ZeroTier review: score, privacy and prices

1.27

out of 10not in the main ranking (too little published data)
Mesh / self-hosted median 2.5

  • Mesh / self-hosted
  • Jurisdiction:USA, 5 Eyes
  • Data completeness67%
  • Checked2026-10-15
  • Free plan
  • Open-source apps

Red flag: Stores connection IP addresses. A red flag caps the score at 6.0.

In 10 seconds

Strongest against its segment

  • Security and protocols2.9 vs 1.8
  • Platforms and support3.8 vs 3.9
  • Censorship bypass0.0 vs 0.5

Weakest against its segment

  • Network and streaming0.0 vs 2.8
  • Privacy and jurisdiction0.0 vs 2.3
  • Price and fair terms2.1 vs 3.4
  • Jurisdiction in the 5 Eyes alliance
  • Stores connection IP addresses

Compare ZeroTier side by side with other VPNs

How the score adds up

Six sub-scores, each against the median of Mesh / self-hosted services in the main ranking (None services). Open a line to see which published facts earned points and which were missing or not disclosed.

ZeroTiersegment median

  • Privacy and jurisdiction30% of the score · segment median 2.30.0
    What earned points
    • No-logs policy +2
    • Independent no-logs audit +3
    • No-logs confirmed in court +1
    • Warrant canary +1
    • Transparency report +1
    • Sign-up without email +1.5
    • Account number sign-up +0.5
    • Stores connection IP (penalty) −3
    • Public incident (penalty) −2
  • Security and protocols20% of the score · segment median 1.82.9
    What earned points
    • Kill switch +2
    • DNS leak protection +1.5
    • RAM-only servers +1
    • Post-quantum encryption +1
    • Perfect forward secrecy +0.5
    • Security audit +2
    • Open-source clients +1.5
    • 2FA +1
    • Multi-hop +1
    • Bug bounty +1
    • Only PPTP / L2TP (penalty) −2
  • Price and fair terms15% of the score · segment median 3.42.1
    What earned points
    • Free plan +1.5
    • Free trial +1
    • Trial without a card +1
    • Crypto payments +1
    • Cash payments +0.5
  • Censorship bypass15% of the score · segment median 0.50.0
    What earned points
    • Stealth / obfuscation +2
    • VLESS / Reality +1.5
    • Trojan +1
    • Hysteria2 +1
    • Shadowsocks +1
    • AmneziaWG +1
    • obfs4 +0.5
    • TUIC +0.5
    • NaiveProxy +0.5
    • Mirrors or Telegram channel +0.5
    • VoIP in the UAE (claimed) +0.5
    • Manual configs +0.5
  • Network and streaming10% of the score · segment median 2.80.0
    What earned points
    • 10 Gbps servers +1
    • Dedicated IP +0.5
    • Port forwarding +0.5
    • MENA locations +0.5
    • Torrenting allowed +1
  • Platforms and support10% of the score · segment median 3.93.8
    What earned points
    • Routers +1
    • Browser extensions +0.5
    • Split tunneling +1
    • Ad / tracker blocker +1
    • 24/7 live chat +2
    • live chat +0.5
    • Support on Telegram +0.5
    • Status page +0.5

ZeroTier pricing

The cheapest way in is €15.48 a month, paid upfront for the longest term. After that term, ZeroTier renews at its standard price. Market median across the main ranking: €3.13 a month.

Price per month over 3 years, Essential plan

€15.48/mo for 1 months then €15.48/mo €5€10€15€20

first termrenewalmarket median €3.13/momonths →

Real cost over 1, 2 and 3 years

What you pay to keep ZeroTier running: the first term, then renewals at the published renewal price. Where no renewal price is published, plans shorter than a year are counted as repeat payments at the current price; longer plans show a dash after their term. Converted to euros at the rates used in our data (1 USD = €0.86). The lowest cost for each period is marked.

Plan and first termFirst paymentThen1 year2 years3 years
Essential, 1 mo €15.48 €15.48 / 1 mo€185.76€371.52€557.28
Scale, 1 mo €153.94 €153.94 / 1 mo€1847.28€3694.56€5541.84

Compare ZeroTier’s full cost with other VPNs, for any number of devices

All plans as published

PlanTermPrice for termPer month€ / monthRenewal priceRenewal term
Personal1 mo$0.00$0.00€0.00$0.001 mo
Essential1 mo$18.00$18.00€15.48$18.001 mo
Scale1 mo$179.00$179.00€153.94$179.001 mo

Refunds, trial and payment

Refund window
Not stated
Free trial
Not stated
Auto-renewal
Not stated
Payment methods
Not stated
Renewal note
monthly billing; extra devices $2.00 (Essential) / $1.80 (Scale) each per month

Everything ZeroTier publishes

Every fact we collected about ZeroTier, as the provider and reviewers state it. Empty fields are left out; key fields we could not find say “Not stated”. “Partial”: only on some platforms, servers or plans.

Company
Legal entity
ZeroTier, Inc.; EU: ZeroTier Europe B.V.
Registered in
USA
Address
548 Market St #911530, San Francisco, CA 94104, US; EU: Stadsplateau 29, 3521 AZ Utrecht, NL
Related brands
ZeroTier One; ZeroTier Quantum
Surveillance alliance (5/9/14 Eyes)
5
Website languages
EN
Right-to-left languages
No
Currencies on the site
USD

Plans, prices and add-ons
Plans
  • Personal (free)
  • Essential
  • Scale
  • Enterprise (custom)
  • Quantum (custom)
Billing terms
monthly
Cheapest price a month
$18.00
Monthly plan
$18.00
Lifetime plan
No
Renewal
monthly billing; extra devices $2.00 (Essential) / $1.80 (Scale) each per month
Family plan
Not stated
Business price per user
per device: Essential $18/mo incl. 10 devices (+$2/device); Scale $179/mo incl. 100 devices (+$1.80/device)
Business minimum seats
Essential 10 devices included; Enterprise sized for 500+ devices
Prices seen from other countries
  • USD: Personal free
  • Essential $18/mo (10 devices, +$2/device)
  • Scale $179/mo (100 devices, +$1.80/device)
  • Enterprise custom

Discounts and programmes
Discount shown
up to 50% for registered charities and educational orgs
Student discount
Yes up to 50% off for registered charities and educational organizations

Limits and restrictions
Devices at once
  • Personal 10
  • Essential 10 incl.
  • Scale 100 incl.
  • Enterprise 500+
Features locked to higher plans
  • OIDC SSO, API, audit logs (30d) from Essential
  • custom flow rules from Scale
  • 90d audit logs, self-hosted/air-gapped on Enterprise

Free plan
Free plan
Yes Personal: non-commercial
Free data
Not stated
Free devices
10 devices, 1 network, 1 admin
Ads in the free plan
No
Other free plan terms
community support only

Payment and subscription
PayPal
Not stated
Cryptocurrency
Not stated
Cash
Not stated
Gift cards
Not stated
Auto-renewal by default
Not stated
Email needed to sign up
Yes
Account-number login
Not stated
Money-back guarantee, days
Not stated

Free trial terms
Trial length
Not stated
Card needed for the trial
Not stated

Server locations
Countries
Not stated
Servers
Not stated
Server countries
Not stated
Middle East and North Africa
Not stated
Virtual locations
Not stated
P2P servers
Not stated
Obfuscated servers
Not stated

Network features
RAM-only servers
Not stated
IPv6
Not stated
Dedicated IP
Not stated
Static IP
Not stated
Residential IP
Not stated
Double VPN / multi-hop
Not stated
Tor over VPN
Not stated
SOCKS5 proxy
Not stated
Smart DNS
Not stated

Protocols and encryption
  • WireGuard✕ No
  • OpenVPN✕ No
  • IKEv2own ZeroTier protocol✕ No
  • L2TP/IPsecNot stated
  • SSTPNot stated
  • SoftEtherNot stated
  • Own protocolZeroTier protocol (peer-to-peer virtual L2/L3 network)✓ Yes
  • VLESS / Reality✕ No
  • VMess✕ No
  • Trojan✕ No
  • Shadowsocks✕ No
  • Hysteria2✕ No
  • TUICNot stated
  • NaiveProxyNot stated
  • obfs4Not stated
  • AmneziaWGNot stated
Perfect forward secrecy
Not stated
Post-quantum encryption
Yes ZeroTier Quantum: ML-KEM-1024, ML-DSA-87, CNSA 2.0
Manual configuration files
Not stated
Open-source apps
Yes https://github.com/zerotier

Censorship and blocking
Obfuscation (stealth mode)
No
Countries it claims to work in
Not stated
Mirror sites or Telegram channel
Not stated
Calls in the UAE
Not stated

Security
Kill switch
Not stated
DNS leak protection
Not stated
Split tunnelling
Not stated
Ad and malware blocker
Not stated
Two-factor sign-in
Not stated
Security audits
Not stated
Bug bounty
Not stated
Certifications
  • SOC 2 Type II
  • FIPS 140-3 (cert #5424)
  • GDPR

Privacy
No-logs policy
No
Independent no-logs audit
Not stated
Data retention
as long as needed for purpose; no specific periods
Shared with third parties
analytics, infrastructure, advertising networks, payment, support providers under DPAs; not sold
Trackers on the website
Necessary, Functionality, Experience, Measurement, Marketing cookies; honors GPC
Transparency report
Not stated
Warrant canary
Not stated
Law enforcement requests
may disclose personal data on public authority request
Anonymous sign-up
Not stated
GDPR / data protection officer
  • no DPO named
  • privacy@zerotier.com
  • EU rep ZeroTier Europe B.V.
Privacy policy updated
2025-12-09

What the privacy policy says is collected

Yes: collected. No: not collected. Partial: kept briefly or only in part. Not stated: the policy does not say.

  • Email✕ Yes
  • IP at sign-up✕ Yes
  • Connection IPIP, request metadata✕ Yes
  • Session timesNot stated
  • Device infoIP, OS✕ Yes
  • App analyticsmeasurement trackers✕ Yes

Apps and devices
  • WindowsWindows 10/11, Tier 1; Win7 legacy 1.6.6✓ Yes
  • macOSTier 1, CLI+GUI✓ Yes
  • LinuxTier 1, CLI✓ Yes
  • iOSiOS/iPadOS, GUI app✓ Yes
  • AndroidGUI app✓ Yes
  • Android TVNot stated
  • Fire TVNot stated
  • Apple TVNot stated
  • ChromebookNot stated
  • Smart TVNot stated
  • RoutersMikrotik Tier 1; OpenWRT, Ubiquiti, OPNsense, Teltonika Tier 2✓ Yes
  • NASQNAP, Synology via Docker, ASUSTOR, WD - Tier 3 community✓ Yes
  • Raspberry PiNot stated
  • Game consolesNot stated
Browser extensions
Not stated

Speed, streaming and gaming
10 Gbps servers
Not stated
Netflix
Not stated
BBC iPlayer
Not stated
Disney+
Not stated
Prime Video
Not stated
Gaming features
Not stated
Torrenting
Not stated

Support
Live chat
No Personal: community support; Essential/Scale: ticketed support with SLA
Live chat 24/7
No
Email / tickets
Yes ticketed support with SLA on paid plans
Phone
Not stated
Telegram
Not stated
WhatsApp
Not stated
Discord or forum
community support
Help articles
Yes docs.zerotier.com
Server status page
Not stated
Uptime guarantee (SLA)
SLA on Essential/Scale; enhanced SLA Enterprise

For teams and business
SSO / SAML
Yes OIDC SSO (Essential+)
Admin panel
Yes
API
Yes Essential+, also AI agent access
Dedicated gateway
Yes self-hosted controller (Enterprise)
Zero-trust access (ZTNA)
Yes mesh SDN / virtual network with flow rules
Identity providers
OIDC

What users say

Reviews never change our score. Ratings are smoothed: a source’s average across all VPNs counts as 50 extra reviews, so a few five-star reviews cannot outrank thousands.

  • Trustpilot

    3.54 of 5, smoothed

    From 8 collected reviews (raw average 2.75; all VPNs 3.66).

    The company replied to 0 of 4 negative reviews (1–2 stars).

  • App Store

    3.43 of 5, smoothed

    From 90 collected reviews (raw average 3.37; all VPNs 3.54).

  • Google Play

    3.56 of 5, smoothed

    From 400 collected reviews (raw average 3.51; all VPNs 3.90). Last 90 days: 3.90 from 10.

    The company replied to 0 of 130 negative reviews (1–2 stars).

Ratings shown on the platforms themselves: Trustpilot TrustScore 2.8 (8 reviews); App Store (US) 3.83 (212 ratings); Google Play 3.8 (5.91K ratings).

Reviews per month, last 12 months

  1. Oct ’255 reviews, average 3.8
  2. Nov ’258 reviews, average 2.88
  3. Dec ’252 reviews, average 4.5
  4. Jan ’266 reviews, average 2.83
  5. Feb ’264 reviews, average 4.0
  6. Mar ’265 reviews, average 4.8
  7. Apr ’268 reviews, average 3.5
  8. May ’265 reviews, average 2.8
  9. Jun ’262 reviews, average 5.0
  10. Jul ’264 reviews, average 2.75
  11. Aug ’263 reviews, average 4.0
  12. Sep ’263 reviews, average 3.67
  13. Oct ’263 reviews, average 3.67
Bar height: number of reviews collected that month. Full-colour bars: months with an average of 4 stars or more; pale bars: below 4.

40 Reddit and forum threads mention ZeroTier (titles and search snippets only).

Latest reviews and related rankings

Latest reviews

Short excerpts with a link to the original. We do not reproduce reviews in full.

  • App Store · 1★ · 05 Jul 2026 · US

    为啥要取消自定义planet的方法

  • App Store · 2★ · 09 May 2026 · US

    Custom planet UI removed in 1.16.0 — please restore

  • App Store · 3★ · 10 Apr 2026 · US

    Failed to login on iOS 16.6

  • Google Play · 5★ · 09 Oct 2026

    sangat membantu

  • Google Play · 1★ · 06 Oct 2026

    cant Even change my port

  • Google Play · 5★ · 04 Oct 2026

    I love it.

  • Trustpilot · 1★ · 13 Jun 2025 · US

    malware

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 5★ · 05 Apr 2025 · NO

    using the basic free version with HomeAssistant

    Original review

  • Trustpilot · 1★ · 13 Feb 2025 · TH

    Buggy and unreliable

    Original review

Rankings by user reviews

Reviews of similar VPNs

In our rankings

ZeroTier appears on 4 topic pages. Its place on each:

Similar VPNs

Cheaper with the same features

Owner and jurisdiction

Closed services ZeroTier replaces

Services that shut down or moved, for which this is one of five live alternatives.

Tools for ZeroTier

Sources and changes

Collected 2026-10-15. No changes recorded since the first import.

Website
https://zerotier.com
Pages checked
["https://www.zerotier.com", "https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/", "https://www.zerotier.com/privacy-policy/"]
Other sources used
windows: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; macos: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; linux: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; ios: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; android: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; routers: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; nas: https://docs.zerotier.com/compatibility/; live_chat: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; live_chat_247: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; trial_where: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; ikev2: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; vless_reality: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; vmess: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; trojan: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; shadowsocks: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; hysteria2: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; stealth_mode: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; kill_switch: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/; certifications: https://www.zerotier.com/download/; student_discount: https://www.zerotier.com/pricing/

Something wrong or out of date? Report an error