OpenVPN

An established open-source VPN protocol widely regarded as the industry standard for balancing strong security and broad compatibility.

OpenVPN has been the gold-standard VPN protocol since 2001. It uses OpenSSL encryption and supports both UDP (faster) and TCP (more reliable) transport modes.

Strengths

  • Battle-tested over two decades of use
  • Highly configurable — supports custom ports, ciphers, and authentication methods
  • Works on virtually every platform and network configuration
  • Can bypass firewalls by running on TCP port 443 (HTTPS port)

Drawbacks

  • Slower than WireGuard due to larger codebase and overhead
  • More complex setup for manual configuration
  • Higher battery drain on mobile devices

FAQ

Should I use OpenVPN or WireGuard?

Use WireGuard for everyday browsing and streaming — it's faster. Use OpenVPN when you need maximum compatibility or need to bypass restrictive firewalls.

Is OpenVPN free?

The OpenVPN protocol is open-source and free. However, you still need a VPN service provider (like NordVPN or ExpressVPN) for server access, which requires a subscription.