SoftEther VPN vs WireGuard (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SoftEther VPN grades higher than WireGuard: 2.8 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
SoftEther VPN grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SoftEther VPN
Free multi-protocol VPN server and client from a Japanese university
Free
Which one is for you
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
Pick WireGuard if
- Fits if you are happy to run your own server and exchange keys by hand
- Works for people building a VPN or a provider's app on top of a small protocol
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted VPN, as there are no provider servers
- Not for you if you want sign-in, users and policy, because those need other tools
- Too light for a team: pushing configuration to many people is outside its scope
- Watch out: the site says the project is under heavy development
- Watch out: the Mac and iPhone apps come from the App Store, and Android from Google Play or an APK
How we grade them
| 2.8GPASoftEther VPNGood | 2.4GPAWireGuardFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree under Apache 2.0, but you run the server yourself. Software that is only free if you host it yourself is a C. | CFree to download, but there are no provider servers, so you pay for a server of your own. Software that is only free if you host it yourself is a C. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no paid plans or caps. | AFree outright, with donations asked for. The software has no plan or cap. |
| Features | 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. | CKey-based tunnels with a small codebase. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job: key distribution and pushed configuration are outside its scope. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. You install and configure a server and manage it with admin tools, which is self-hosting. | DNo rating on record, and setup is on you: keys, a server and config files, usually from a command line. |
| Platforms and integrations | AClients for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad, plus an admin API and Amazon EC2 and Azure support. | BWindows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, though the listing names no API or integrations. |
| Best for | a self-hosted VPN that speaks many protocols | a fast tunnel you host yourself |
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: SoftEther VPN and WireGuard. How we grade
Price against what you get
SoftEther VPN has no paid plan and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WireGuard has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
SoftEther VPN scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other VPNs on the chart, none scores higher than SoftEther VPN for less, and none scores higher than WireGuard 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
- SoftEther VPN is self-hostable, according to its own site.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxiOSAndroidOpen sourceVPN
At a glance
| SoftEther VPN | WireGuard | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Freeware and open source under Apache License 2.0; no paid plans. | Free open-source software; the project accepts voluntary donations. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SoftEther VPN Project (University of Tsukuba) | Jason A. Donenfeld (ZX2C4) and Edge Security |
| Price read from | softether.org | wireguard.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
WireGuard
- It is software, not a hosted VPN: there are no provider servers, and you supply the server and keys.
- Key distribution and pushed configuration are outside its scope, so users, sign-in and policy need other tools.
- The site says the project is under heavy development.
- The macOS and iOS apps are installed from the App Store, and the Android app from Google Play or as an APK.
Key features
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.
WireGuard
- Key-based tunnels
- A connection is made by exchanging public keys between peers, and each peer lists the tunnel IP addresses it is allowed to send from.
- Modern cryptography
- Uses the Noise protocol framework, Curve25519, ChaCha20, Poly1305, BLAKE2, SipHash24 and HKDF.
- Small codebase
- Designed to be short enough for one person to review, in contrast to the larger IPsec and OpenVPN codebases, the project says.
- Roaming
- A connection can keep working as a peer's IP address changes.
- Wide platform support
- The install page lists Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and many Linux and BSD distributions, plus OpenWRT.
Plans
SoftEther VPN
SoftEther VPN$0
Free to download and run yourself; the server runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac OS X.
WireGuard
WireGuard$0
Free software you set up and host yourself. The kernel components are GPLv2; other projects use MIT, BSD, Apache 2.0 or GPL licenses.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SoftEther VPN or WireGuard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both SoftEther VPN and WireGuard are free to use.
Which has a free plan, SoftEther VPN or WireGuard?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both SoftEther VPN and WireGuard 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.