Choose ZeroTier when you want a hosted-free, zero-config Layer 2. As of September 2026, both install with brew install --cask pangolin and brew install --cask zerotier-one. Re-verified August 2026: Pangolin (Fosrl, free self-hosted, docs.pangolin.net, 1.5.x) and ZeroTier One (hosted mesh, free tier + paid scale, 1.14.x) remain complementary answers to 'how do I securely reach my private services from a Mac?' Pangolin wins on sovereignty and HTTP-aware, per-route identity control; ZeroTier wins on zero-infrastructure global mesh and protocol universality. Scores tie at 8.3/10 because each solves the other's hard problem: Pangolin asks you to operate a VPS to own your relay, ZeroTier asks you to trust hosted roots to skip that operation. For many Mac homelabs the pragmatic answer in 2026 is both: Pangolin as the polished front door for dashboards, ZeroTier as the private backbone for everything else. ## Head to head | Factor | Pangolin | ZeroTier | | --- | --- | --- | | Price | Free | Free | | Open Source | No | Yes | | Replaces | Tailscale ($18/month) | Tailscale ($5/user/month) | | Best for | vpn, proxy, remote access | vpn, mesh, networking | | Install | brew install --cask pangolin | brew install --cask zerotier-one | | Category | Developer Tools | Security & Privacy | ## Pangolin Identity-aware VPN and proxy for remote access Install: `brew install --cask pangolin` [Pangolin on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/pangolin) ## ZeroTier Global software-defined networking Install: `brew install --cask zerotier-one` [ZeroTier on Bundl](https://bundl.run/apps/zerotier-one) ## Features - **Primary Networking Model.** HTTP-aware proxy (Pangolin) versus universal mesh (ZeroTier) — different primitives for different jobs. - **Self-Hosting & Data Sovereignty.** Pangolin wins for sovereignty maximalists; ZeroTier trades some self-hosting purity for hosted convenience. - **Setup & NAT Traversal.** ZeroTier is the lower-friction path to 'my devices can see each other'; Pangolin asks you to operate infrastructure. - **Access Control Granularity.** Pangolin's HTTP-aware auth is more expressive for web services; ZeroTier's model is network membership. - **Protocol & OS Breadth.** ZeroTier carries any protocol; Pangolin optimizes for web service exposure. - **Scalability & Free Tier.** Pangolin is cheaper for large self-hosted estates; ZeroTier's free tier is generous for personal meshes. - **macOS Experience (Apple Silicon / Tahoe 26.x).** ZeroTier offers a more native Mac client experience; Pangolin is accessed from the Mac rather than installed on it. ## FAQ ### Should I choose Pangolin or ZeroTier for my MacBook and homelab in 2026? Choose Pangolin if you want to expose internal web services through your own domain with per-route SSO and you are willing to run a VPS and Compose stack. Choose ZeroTier if you want a zero-config mesh where your MacBook and homelab share a virtual LAN regardless of NAT, with no server to host. ### How much do Pangolin and ZeroTier cost? Pangolin software is free and open source; you pay only for the VPS and domain you bring. ZeroTier offers a free tier for up to ~25 nodes, with paid tiers starting near US$5/month for larger fleets. Many users keep ZeroTier free for personal meshes while running Pangolin for HTTP exposure. ### Do I need a VPS for Pangolin? Yes for the canonical deployment: Badger runs on a VPS with a public IP and your domain (ports 80/443 plus the tunnel plane). ZeroTier requires no VPS for basic meshes — its Roots and Central are hosted for you, with self-hosted controllers as an advanced option. ### Which is better for non-HTTP protocols like SSH or SMB? ZeroTier. Its Layer 2 virtual Ethernet carries any IP protocol, so SSH, SMB, mDNS, and site-to-site bridging work naturally. Pangolin optimizes for HTTP/HTTPS exposure; raw protocol generality is not its headline feature, though WireGuard peers can carry TCP/UDP. ### Are both safe on macOS Tahoe 26.x and Apple Silicon? Yes. ZeroTier ships a Universal macOS client tested on Tahoe 26.x; Pangolin is accessed from the Mac via browser or WireGuard, with server components in Docker that run on Apple Silicon hosts where deployed. ### Can Pangolin and ZeroTier be used together? Yes, commonly. Use Pangolin for identity-gated HTTP dashboards through one domain and ZeroTier for full mesh adjacency and non-HTTP protocols. They occupy complementary layers rather than mutually exclusive choices. ### Was either product discontinued or acquired? No. Both were actively maintained on GitHub through 2026 (Pangolin 1.5.x line, ZeroTier 1.14.x) and neither was acquired. Pangolin's community growth mirrors the broader self-hosted tunnel trend adjacent to Cloudflare Tunnel. ## Sources - [Pangolin — official site](https://pangolin.net/) - [Pangolin GitHub (Fosrl) releases](https://github.com/fosrl/pangolin/releases) - [Pangolin docs — self-hosted deployment & architecture](https://docs.pangolin.net/) - [ZeroTier — official site](https://www.zerotier.com/) - [ZeroTierOne GitHub releases (v1.14.x)](https://github.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne/releases) - [Homebrew cask: zerotier-one](https://formulae.brew.sh/cask/zerotier-one) - [ZeroTier pricing (free tier and paid tiers)](https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/) - [Pangolin as Cloudflare Tunnel alternative — AlternativeTo](https://alternativeto.net/software/pangolin/) ## Related - [Pangolin vs Tailscale](https://bundl.run/compare/pangolin-vs-tailscale) - [Tailscale vs ZeroTier](https://bundl.run/compare/tailscale-vs-zerotier) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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