Tailscale just shipped version 1.96.2 for macOS with something other VPN makers haven't bothered building: a windowed app that solves the MacBook Pro notch problem. Menu bar icons disappear into that black void all the time. Apple gives developers no control over where those icons land, and no way to fix it when they end up hidden. Tailscale built around it.
The new interface runs alongside the traditional menu bar utility. You get a searchable list of devices on your tailnet, quick access to exit nodes (one recommended based on latency), a "mini player" mode, and a red dot on the Dock icon for errors. Before this release, Tailscale's only workaround was a popup warning when its icon got trapped behind the notch. It helped, but triggered falsely when switching monitors or closing the laptop lid.
NordVPN, ExpressVPN, Surfshark, and Cloudflare's WARP client all stick with standard menu bar icons. They accept that users will dig through macOS's Control Center overflow when the notch claims them. The difference in approach matters. Tailscale treated the notch as a design flaw requiring an application-level fix. Competitors treat it as Apple's problem. If you access VPN settings regularly, Tailscale's solution respects your time.