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WireGuard VS SoftEther

Compare WireGuard VS SoftEther and see what are their differences

WireGuard logo WireGuard

Fast, Modern, Secure VPN Tunnel

SoftEther logo SoftEther

SoftEther VPN ("SoftEther" means "Software Ethernet") is one of the world's most powerful and easy-to-use multi-protocol VPN software. It runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD and Solaris.
  • WireGuard Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-10-24
  • SoftEther Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-28

WireGuard features and specs

  • Simplicity
    WireGuard is noted for its simplicity in terms of codebase and configuration, making it easier to understand, audit, and maintain.
  • Performance
    WireGuard offers high performance, low latency, and minimal overhead, which results in faster connections compared to other VPN protocols.
  • Security
    WireGuard uses state-of-the-art cryptographic protocols and algorithms, providing a high level of security.
  • Cross-Platform
    WireGuard is compatible with many operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android.
  • Modern Design
    Designed with modern networking use-cases in mind, WireGuard supports advanced features like roaming and easier NAT traversal.
  • Efficient Codebase
    With approximately 4,000 lines of code, WireGuard's minimalism reduces the attack surface and potential for vulnerabilities.

Possible disadvantages of WireGuard

  • Limited Features
    WireGuard primarily focuses on being a secure VPN protocol and lacks some advanced features found in other protocols.
  • Still Evolving
    As a relatively new technology, WireGuard may still undergo significant changes and improvements, which could impact stability and support.
  • Static IP Assignment
    WireGuard assigns static IP addresses to each peer, which can be less flexible compared to dynamic IP allocation in other VPN solutions.
  • Server Compatibility
    Some legacy infrastructures and older systems may not support WireGuard natively, creating challenges for widespread deployment.
  • No Built-in Authentication
    WireGuard itself does not include built-in authentication mechanisms, relying solely on public key cryptography for peer identification.
  • No Built-in Traffic Obfuscation
    WireGuard lacks built-in mechanisms for traffic obfuscation, making it easier for restrictive networks to detect and block WireGuard traffic.

SoftEther features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    SoftEther VPN is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris, providing flexibility for users across different platforms.
  • Multi-Protocol Support
    It supports multiple VPN protocols such as SSL-VPN, L2TP/IPsec, OpenVPN, and Microsoft SSTP, offering users various options for connectivity depending on their needs and configurations.
  • High Performance
    Optimized for fast network throughput, SoftEther VPN can handle high-speed internet connections efficiently, which is ideal for transferring large volumes of data.
  • Free and Open Source
    As a free and open-source software, SoftEther VPN allows users to access and modify the source code, fostering customization and transparency.
  • Strong Security Features
    It provides robust security features including AES encryption and RSA certificate authentication, ensuring secure data transmission over the network.

Possible disadvantages of SoftEther

  • Complex Setup for Beginners
    Although powerful, SoftEther VPN may have a steep learning curve for users who are not familiar with network configurations, potentially causing difficulty in initial setup.
  • Limited Native Client Support
    While SoftEther VPN supports a range of protocols, it lacks native clients across all platforms, which may require third-party software for full functionality.
  • Dependency on System Resources
    Running SoftEther VPN, especially on detailed configurations, may require significant system resources, which could impact performance on lower-end devices.
  • Community Support
    Being an open-source project, support primarily comes from community forums, which might result in slower response times for troubleshooting critical issues.

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?

SoftEther videos

SoftEther VPN short review and testing (2018) FREE!

More videos:

  • Tutorial - SoftEther VPN Server Review and Tutorial

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to WireGuard and SoftEther)
VPN
90 90%
10% 10
Security & Privacy
91 91%
9% 9
Cloud VPN
93 93%
7% 7
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

WireGuard Reviews

Best Top 20 OpenVPN Alternatives (Pros and Cons)
Wireguard is a VPN alternative that is under development. Yet it is faster and carefully designed when compared to other similar products.
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:

SoftEther Reviews

Top Hamachi Alternatives for Virtual LAN Gaming in 2023
SoftEther VPN stands for Software Ethernet and is one of the world’s most powerful and easy-to-use multi-protocol VPN software. It easily runs on Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris. SoftEther has a strong protocol of SSL-VPN-tunneling on all HTTPS to penetrate any firewall.
15 Best Hamachi Alternatives for Gaming in Virtual LAN (Latest 2021)
SoftEther is one of the most powerful open-source VPN software with the ability to establish both devices to devices and remote access VPN.
Source: growtechy.com
Top 10 Hamachi Alternatives for Virtual LAN Gaming
SoftEther, which stands for “Software Ethernet”, is one of the world’s most powerful and easy-to-use multi-protocol VPN software. The VPN Solution currently supports Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, and Solaris. Similar to ZeroTier, SoftEther is completely open-source and offers great features and flexibility. Yes, the interface is pretty basic, but the features aren’t. The...
Source: beebom.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, WireGuard should be more popular than SoftEther. It has been mentiond 9 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.

WireGuard mentions (9)

  • Remote access from work/corporate network
    Wireguard. Wireguard uses UDP only and runs TCP sockets over UDP. Source: about 2 years 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: about 2 years 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: about 2 years 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 2 years ago
  • Whisper: wraps any Go io.ReadWriter in a secure tunnel using Ed25519/X25519
    Noise Protocol Framework (used by Wireguard). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

SoftEther mentions (2)

  • Best VPN hardware device for small size team?
    You can try softether.org, you just need to set it up on a computer in the office that is always running. Source: over 1 year ago
  • I need help.
    I recommend SoftEther. simple, fast and doesn't take much space, the download site is softether.org Ghost clients are the clients that have amazing bypasses for huge servers such as mineplex and hypixel, most free ghost clients are sometimes a virus and log your password in their database. Source: almost 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

OpenVPN - OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

ZeroTier - Extremely simple P2P Encrypted VPN

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

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

Radmin VPN - Radmin VPN allows you to securely connect computers, located behind firewalls. Download it Free.

Freelan - You are in control. Why would you trust a closed, proprietary software with your most-sensitive data ? Freelan is open-source and completely free. You know everything about its internals and its source-code.