# SoftEther VPN review (2026): is it any good? > Free multi-protocol VPN server and client from a Japanese university Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. SoftEther VPN is free, open-source VPN software that began as an academic research project at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. One server can accept SSL-VPN over HTTPS plus OpenVPN, IPsec, L2TP, MS-SSTP, L2TPv3 and EtherIP connections, and it can bridge networks at the Ethernet layer. It is licensed under Apache License 2.0. - **Category:** VPNs - **Made by:** SoftEther VPN Project (University of Tsukuba) - **Website:** https://www.softether.org - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a hosted VPN with provider servers. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, SoftEther VPN is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Freeware and open source under Apache License 2.0; no paid plans. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | SoftEther VPN | $0 | Free to download and run yourself; the server runs on Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris and Mac OS X. | Read from https://www.softether.org/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with SoftEther VPN before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Administrators who want one self-hosted server to accept many VPN protocols - People bridging networks across offices or cloud VMs at the Ethernet level - Replacing a paid remote-access VPN with free software ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. SoftEther is free, open-source VPN software that came out of a university project, and one server can take SSL-VPN, OpenVPN, IPsec, L2TP and more. You host it yourself, and the news items on its page are from 2019. - **Value for money: C.** Free 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: A.** Free outright, with no paid plans or caps. - **Features: B.** Many 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: D.** No rating on record. You install and configure a server and manage it with admin tools, which is self-hosting. - **Platforms and integrations: A.** Clients for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, iPhone and iPad, plus an admin API and Amazon EC2 and Azure support. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from SoftEther VPN's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among VPNs - SoftEther VPN's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 36 of the 50 other VPNs we grade, and level with 7. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 46 of 50) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - SoftEther VPN has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/vpn ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** SoftEther VPN is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 36 of the 50 other VPNs we grade. - You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private. - You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Amazon EC2, Windows Azure and OpenVPN among them, and has an API. - You could not: What a company asks for before it lets staff use something: roles and permissions. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with Amazon EC2, Windows Azure, OpenVPN, Microsoft SSTP **Tags:** VPN, Open source, Self-hostable, Public API ## Alternatives - [OpenVPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/openvpn): Open-source VPN protocol plus business VPN products built on it. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/openvpn-vs-softether-vpn) - [WireGuard](https://toolgpa.com/tools/wireguard): Free, open-source VPN protocol and tunnel software. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/softether-vpn-vs-wireguard) - [Firezone](https://toolgpa.com/tools/firezone): WireGuard-based zero-trust remote access for teams. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/firezone-vs-softether-vpn) - [Outline VPN](https://toolgpa.com/tools/outline-vpn): Open-source software for running your own VPN server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/outline-vpn-vs-softether-vpn) - [Tunnelblick](https://toolgpa.com/tools/tunnelblick): Free open-source OpenVPN client for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/softether-vpn-vs-tunnelblick) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://www.softether.org/ - https://www.softether.org/1-features - https://www.softether.org/5-download Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/softether-vpn Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).