Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect vs Tailscale

Tailscale is a great alternative to GlobalProtect, and provides a comprehensive VPN solution that is performant and cost-saving, while being zero-config and can be set up in minutes. GlobalProtect is a traditional solution that introduces too much complexity to be a hassle-free VPN solution, while also carrying the performance issues of legacy SSL VPNs. Tailscale provides a better alternative as a modern mesh networking solution.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect comparison matrix

Here’s a quick visual comparison of where Tailscale and GlobalProtect stand on a feature-by-feature basis. We’ll dive more into each feature ‌below.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect architecture overview and performance implications

GlobalProtect is Palo Alto Networks’ remote access VPN solution built on a centralized VPN hub-and-spoke architecture, and is available across multiple platforms. GlobalProtect handles authentication and encryption of connections on-premises or in the cloud, while integrating tightly with Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewall infrastructure. Its main components are:

• GlobalProtect Portal, which manages configuration and software distribution
• GlobalProtect Gateways, which enforce security policies and provide VPN connectivity
• GlobalProtect client software, which is installed on endpoints.

Organizations may deploy multiple gateways in different regions for redundancy and load balancing, but all user traffic is still sent through these cloud-hosted gateways for policy enforcement. This centralization simplifies enforcement at the cost of added latency and bottlenecks. Additionally, the physical distance to the gateway will impact latency.

GlobalProtect reliability depends on gateway uptime, network redundancy, and firewall stability. This means failures at any of these points can disrupt connectivity. Attempts at scaling would necessitate more of these gateways and firewall capacity. Even with dedicated hardware and fast internet, throughput can be below 70 Mbps. This is further exacerbated by real-world testimonials claiming 2–20 Mbps, indicating high variability.

Tailscale does not use a traditional model, instead employing an overlay mesh network with direct peer-to-peer connections. These direct connections are the data plane, which is facilitated by encrypted end-to-end WireGuard® tunnels. The control plane is separate from the data plane, where Tailscale uses a coordination server to help peers share public keys and addresses to establish direct connections.

Because WireGuard® is built into the kernel or runs in a high-efficiency module, it is capable of high throughput with low overhead. Furthermore, the distributed nature of this data plane means there is no single bottleneck like a gateway. Traffic takes the shortest path available through NAT traversal, improving reliability and latency.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect encryption and security

GlobalProtect’s data plane is encrypted by SSL/TLS or IPsec between endpoints and gateways, while the control plane exists in the GlobalProtect Portal and the underlying Palo Alto firewall configuration. While SSL/TLS is sound for encryption, it often limits throughput in practice. SSL VPN throughput often caps below the physical link speed, especially under deep packet inspection.

GlobalProtect’s reliance on gateways means exposing public IP addresses to the internet, becoming targets for attackers looking for vulnerabilities or exploits. This broadens the attack surface area, providing potential attackers with places to probe for unpatched firmware or misconfigurations in policies. GlobalProtect’s traditional hub-and-spoke model does it no favors by concentrating connections and policy enforcement at gateways, making them prime targets for attack. And while SSL/TLS is indeed sound for encryption, attackers still frequently target these protocols as they are often ripe for unpatched exploits.

Tailscale’s basis on WireGuard® means a policy of deny-by-default. Tailscale’s data plane is also peer-to-peer and decentralized, meaning user data is kept private between the endpoints by design. When two devices communicate, they establish a direct WireGuard® tunnel with each other’s public keys. In effect, every pair of communicating nodes has its own private, secured channel. Effectively, Tailscale’s data plane is distributed without a singular device bottlenecking traffic.

As for encryption, Tailscale’s control plane employs a custom Noise IK-based protocol with X25519 as described in RFC7748. While it can operate directly over plain TCP in environments that allow it, it also supports being wrapped in TLS when necessary for compatibility or additional security requirements. Tailscale exclusively uses the WireGuard® protocol for its data plane, which has a fixed cryptographic suite including ChaCha20 for encryption and Poly1305 for authentication.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect authentication

GlobalProtect administrators can select from multiple authentication methods, such as local credentials on their firewall, AD, LDAP, RADIUS, SAML, client certs, MFA, and SSO integrations with enterprise identity providers. Authentication starts when users log in to the GlobalProtect portal, where it can enforce device compliance checks before allowing connections. The portal then delivers configuration details and a client certificate before connecting the user to a designated gateway, which then also enforces authentication.

This allows for mixing and matching of authentication methods across different contexts, allowing for a modular authentication approach. However, this is at the cost of configuration complexity and potential for multi-layered failure. When users authenticate separately to portals and gateways, there are higher chances of errors around identity, policy, or certificate configurations. This then necessitates wasting time troubleshooting authentication failures by dissecting endpoint logs, firewall settings, and external identity service connections.

While fine-grained control is possible with GlobalProtect, it can be harder to set up, debug, and use in dynamic environments, especially where policies overlap or identity federation is changing.

Tailscale completely removes the need to manage certificates manually. Authentication happens natively with identity providers and SSO login. Users can authenticate with their provider of choice, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Okta, or other custom identity providers.

As for authorizing devices, Tailscale admins can approve new devices or configure auto-approval. This approval process adds an extra layer of security in case a user’s password is compromised. But even once on a tailnet, devices rely on cryptographic keys for trust, and an admin can centrally revoke a node’s key if a device is lost or stolen, instantly cutting off its access. This core principle works with Tailscale SSH, an SSH solution where you don’t need a password to directly SSH into devices.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect policy enforcement

GlobalProtect’s policy enforcement includes endpoint inspection, device posture, and centralized firewall rule sets. Policies are tied to gateway enforcement at the Palo Alto firewall level, enabling complex L7 inspection and threat prevention. When a user connects with GlobalProtect, all network traffic is routed through the firewall, subjecting it to inspection and policy enforcement as defined by administrators.

With the Host Information Profile (HIP) feature, GlobalProtect collects detailed data about device status to share with the firewall. The recently introduced Endpoint Traffic Policy Enforcement feature blocks malicious inbound connections and prevents users or applications from bypassing the secure VPN tunnel or tampering with routing tables. However, this feature is known to work unreliably, especially on macOS and Windows.

In contrast, Tailscale’s policy is declarative and centrally managed, but enforcement is distributed. This makes policy enforcement in Tailscale simpler to configure, more granular, and less reliant on legacy network infrastructure. GlobalProtect uses a centralized, firewall-dependent enforcement model that is complicated and error-prone to configure.

Tailscale uses identity-based access policies that include ACLs and Grants that allow for application-layer access control. ACL system. Administrators define an ACL policy (in JSON format) that specifies which users or groups can access which destinations (IP addresses or tags) and on which ports​. Administrators can specify policies per user and device name instead of IP addresses. Using groups and tags, administrators can implement Role-Based Access controls (RBACs) easily, with the ability to manage policy files via GitOps.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect initial setup and management

Users report that GlobalProtect’s initial setup is difficult and unreliable. Many installations and upgrades can fail, especially with Windows and macOS. This leaves clients uninstalled, or errors appear due to driver issues. Large deployments require manual tinkering due to these issues, including undocumented bugs, which makes troubleshooting difficult for IT teams.

And even once setup is completed, users often experience connection issues, difficulty accessing the resources they need to get back to work, and hard to decipher error messages. This is further compounded by the complicated authentication setups that GlobalProtect allows.

By contrast, Tailscale focuses on simplified installation and administration. From an end-user perspective, Tailscale often feels invisible. Configuration for Tailscale can be easily managed incrementally, so that users can connect to resources as soon as they join a network.

There is no hardware to deploy. Tailscale maintains the coordination server to exchange users’ public keys. All you need to get started is to create a Tailscale account (often by logging in with Google/Microsoft/Okta), install the client on two devices, and they instantly form a private network​. There’s no need to configure IP ranges, firewall rules, or NAT traversal because Tailscale handles all of that automatically.

Tailscale vs Palo Alto Networks GlobalProtect cost and pricing

Palo Alto Networks is not transparent in their pricing of GlobalProtect, and requires a sales representative. Multiple factors can influence the price, subscription length, number of users, and number of devices.

Tailscale has flat pricing that is a straightforward charge per user. No hardware costs with networking appliances, and easy to set up without spending extra on resources. Reach out to our sales team today to get a demo.

The bottom line

GlobalProtect trips over itself in an attempt to address more networking needs than its legacy model can gracefully handle, resulting in an over-engineered solution. Tailscale provides a modern mesh network experience that yields better time-to-value, lends itself to cost savings, improves developer productivity, and is easy to set up and manage over time.

You can also check out how customers like Positron have benefited from choosing Tailscale over GlobalProtect.