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OpenVPN vs SoftEther VPN (2026): which should you pick?

As of Nov 13, 2026, OpenVPN and SoftEther VPN share a 2.8 GPA, both have a free plan, and SoftEther VPN has no paid plan to buy, against $7 a month for each person for OpenVPN.

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA

OpenVPN grades higher on ease of use. SoftEther VPN grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.

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

Free plan · from $7/mo
Full detailsopenvpn.net

SoftEther VPN

Free multi-protocol VPN server and client from a Japanese university

Free
Full detailssoftether.org

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 SoftEther VPN if

  • Fits if you want one server that accepts several VPN protocols
  • Works for people who need to bridge networks at the Ethernet layer

Look elsewhere if

  • Skip it if you want a hosted VPN with provider servers
  • Not for you if you want a vendor to call: support is a forum and the community
  • Watch out: the news items on the project page are dated 2019
  • Watch out: the page lists a 2019 security advisory for the Windows local bridge driver
  • Watch out: the project's own client list also includes Windows Mobile, an old platform

How we grade them

2.8GPAOpenVPNGood2.8GPASoftEther VPNGood
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.
CFree under Apache 2.0, but you run the server yourself. Software that is only free if you host it yourself is a C.
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.
AFree outright, with no paid plans or caps.
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.
BMany protocols on one server, an OpenVPN clone function, Layer-2 Ethernet bridging and an admin tool and API. It covers the whole job of a self-hosted VPN.
Ease of use
CNo store rating on record. Setup means connecting a server or a cloud account to your identity provider and apps.
DNo rating on record. You install and configure a server and manage it with admin tools, which is self-hosting.
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.
AClients for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad, plus an admin API and Amazon EC2 and Azure support.
Best forremote access for staff, hosted by you or by thema self-hosted VPN that speaks many protocols

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 SoftEther 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. SoftEther VPN has no paid plan and scores 2.7.

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 SoftEther VPN for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$1$2$5$10$20More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessOpenVPNSoftEther VPN

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
The full chart of VPNs, and the best at every price

Where they differ

    In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroidOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIVPN

    At a glance

    OpenVPNSoftEther VPN
    PricingFree planFree
    Starts at$7 per connection or seat / month, billed annuallyFree
    Free planOpen-source community edition; Access Server free for 2 connections; CloudConnexa Starter free for 5 seats.Freeware and open source under Apache License 2.0; no paid plans.
    Free trial14-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 byOpenVPN Inc.SoftEther VPN Project (University of Tsukuba)
    Price read fromopenvpn.netsoftether.org
    CheckedNov 13, 2026Nov 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.

    SoftEther VPN

    • It is software to host yourself, not a VPN service with provider servers.
    • Clients are listed for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad; the project's own native client list also includes Windows Mobile.
    • The project page's news items shown are dated 2019, and the page lists a 2019 security advisory for the Windows local bridge driver.
    • Support runs through a project forum and community, not a vendor with paid support.

    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.

    SoftEther VPN

    VPN over HTTPS
    SSL-VPN tunneling on HTTPS passes through NATs and firewalls.
    Many protocols on one server
    The server also supports OpenVPN, IPsec, L2TP, MS-SSTP, L2TPv3 and EtherIP, so built-in clients on phones and computers can connect.
    OpenVPN clone function
    A clone of the OpenVPN server lets existing OpenVPN clients connect, which the project pitches as a way to migrate.
    Layer-2 Ethernet bridging
    Supports LAN-to-LAN and cloud-to-LAN bridge VPNs built on an Ethernet-based design.
    Admin tools and API
    Server, client and bridge manuals, a command-line utility, and a JSON-RPC API with an HTML5 admin console.

    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.

    SoftEther VPN

    • SoftEther VPN$0

      Free to download and run yourself; the server runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac OS X.

    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.

    SoftEther VPN

    No public discounts listed.

    Common questions

    Which is cheaper, OpenVPN or SoftEther VPN?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, SoftEther 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 SoftEther VPN is free.

    Which has a free plan, OpenVPN or SoftEther VPN?

    As of Nov 13, 2026, both OpenVPN and SoftEther 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.
    How we review and grade