Software Alternatives & Reviews

OpenVPN VS WireGuard

Compare OpenVPN VS WireGuard and see what are their differences

OpenVPN logo OpenVPN

OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

WireGuard logo WireGuard

Fast, Modern, Secure VPN Tunnel
  • OpenVPN Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • WireGuard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-24

OpenVPN

Categories
  • VPN
  • Cloud VPN
  • Security
  • Security & Privacy
Website openvpn.net
Pricing URL Official OpenVPN Pricing
Details $

WireGuard

Categories
  • Security & Privacy
  • VPN
  • Cloud VPN
  • VPN Software
Website wireguard.com
Pricing URL-
Details $

OpenVPN videos

OpenVPN Overview

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to setup OpenVPN on Windows | macOS | Android | iOS - Smart DNS Proxy

WireGuard videos

WireGuard Overview

More videos:

  • Review - What is WireGuard? Should You Use it? Best VPN for WireGuard?
  • Review - OpenVPN vs WireGuard vs IKEv2 vs PPTP - Which is the Best VPN Protocol to use in 2020?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to OpenVPN and WireGuard)
VPN
76 76%
24% 24
Cloud VPN
73 73%
27% 27
Security & Privacy
66 66%
34% 34
Security
90 90%
10% 10

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenVPN and WireGuard. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare OpenVPN and WireGuard

OpenVPN Reviews

6 Types of VPN Protocols, Compared: Which is the Best to Use?
In most cases, OpenVPN or WireGuard will be your best bet. PPTP is a protocol we don’t recommend using because of its relatively low-level encryption. However, you could try this protocol when privacy and security are not your highest priorities, such as for unblocking streams. If OpenVPN is not supported or does not work well for whatever reason, you could consider using...
Source: vpnoverview.com
OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Which protocol is best?
OpenVPN was first released in May 2001. Although the PPTP protocol had been around for five years already at this point, OpenVPN became popular because it offered stronger encryption without too much of a drop in speed. Over the years, vulnerabilities were patched and new clients were developed that brought OpenVPN support to a greater range of devices. This previously...
9 Best NordVPN Alternatives You Must Use In 2022
The next alternative to NordVPN on our list is OpenVPN. OpenVPN allows you to establish a point-to-point secure connection between your device and the Internet. It is a flexible VPN solution that can cater to business needs as well.
Source: wethegeek.com
15 Best Hamachi Alternatives for Gaming in Virtual LAN (Latest 2021)
OpenVPN is a free full-featured VPN program for remote access and for securing IoT or cloud data centres. This piece of software creates a tunnel using TCP which makes it one of the most secure VPN out there.
Source: growtechy.com
The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
Delving deeper into this software, OpenVPN allows users to deploy authentication, encryption, and certification features found in the OpenSSL library for security. Other than that, courtesy of this app, you will also be able to deal with dynamic IP addresses and DHCP. Plus, from the OpenVPN server, users can also get their hands on tools that allow the management and...

WireGuard Reviews

6 Types of VPN Protocols, Compared: Which is the Best to Use?
In essence, every VPN has to strengthen WireGuard’s wobbly privacy to benefit from its speed and security. That’s why we recommend using WireGuard-based protocols only if they come from reputable VPN providers. NordVPN, for example, fixes WireGuard’s privacy issues with the so-called “double NAT system” (network address translation). This allows them to establish secure...
Source: vpnoverview.com
OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Which protocol is best?
WireGuard was not designed to obfuscate user traffic to this degree, and only supports UDP. This means that a simple, standalone WireGuard connection is easy to detect. However, as WireGuard is so extensible, most VPN providers have added their own obfuscation methods on top. The efficacy of these varies, but we’ve seen services with WireGuard support that even work in...
The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
In addition to using the latest encryption techniques, Mullvad is based on some of the VPN protocols in WireGuard and OpenVPN. So, users will be able to decide for themselves which VPN client to opt for. Also, you can find Mullvad on Windows, macOS, and Linux-based systems, as well as Android and iOS. There is no paid version of Mullvad, either, so you need not worry about...
WireGuard vs OpenVPN
WireGuard was designed for speed and security. It was not specifically designed for people like us, who look to their VPN service for both security and privacy. However, in order to give users the benefits of WireGuard, VPN services have come up with WireGuard solutions that add strong privacy protections without sacrificing what makes WireGuard special. Here’s the problem:
6 open source tools for making your own VPN
Algo supports only the IKEv2 protocol and Wireguard. Because IKEv2 support is built into most devices these days, it doesn’t require a client app like OpenVPN. Algo can be deployed using Ansible on Ubuntu (the preferred option), Windows, RedHat, CentOS, and FreeBSD. Setup is automated using Ansible, which configures the server based on your answers to a short set of...
Source: opensource.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, OpenVPN should be more popular than WireGuard. It has been mentiond 40 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

OpenVPN mentions (40)

  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2023)
    OpenVPN is hiring! https://openvpn.net/ C++ Developer in the United States. Full-time| Fully remote| Flexible work schedules Link to look at vacancy details and apply:. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Are there any work arounds for the Netflix new "household" system?
    How you connect to your modem will depend on the device you are using, but for windows laptops as an example you download the OpenVPN program and input your modem details there, much like you would any other vpn service. I think there would be some guides on youtube. https://openvpn.net/. Source: 10 months ago
  • Can i use PFSense to control incoming user connections (without a vpn?)
    I just started playing with CloudConnexa for remotely managing my second pFSense. Really nice and is free for up to 3 concurrent users. https://openvpn.net. Can also self-host OpenVPN access server with a free 2 concurrent license. Source: 11 months ago
  • Is the 7spotlight Markle family interview airing now? Is anyone watching and can provide comment? 👀📺
    If anyone is being blocked check out free OpenVPN. Source: 12 months ago
  • Is it possible for a sysadmin to block only some packets from a VPN connection ?
    I too haven't used the client-nat directive in some years (I currently implement 1:1 NAT with pfsense to access my network because I'm too lazy to change the networks subnet from the default) so I decided to retest and it does appear that OpenVPN Connect clients do not properly support the client-nat directive but the traditional OpenVPN server/clients still do. I've just tested this on OpenVPN 2.6.3 Server,... Source: 12 months ago
View more

WireGuard mentions (9)

  • Remote access from work/corporate network
    Wireguard. Wireguard uses UDP only and runs TCP sockets over UDP. Source: 12 months ago
  • Central reverse-proxy ssh access?
    Look at Wireguard. I know you don't want Yet Another VPN running alongside your IPSec, but it's less VPN and more encrypted point-to-point UDP. You can set it up on any port you wish, including common ports that might be open on an outbound smart firewall not doing deep packet inspection. That way, it can stay out of the way of your existing IPSec deployment. Source: 12 months ago
  • Official /r/rust "Who's Hiring" thread for job-seekers and job-offerers [Rust 1.69]
    We use Elixir/Erlang for our control plane, and Rust for our data plane, built on the excellent WireGuard® tunneling protocol. Source: 12 months ago
  • Globally distributed Elixir over Tailscale
    Both products are based off Wireguard which is available for all new linux distributions. https://wireguard.com . I'm not saying OP's solution is wrong, just curious what the advantages are. Other than potentially simpler client setup, what are the advantages of paying for tailscale. With the opensource tailscale, I'm not sure if you get access to an api you can use to look up the hosts. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Whisper: wraps any Go io.ReadWriter in a secure tunnel using Ed25519/X25519
    Noise Protocol Framework (used by Wireguard). Source: about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing OpenVPN and WireGuard, you can also consider the following products

ProtonVPN - ProtonVPN is a security focused FREE VPN service, developed by CERN and MIT scientists. Use the web anonymously, unblock websites & encrypt your connection.

ZeroTier - Extremely simple P2P Encrypted VPN

Hotspot Shield - Hotspot Shield is a software application developed by AnchorFree, Inc.

NordVPN - NordVPN offers VPN technology that encrypts data twice.

Hamachi - Hamachi is a VPN service scaled to the unique needs of business owners.

Psiphon - Psiphon is circumvention software for Windows and Mobile platforms that provides uncensored access to Internet content. Read more about Psiphon.