OpenVPN Access Server (25 Connected Devices) / Self-Hosted VPN

I use the solution for higher education resources.

The solution does its job and it is easy to customize.

The core VPN functionality is reliable and relatively easy to administer once it is deployed.

The licensing and purchasing workflow needs serious improvement. OpenVPN  should provide clear documentation for customers who need multiple Access Server instances, different connection counts, AWS Marketplace  subscriptions, PAYG licensing, and BYOL licensing under the same organization. Support and sales also need a clearer internal escalation path. We received guidance that pointed us back to AWS , then AWS  clarified that OpenVPN  needed to amend or handle the agreement, then OpenVPN proposed BYOL, then the BYOL setup ran into another account conflict. This was embarrassing for a paid enterprise product.

The product should include clearer in-app and portal-level guidance explaining what account types, billing models, and subscription models are compatible. Customers should not have to discover these limitations through a long email chain.

I have been using the solution for 7 months.

We have used OpenVPN Access Server previously and were trying to expand our existing deployment. The issue was not that we were switching from another vendor. The issue was that expanding an existing OpenVPN setup became unexpectedly difficult.

Do not assume the pricing or purchasing path will be straightforward, especially through AWS Marketplace . Confirm  in writing whether your intended setup requires PAYG, BYOL, a Marketplace amendment, a separate AWS account, or a separate OpenVPN account. Also, budget staff time for the licensing process itself. The sticker price may look clear, but the real cost includes the time spent untangling subscription limitations, account conflicts, sales handoffs, and unclear guidance.

We considered continuing with OpenVPN because we already had operational familiarity with it and expected the expansion path to be simple.

The technical product is usable. The purchasing and licensing experience was the problem. Our organization needed a simple answer to a simple question: how do we run one 10-connection server and one 50-connection server? Instead of a clear path, we got days of back-and-forth, repeated explanations, conflicting assumptions, AWS/OpenVPN finger-pointing, delayed responses, and a final BYOL path that still ran into account conflicts. For an infrastructure product, that is not acceptable.

Customers should not need to coordinate between vendor sales, vendor support, AWS Marketplace, AWS account teams, and internal billing just to buy more capacity. OpenVPN should make this process dramatically clearer, faster, and more accountable.

My use case for OpenVPN Access Server  is infrastructure VPN for internal company usage. The main reason we use it is because of the user management UI and the visual representation of all the data related to it.

Overall, my best feature of OpenVPN Access Server  is the user management, which is very nice because OpenVPN can be quite painful and not very visible. This tool gives absolute visibility and full control over the users, their access, and provides them with some dashboards. The administrator can see everything related to the VPN system.

I primarily utilize OpenVPN Access Server access control features for personal working desktops to access the infrastructure. We provide the key pair generated automatically, which I control, but I know that it has other features to deliver those credentials as well.

I find that connection speed with OpenVPN Access Server loses in comparison to WireGuard, which is very fast. However, compared to any other solution, they are pretty much the same, and they do not require a lot of system resources for encrypting traffic, so it's average—not bad.

I think speed has room for improvement in OpenVPN Access Server. If they can make adjustments to the protocol for better speed, identical to WireGuard for example, that would be really good.

I have been using OpenVPN Access Server for about a month, but with OpenVPN products in general, I have worked for several years.

I would rate the stability of OpenVPN Access Server about an eight or nine; it is pretty stable.

Our size of organization did not allow us to discuss scalability for OpenVPN Access Server, but one server handles everything, especially since it's for internal traffic. It is hard to say, but I doubt it should have any issues with this.

I would rate technical support for OpenVPN Access Server as not applicable because I have never talked with them. The documentation was absolutely fine for me; it was well-structured, and I did not have any difficulties with this solution, so I did not need the support.

I have tried other solutions including Cisco, FortiGate, and native IPsec solutions from Windows platforms, as well as an open-source version of OpenVPN without dashboards and the WireGuard open-source solution.

I find it extremely easy to install and set up OpenVPN Access Server.

As far as I remember, it takes about 10 or 15 minutes maximum to have a server ready.

OpenVPN Access Server requires really minimal maintenance, as it is basically dockerized and everything is automated, so it is even updated. It's absolutely simple to install.

Regarding pricing for OpenVPN Access Server, I don't remember all the details exactly, but I believe it is really flexible and even provides something like free trials, so anyone can try it. It was reasonable as far as I remember.

I compare OpenVPN Access Server to other solutions by noting that it is extremely easy to set up. Even someone who is non-technical or possesses technical knowledge will be able to install it and use it in a few minutes, which is almost not possible with any other solution, as they are much more complicated.

I do not use any role defining features because it is a really small organization, so it wasn't required, but it is there if needed.

I have seen OpenVPN Access Server integrations such as LDAP, RADIUS, PAM, and SAML, but again, due to the size of the company, it wasn't necessary and we didn't have it inside the company. However, it was nice that it is already embedded inside.

We haven't used much in terms of integrations with OpenVPN Access Server, so it's hard to say. We only used basic features there.

My advice for others looking to implement OpenVPN Access Server is that it is at least worth trying if you need a fast and easy implementation solution without technical overhead and you just need VPN access, which is supported by all operating systems and mobile operating system vendors. It is definitely worth a try.

OpenVPN Access Server was purchased directly from the website, not on the AWS  marketplace or through a partner purchase. I would rate this product an overall eight out of ten.

I am currently working with OpenVPN Access Server  for approximately 20 users. We use OpenVPN Access Server  to connect to our company services from one IP address to secure these connections. OpenVPN Access Server is very lightweight, and the installation process is equally lightweight.

Single sign-on is very important for me because it is one of the principles of zero-trust architecture. In this architecture, each user has minimum privilege and uses one login and one password to connect to any services.

It is very easy to install and set up OpenVPN Access Server within the organization. Installing and using this service is very easy. OpenVPN Access Server provides a very detailed guide for installing it on your own server and integrating it with Google or Microsoft, making the process straightforward.

The best feature of OpenVPN Access Server is single sign-on, which is a very secure feature for information security.

Access control is effective in providing precise access to user groups and devices. In our company, we use a couple of services to control devices and users. One of these is a mobile device management solution such as Miradore  or JumpCloud , and another solution to secure the channel to connect to company services is OpenVPN Access Server. Through the admin console, we can manage user rights and connections to company services.

I have no answer regarding what I would like to see improved in OpenVPN Access Server. I am not aware of future features, but the current features in the interface and the functionality of OpenVPN Access Server are very good. Everything in OpenVPN Access Server is very good, but the price is expensive.

I have been working with OpenVPN Access Server for around three years across two companies where I worked.

I find it very stable. All the issues were from my own mistakes, not from OpenVPN Access Server.

I find OpenVPN Access Server scalable and have not seen any limitations with it. The stability was very good, and I have no issues or problems. When we deploy and install OpenVPN Access Server, the principle is to install and forget.

Regarding technical support for OpenVPN Access Server, it is very good and very fast. Any issue was solved in five to ten minutes, or they sent me a description to solve my issue when I could not determine the problem myself. The technical support is very fast and very good.

I previously used L2TP/IPsec on my home router, and I am currently testing WireGuard for my home network because WireGuard is faster than OpenVPN Access Server.

The user interface of OpenVPN Access Server is very easy. It has two buttons: a download button and a cancel button, along with a checkbox to download only the profile. There are no additional settings, only log out and download options with the checkbox. This is a very simple interface that is very good for users, very good for admins, and very good for security.

We purchased OpenVPN Access Server directly from the OpenVPN market. I found it on the internet, researched it, connected to the company, and after testing, my chief decided to buy this solution for secure connection to our services. Our first purchase was from OpenVPN Access Server, and the next purchase was for the admin panel of OpenVPN Access Server, which was deployed on our rented server as a standalone server.

The main benefits that I have seen from using OpenVPN Access Server are that it is simple, easy, and secure.

I find it not cost-effective. It is not worth the money from a pricing perspective. However, it is a good investment for security and company information security. It is a good investment overall.

Apart from speed considerations, I use OpenVPN Access Server only for enterprise use and do not have a plan to use it for my home network. This is an enterprise solution and enterprise service, but not for a home user.

For authentication, we use SAML to authenticate users from Microsoft Entra ID  or Google Workspace . SAML and single sign-on serve the same purpose. We use SAML and local authentication for the admin, and the admin can authenticate through SAML with a checkbox in the admin panel or user panel.

I have a recommendation that I can share with other organizations considering OpenVPN Access Server. From my previous job, we used OpenVPN Access Server, and when I moved to a new job, I proposed using OpenVPN Access Server, and the chief decided to implement it. In the future, when I see that my friends or friendly corporations or friendly structures want to use a VPN, I will recommend OpenVPN Access Server.