Comparison

1Panel vs NovaScale, Built for Tailscale

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

1Panel

Easily manage your 1Panel server operation and maintenance panel from your mobile device. Monitor server status, control applications and websites, and stay informed about your server's performance anytime, anywhere.

Highlights
  • Server status monitoring
  • Application management
  • Website management
  • Remote server access
  • Real-time performance tracking
Features
Read full description

1Panel App is a mobile application designed specifically for managing the 1Panel server operation and maintenance panel. Through this application, you can easily monitor server status, manage server applications and websites on your mobile phone, and keep track of the server's operation anytime and anywhere.

About

NovaScale, Built for Tailscale

This app provides a secure and powerful SSH terminal, file management, and a MagicDNS-aware browser for your Tailscale network. It streamlines server management without needing to switch VPN apps, offering features like real-time monitoring and an integrated editor.

Highlights
  • Secure SSH terminal for Tailscale
  • SFTP file management with built-in editor
  • MagicDNS-aware browser for internal dashboards
  • Real-time Linux server monitoring
  • Multi-tab sessions and customizable themes
  • Resume SSH sessions after app suspension
Features
Read full description

NovaScale is a remote-work and server-operations workspace built for Tailscale. Use SSH, monitoring, private web tools, SFTP, and Remote Codex from one app—without the overhead of repeatedly turning a separate Tailscale VPN connection on and off. Built-in Tailscale keeps your tailnet available inside NovaScale, while traditional SSH hosts and custom control servers such as Headscale remain fully supported. Core SSH, monitoring, web, and Remote Codex workflows are available free with practical limits. NovaScale Pro expands capacity and adds SFTP, flexible iCloud sync, remote push, container deployment, and advanced customization. ACCESS AND HOSTS - Discover tailnet machines automatically with live updates - Work with Tailscale SSH hosts and traditional SSH servers in one app - Organize machines with local aliases, custom icons, groups, favorites, and pins SSH TERMINAL - Recover sessions across Wi-Fi, cellular, VPN, and foreground/background changes - Pin important terminal and tmux sessions for faster return - Navigate tmux copy mode with Page Up and Page Down and choose a familiar prefix such as Ctrl-A - Use touch gestures with tmux, OpenCode, Herdr, and other mouse-aware TUI apps for scrolling, clicking, selection, and context menus - Use Apple’s offline on-device dictation in Terminal and Codex on supported iOS 26 devices/languages; raw audio isn’t uploaded REMOTE CODEX - Connect to your own Codex CLI/app-server on Mac or Linux over Tailscale - Resume, fork, pin, and rename threads without disrupting desktop work - Dictate prompts offline, follow goals and subagents, review Markdown and changes, and handle approvals remotely - Share files to Codex threads over the direct authenticated app-server WebSocket connection - Free use supports one Codex host, in-app banners, and best-effort local notifications - Link an SSH host with NovaScale Pro for faster SFTP file transfers with byte progress - NovaScale Pro adds optional remote push when host-backed work needs you, even while NovaScale is disconnected - Uses the official Codex app-server; authentication, chats, code, and workspace data remain on your host MONITOR AND ACT - View resource trends for CPU, memory, network, disk, and disk I/O - Inspect process details and end stalled processes remotely - Monitor and manage Docker containers - Detect and manage Apple containers on supported macOS hosts - Deploy new Docker and Apple containers with NovaScale Pro - Designed for Linux servers, Macs, cloud instances, and homelab systems WEB AND FILE WORKFLOWS - Open dashboards and self-hosted services by URL, MagicDNS name, or Tailscale IP - Route browser traffic through a SOCKS5 or HTTP CONNECT proxy on another tailnet host - Optionally access sites using self-signed certificates - Keep audio playing in the background from services such as Jellyfin - With NovaScale Pro, browse, upload, download, preview, and edit remote files over SFTP - Share files from iOS into SFTP folders, active terminal sessions, and Remote Codex threads COMPATIBILITY - iOS 15+ for SSH, monitoring, Remote Codex, and file management - In-app web access requires iOS 17+ - Remote Codex requires your own Codex CLI/app-server - Apple Container features require a supported macOS host TRANSPARENCY - NovaScale is not affiliated with Tailscale Inc. or OpenAI - Optional Remote Push uses an open-source host-side companion agent included in the Codex bootstrap repository. It can be disabled at any time. - Remote Push sends only opaque IDs and signed lifecycle events—not prompts, code, commands, patches, responses, transcript paths, or working directories. - Codex bootstrap wrapper and companion agent: https://github.com/GalaxNet-Ltd/nova-codex-bootstrap - Built on a maintained libtailscale fork: https://github.com/GalaxNet-Ltd/libtailscale - Support: nova-support@galaxnet.cc - Terms: https://galaxnet.dev/nova/legal/tos/ - Privacy: https://galaxnet.dev/nova/legal/privacy/

Screenshots

1Panel4 screens
NovaScale, Built for Tailscale4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: 1Panel at none against NovaScale, Built for Tailscale's 3. 1Panel also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 83%) and ratings volume (20 vs 6). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NovaScale, Built for Tailscale sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. 1Panel asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for 1Panel against 5.0 for NovaScale, Built for Tailscale. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 20 and 6 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of 1Panel's written reviews are positive against 83% of NovaScale, Built for Tailscale's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

1Panel ships an update monthly, NovaScale, Built for Tailscale every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 27, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
1Panel versus NovaScale, Built for Tailscale: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter1PanelNovaScale, Built for Tailscale
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (20 ratings)5.0 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better83.3% of reviews
Number of ratings20 — better6
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB82 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLingxia (Shenzhen) Software Co., Ltd.GalaxNet Ltd.

Customer experience

1Panel

All ratings20 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews26 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NovaScale, Built for Tailscale

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

1Panel

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Intermittent app crashes
  • Difficulties with IP whitelisting

Requested features

4 requests
  • Multilingual support
  • Advanced monitoring and alerting capabilities
  • Expanded WAF rule management
  • Lightweight agent for managing multiple servers

NovaScale, Built for Tailscale

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

1Panel

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

NovaScale, Built for Tailscale

Subscriptions2
  • NovaScale Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • NovaScale Pro Annual14 Days trial$14.991 Year
One-time1
  • NovaScale Pro Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is 1Panel free?
1Panel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NovaScale, Built for Tailscale free?
NovaScale, Built for Tailscale is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 1Panel or NovaScale, Built for Tailscale?
1Panel and NovaScale, Built for Tailscale are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 20 and 6 ratings respectively.
Do 1Panel or NovaScale, Built for Tailscale have ads?
Neither 1Panel nor NovaScale, Built for Tailscale shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 1Panel or NovaScale, Built for Tailscale?
1Panel ships an update monthly, and NovaScale, Built for Tailscale every 2 months. Most recently, 1Panel was updated on August 27, 2026 and NovaScale, Built for Tailscale on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons