OpenVPN vs Outline VPN (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, OpenVPN grades higher than Outline VPN: 2.8 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
OpenVPN grades higher on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OpenVPN
Open-source VPN protocol plus business VPN products built on it
Which one is for you
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
Pick Outline VPN if
- Fits if you want to run your own VPN rather than trust a provider
- Works for sharing one server with friends or family
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want a hosting bill, as you pay your own server host
- Skip it if you want to switch between countries, since traffic exits from one location
- Tight if you only have a phone, because creating a server needs a desktop computer
- Watch out: getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAOpenVPNGood | 2.0GPAOutline VPNFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$7 a seat a month yearly on Essential and $9.50 on Premium. Those sit between the middle and the dearer quarter of a category that runs $3.99 to $8, and the 10-seat example costs $70 a month. | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server; the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe community edition is free, Access Server is free for 2 connections and CloudConnexa Starter is free for 5 seats. One person or a very small team could live on that. | CThe apps and server software cost nothing, but you also need a server of your own, so it is not free to use. |
| Features | BSelf-hosted or cloud, identity and device policies, content filtering, IDS/IPS and an open-source edition. It covers the whole job of remote access, with some parts on dearer plans. | CYour own server, access keys, per-key data limits and an SDK. There is one exit location, with no pool to switch between. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Setup means connecting a server or a cloud account to your identity provider and apps. | DNo store rating on record, and you create a server through the Manager on a desktop and manage it yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, Android and ChromeOS, plus a public API on Essential and hooks into Azure, Docker, VMware and Hyper-V. | BManager on Windows, Mac and Linux, and clients for iOS and Android. |
| Best for | remote access for staff, hosted by you or by them | running your own VPN server for a few people |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: OpenVPN and Outline VPN. How we grade
Price against what you get
OpenVPN starts at $7 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Outline VPN has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
OpenVPN scores higher, and starts $7 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other VPNs on the chart, 2 score higher than OpenVPN for less, and none scores higher than Outline VPN for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
At a glance
| OpenVPN | Outline VPN | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $7 per connection or seat / month, billed annually | Free |
| Free plan | Open-source community edition; Access Server free for 2 connections; CloudConnexa Starter free for 5 seats. | The software is free and open source. You pay your own server host; the Get Started page says many providers offer plans for $5 a month or less. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of paid plans; Access Server's trial needs a credit card, and the free plans do not. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OpenVPN Inc. | Outline Foundation |
| Price read from | openvpn.net | getoutline.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Outline VPN
- You need your own server, so there is a hosting bill, and the site cites $5 a month or less at many providers.
- Your traffic leaves from the one server location you picked, with no pool of locations to switch between.
- The site says getoutline.me and a Telegram channel are not affiliated with the Outline team and cannot help with access keys from those services.
- Outline Manager runs on Windows, macOS and Linux desktops, so creating a server needs a desktop computer.
Key features
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.
Outline VPN
- Your own server
- Outline Manager walks you through creating a server at a cloud provider such as DigitalOcean, AWS or Google Cloud, or on your own Linux machine, and lets you pick its location.
- Access keys
- Each person you share the server with gets a unique access key from the Manager, and a key can be managed or deleted from the server.
- Per-key data limits
- The Manager can set a data limit for each key so one user cannot use all of the server's bandwidth.
- Shadowsocks-based
- The server runs a Shadowsocks service with a REST API for key management, which the project says benefits from ongoing work on resisting detection and blocking.
- Outline SDK
- A cross-platform library and tools for building the same blocking-resistant networking strategies into other apps and VPN tools.
Plans
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.
Outline VPN
Outline$0
Free Manager and Client apps and server software. You host the server yourself at a cloud provider you choose or on your own Linux infrastructure.
Ways to pay less
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.
Outline VPN
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, OpenVPN or Outline VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Outline VPN is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $7 a month for each person for OpenVPN. OpenVPN starts at $7 per connection or seat / month, billed annually, and Outline VPN is free.
Which has a free plan, OpenVPN or Outline VPN?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both OpenVPN and Outline VPN have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.