NordLayer vs OpenVPN (2026): which should you pick?

Pick NordLayer if

• Fits if you run a team of five or more and want admin control over a VPN
• Works for companies that use Okta, Entra ID or Google Workspace sign-in

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you are one person, as every plan has a 5-user minimum
• Pricey if you need Core or Premium, as each needs a $40 a month dedicated-IP server
• Skip it if you want to try before paying, as no free plan or trial is listed
• Watch out: each account allows only 6 simultaneous connections, and provisioning and device posture monitoring are add-ons

Pick OpenVPN if

• Fits if you need a few people to reach company apps and networks
• Works for teams who want to host the VPN themselves

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you want a consumer VPN with a server list, as these are business products
• Tight if you outgrow 2 connections on Access Server Free or 5 seats on Starter
• Pricey if you need SAML, SIEM log streaming and a public API, which start on Essential at $7 a seat
• Watch out: SCIM, longer log retention and the 99.9% uptime SLA are Premium or Enterprise only
• Watch out: Access Server refunds go through sales, and unused funds are credited when you cancel

NordLayer

• Every self-serve plan has a 5-user minimum; the Enterprise offer starts at 200 users.
• Core and Premium require a dedicated-IP server, listed at $40 a month on yearly billing ($50 monthly).
• Split tunneling, custom DNS and the browser extension are not part of Lite.
• Each account allows up to 6 simultaneous connections; user provisioning and device posture monitoring are add-ons.

OpenVPN

• The pages read show the yearly-billed price only; a monthly price for Access Server was not displayed, and CloudConnexa advertises up to 20% off for annual billing.
• Access Server Free stops at 2 simultaneous connections, and Growth at 2,000; larger deployments are Enterprise with custom pricing.
• CloudConnexa's SCIM, longer log retention and 99.9% uptime SLA are on Premium or Enterprise only.
• Refunds on Access Server subscriptions go through sales; unused funds are credited to the account when you cancel.

NordLayer

Shared and private gateways

Lite connects through shared gateways in 40+ countries; Core and above add private gateways with a dedicated IP address that only your team uses.

Network access control

Higher plans add IP allowlisting, a cloud firewall and device posture checks to limit who and what can reach company resources.

Threat prevention

Web protection blocks malicious domains and download protection scans new files for malware; DNS filtering by category starts on Core.

Protocols and always-on mode

NordLynx, which is WireGuard-based, plus OpenVPN over UDP or TCP. Always On VPN and auto-connect are included on every plan.

Single sign-on and provisioning

Sign in with Okta, Entra ID, OneLogin, Google or JumpCloud. Automatic user provisioning with Entra ID and Okta is an add-on.

Site-to-site connections

Premium can link office networks and devices to a private gateway through encrypted tunnels.

OpenVPN

Self-hosted Access Server

Runs on cloud IaaS, Docker, Linux, Hyper-V or VMware ESXi, with per-user and per-group access and SSO plus MFA.

Cloud-delivered CloudConnexa

Connects users to apps across offices and clouds from one console with no VPN servers to run, using OpenVPN or IPsec.

Identity and device policies

CloudConnexa sets access policies based on identity, device posture and location, with logs for audits.

Content filtering

CloudConnexa includes DNS filtering and IDS/IPS on every plan, and blocks known malicious sites.

Open-source community edition

The free OpenVPN community edition has Windows installers and source archives.

NordLayer

• Lite$8

  per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)

  Shared gateways in 40+ countries, web protection and download protection. 5 users minimum.

• Core$11

  per user / month, billed yearly ($14 billed monthly)

  Adds private gateways and network access control. Needs a dedicated-IP server at $40 a month on yearly billing. 5 users minimum.

• Premium$14

  per user / month, billed yearly ($18 billed monthly)

  Adds more granular network segmentation and site-to-site connections. Dedicated-IP server at $40 a month on yearly billing. 5 users minimum.

• Enterprise offer$6

  per user / month and up, billed yearly

  For teams of 200 or more seats, starting from Lite capabilities; price varies with plan and features. Sold through sales.

OpenVPN

• Community edition$0

  Open-source OpenVPN that you download and host yourself, with Windows installers and source archives.

• Access Server Free$0

  Self-hosted, up to 2 simultaneous connections, all features. New sign-ups start with a 14-day trial of up to 100 connections.

• Access Server Growth$7

  per connection / month, billed annually

  Self-hosted, up to 2,000 simultaneous connections, priced per connection with volume discounts; the page's example is 10 connections at $70 a month.

• CloudConnexa Starter$0

  Cloud-delivered, 5 seats included, with access policies, DNS filtering and IDS/IPS.

• CloudConnexa Essential$7

  per seat / month, billed annually

  Adds LDAP and SAML, IPsec support, log streaming to a SIEM, a public API and 24-7 priority support. The page's example is 10 seats at $70 a month.

• CloudConnexa Premium$9.50

  per seat / month, billed annually

  Adds SCIM, multiple authentication methods, longer log retention, a dedicated account manager and a 99.9% uptime SLA. The page's example is 10 seats at $95 a month.

NordLayer

• Annual discount

  Save up to 22% with yearly billing

  The pricing page shows yearly billing at a lower per-user rate than monthly, labelled as saving up to 22%.

OpenVPN

• Annual discount

  Up to 20% off CloudConnexa with annual billing

  The CloudConnexa pricing page offers an annual discount of up to 20%; the prices shown there are the annual ones.