1 Free & Open Source Alternative to OpenVPN (2026)

OpenVPN is an open-source virtual private network (VPN) system and protocol that creates secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. It offers robust encryption and cross-platform compatibility. Below are the best free replacements we've tested.

OpenVPN

Freemium (Open Source) ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5.0

OpenVPN is an open-source virtual private network (VPN) system and protocol that creates secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections. It offers robust encryption and cross-platform compatibility.

Pricing Freemium (Open Source)

Alternatives 1 free options

Category Security & Privacy

Rating 5 / 5

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Why people look for alternatives OpenVPN has a free tier with limitations. Many users seek fully free or open-source alternatives that offer the same capabilities without paywalled features or usage caps.

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Quick Comparison

Tool	Pricing	Best for	Rating
SoftEther VPN	Free & Open Source	Network administrators and users needing a versatile, secure, and free VPN solution.	★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.5

Detailed Reviews

SoftEther VPN

A powerful, free, and open-source multi-protocol VPN software supporting SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and MS-SSTP. It offers high compatibility, strong encryption, and fast throughput for various operating systems.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.5

Free & Open Source Best for: Network administrators and users needing a versatile, secure, and free VPN solution.

Free for personal and commercial use.

1 screenshot — click to enlarge

Main interface

✓ Pros

• Free and open-source.
• Multi-protocol support (SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, EtherIP, L2TPv3, MS-SSTP, WireGuard).
• High compatibility with various VPN products and clients.
• Cross-platform (Windows, Linux, Mac, FreeBSD, Solaris, Android, iPhone, iPad, Windows Mobile).
• Faster than OpenVPN.
• Easy to establish remote-access and site-to-site VPNs.
• SSL-VPN Tunneling on HTTPS to pass through NATs and firewalls.
• VPN over ICMP and DNS features to bypass restricted firewalls.
• Ethernet-bridging (L2) and IP-routing (L3) over VPN.
• Embedded dynamic-DNS and NAT-traversal.
• Strong encryption (AES 256-bit, RSA 4096-bit).
• High throughput performance with low memory and CPU usage.
• User-friendly GUI and command-line utility for management.
• Considered safer than hardware VPN products due to open-source nature.

✕ Cons

• Includes support for several outdated and less secure encryption algorithms.
• Users must be careful to avoid selecting weak encryption methods like RC4 or DES.