Everyone's talking about NordLayer for secure remote access. Let's talk about the bill.
A 10-seat startup is looking at what, $1,200-$1,500 a year? For a glorified VPN gateway and some basic SSO glue. You're not paying for features; you're paying for the privilege of not having to run WireGuard yourself.
The real question isn't about 'fair' pricing. It's about what you're locking in for. Need audit logs beyond their basic dashboard? That's an extra tier. Need a specific integration they don't offer? Hope you like waiting. The exit cost isn't just financial—it's the operational drag of migrating your team's access configs later.
What if you're wrong about needing this now? Could a $5/mo VPS running Tailscale or a self-hosted OpenZiti instance cover 80% of the need for 20% of the cost? Or is the real value just the 'set it and forget it' promise before you have real scale?
They get you when you're small and promise simplicity. The bill grows with your headcount, not your actual usage.
Doubt everything