First of all, if you have a mesh you don't have to connect to home server to talk to other devices in the same network. They connect to each other.

Second it's super easy to add a new device. Managing wireguard keys is annoying.

Third I don't have to open the port, worry about ddns etc.

Finally, for me it allows me to manage my DNS easily and I can leave tailscale running at all times. Also good luck implementing ACL on your own.

I don't see an issue with them logging when I connect to my stuff. The convenience for me is worth it more than the risk.

If your devices are in one network like at home, you have all those things with Wireguard too.

Devices in home LAN all talk to each other, so you have a mesh network.

You need keys for your laptop, phone and remote devices only. Most nodes are in LAN and don’t need to even run VPN.

With plain Wireguard, you open a single port in a single device. With mesh VPNs you open tons of ports: several ports in coordination, STUN and relay servers, also every device runs a vpn server listening to a port.

You VPN to home and use your home DNS. Your enter ACL rules and DNS server in your router.

I use a mesh VPN but I’m thinking of switching back to Wireguard, my older setup.