OpenVPN Access Server
Business VPN software
Network security software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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Pay-as-you-go
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- Information technology and software
- Energy and utilities
- Agriculture, fishing, and forestry
What is OpenVPN Access Server
OpenVPN Access Server is a self-hosted VPN server software package that provides secure remote access to private networks using the OpenVPN protocol. It is typically deployed by IT teams on Linux or cloud instances to support remote employees, contractors, and site-to-site connectivity. The product includes a web-based admin portal, user authentication options, and client configuration tooling to simplify VPN provisioning compared with building from open-source components. It is commonly used where organizations want control over VPN infrastructure and policies rather than relying on a fully managed access service.
Self-hosted control and flexibility
Access Server runs on customer-managed infrastructure, which allows organizations to control network placement, routing, and security boundaries. It supports common deployment models such as on-premises servers and public cloud VMs. This approach can fit environments with data residency requirements or strict change-control processes. It also enables integration with existing network security tooling and segmentation practices.
Centralized admin and user management
The product provides a web-based administrative UI for configuring server settings, users, and connection profiles. It supports multiple authentication approaches (for example, local users and external identity sources depending on configuration), which helps align access with enterprise identity practices. Client configuration and distribution workflows reduce manual setup compared with assembling a VPN from individual components. Logging and status views help administrators troubleshoot connectivity issues.
Mature OpenVPN protocol support
Access Server is built around the widely used OpenVPN protocol and ecosystem, which is broadly supported across operating systems. This can simplify client compatibility for mixed device fleets. The protocol’s long-standing use in enterprise VPN scenarios can make it easier to evaluate and audit. It also provides an alternative to newer overlay-network approaches when a traditional VPN model is required.
Operational overhead on IT
Because it is self-hosted, the organization is responsible for patching, backups, monitoring, and capacity planning. High availability and geographic redundancy require additional infrastructure and design work. This can be more resource-intensive than managed access services that abstract server operations. Ongoing maintenance effort increases as the remote user base grows.
Traditional VPN access model
Access Server primarily provides network-level connectivity, which can expand the reachable network surface area if segmentation is not carefully designed. Implementing least-privilege, application-specific access often requires additional network controls and architecture beyond the VPN itself. Some modern access products emphasize identity- and application-centric access patterns that reduce reliance on broad network tunnels. Organizations may need extra tooling to reach comparable zero-trust-style controls.
Licensing and scaling considerations
Commercial licensing is typically tied to the number of concurrent connections or users (depending on edition and terms), which can affect cost predictability at scale. Scaling to large deployments may require multiple servers, load balancing, and coordinated configuration management. Advanced enterprise requirements (for example, complex multi-region setups) can increase design complexity. Buyers should validate feature availability and limits for their intended scale and authentication needs.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 — Up to 2 concurrent connections (free forever) | Full Access Server features with a permanent two-connection free tier; no expiration and no credit card required. |
| Growth | $7 per connection / month (price shown on vendor pricing page; billing options monthly or yearly; yearly shows a discount) | Pay-per-connection subscription model; pick number of connections, start a 14-day free trial (credit card required for trial); currency options (USD/EUR). |
| Enterprise & IoT | Custom pricing (contact sales) | Volume discounts, guided onboarding & POC, enterprise-grade compliance and 24/7 priority support. |
Seller details
OpenVPN Inc.
Pleasanton, California, US
2002
Private
https://openvpn.net/
https://x.com/openvpn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/openvpn/
