ZeroTier

Software-defined mesh networking, free up to 10 devices and one network, then billed per device

As of 1 September 2026, ZeroTier is free to use. A peer-to-peer virtual networking tool that joins devices across the internet into a single virtual LAN. Softwr lists it under Networking. ZeroTier is available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS.

Visit siteVisit ZeroTier

Overview

What ZeroTier does

ZeroTier creates virtual Ethernet networks over the internet, letting devices across different physical networks join the same virtual LAN with peer-to-peer connections established directly between devices where possible, falling back to relay only when a direct path is not available. It is used for everything from connecting a hobbyist's home devices together to building software-defined WAN links between offices. The pricing structure has a real free tier, the Personal plan, at zero cost for up to 10 devices and 1 network, which is enough for a hobbyist or small home lab. Beyond that, the Essential plan starts at $18/month including 10 devices with additional devices at $2.00 each per month, and the Scale plan at $179/month includes 100 devices with additional devices at $1.80 each; Enterprise and Quantum tiers above that are custom-priced for very large device counts or specific security and sovereignty requirements. Registered charities and educational organisations get up to 50% off. Buyers on the free tier are hobbyists, gamers and smart home enthusiasts; buyers on paid tiers are small to mid-size companies building SD-WAN-style connectivity between sites or remote devices, and larger service providers or IoT deployers negotiating custom packaging. The trade-off against Tailscale, its closest direct competitor, is a broadly similar mesh model with a different pricing curve that buyers should compare directly against their expected device count rather than assuming either is cheaper by default.

What people use it for

A hobbyist or small home lab wanting free virtual LAN connectivity across devices without a business tier
A small business connecting a handful of remote offices or remote workers into one virtual network on the Essential plan
A growing company scaling past the free device limit that needs multiple networks and predictable per-device overage pricing
A service provider or large IoT deployer needing custom Enterprise or Quantum packaging for very large device counts

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about ZeroTier.

The free tier caps at 10 devices and 1 network, which a small business will outgrow quickly and then face both a base plan fee and per-device overage charges
Per-additional-device pricing on Essential ($2.00 each) is proportionally expensive for a team that grows just past the included count, since the jump from free to paid is immediate once the 11th device joins
Relay fallback, when a direct peer-to-peer path cannot be established (common behind certain NAT or firewall configurations), routes traffic through ZeroTier's infrastructure, adding latency and a dependency the buyer does not fully control
Enterprise and Quantum tiers are entirely custom-quoted, so very large deployments cannot be budgeted from the public pricing page
Network administration for larger deployments (Scale and above) still requires understanding ZeroTier's access control and network rule model, which has a real learning curve beyond simple device joining
As with any software-defined mesh network, security depends on correctly configured network authorization; a misconfigured network can expose devices more broadly than intended

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of ZeroTier

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

ZeroTiervs
Tailscale
Tailscale: For a comparable mesh VPN with a different pricing structure and device inclusion model
ZeroTiervs
NetBird
NetBird: For an open source mesh networking alternative with self-hosting options
ZeroTiervs
OpenVPN
OpenVPN: For a traditional hub-and-spoke VPN priced by simultaneous connections rather than total device count

Pricing

What ZeroTier costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Personal

Free

10 devices included
1 network

Essential

$18 /mo

10 devices included
10 networks
$2.00 per additional device/month

Scale

$179 /mo

100 devices included
Unlimited networks
$1.80 per additional device/month

Capabilities

Features

Peer-to-peer mesh networking
Direct connections between devices where possible, with relay fallback
Free personal tier
Up to 10 devices and 1 network at no cost
Per-device overage pricing
Additional devices beyond a plan's included count billed individually per month
Multiple networks
Paid tiers support up to 10 networks (Essential) or unlimited (Scale and above)
Cross-platform clients
Clients for major desktop, mobile and embedded/IoT platforms

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Is ZeroTier free for personal use?

Yes, the Personal plan is free for up to 10 devices and 1 network.

How does overage pricing work?

Beyond a plan's included device count, additional devices are billed individually per month, at $2.00 each on Essential and $1.80 each on Scale.

Is there a nonprofit or education discount?

Yes, registered charities and educational organisations receive up to 50% off.

Keep looking

Where to go from ZeroTier

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for ZeroTier, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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