OpenVPN Access Server / Self-Hosted VPN (PAYG)

I use OpenVPN Access Server  as a VPN to access many of the applications. For example, I access a DataDog website where I monitor many tools and all, using OpenVPN Access Server .

I have been using OpenVPN Access Server for about 12 to 13 months, and our main use is managing secure remote access for our internal teams and technical engineers who need to connect to our private cloud infrastructure and staging environments. We rely heavily on it to establish stable, secure connections so the team can access databases, internal applications, and server dashboards safely from anywhere.

We use a hybrid cloud setup for our deployment of OpenVPN Access Server, which is hosted on virtual machines within our private cloud infrastructure to securely gatekeep our internal applications, main databases, and core staging environments.

For public cloud resources in our hybrid setup, we primarily use AWS  and Microsoft Azure  to host several of our front-facing applications, customer portals, and some record testing environments. Having OpenVPN Access Server tied into this mix is great because it allows our team to securely hop between our internal private network and these public cloud resources without needing multiple different VPN clients or configuration setups.

OpenVPN Access Server offers a secure remote access VPN, web-based administration console, multi-factor authentication MFA support, integration with LDAP, Active Directory, RADIUS, SAML, centralized user and device management, client software for Windows, macOS and Linux OS, Android and iOS.

The admin web UI is easily at the top of the list of best features, making managing user access and subnets incredibly simple without having to mess around with a command line. Another standout is the built-in client portal that lets users log in and download their own pre-configured profiles, saving the IT team a ton of manual setup. Additionally, it has a multi-factor authentication code that flexibly integrates with Active Directory and provides the enterprise-grade security we need.

Overall, OpenVPN Access Server has positively impacted our organization by giving us a highly reliable, stable environment for remote work. We handle critical infrastructure and having a secure gateway that doesn't drop connections unexpectedly is a huge win. It has greatly improved our security posture without adding administrative headaches because our engineers and technical teams can securely connect to private cloud resources and databases from anywhere without a hitch, ensuring our support and operational workload runs smoothly around the clock.

The main area for improvement is the pricing model, as the concurrent user license gets expensive quickly as our organization grows. More flexible or tiered pricing options would be a huge plus. Another area is the configuration disconnect, where while the admin web UI handles about 90% of what we need, the moment we need deep advanced routing customizations or to tweak specific variables, we still have to drop back into the command-line interface to make those changes. It would be great to see these deeper configurations fully integrated into the web portal. Additionally, native support for newer, lighter protocols like WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency would be beneficial.

I have been working in my current field for almost 15 to 15 plus years.

OpenVPN Access Server is very stable, and we have a hassle-free work experience using it.

OpenVPN Access Server's scalability is much better, ensuring we can handle our growing needs.

For customer support, I rate OpenVPN Access Server 9 out of 10. The ticketing system is responsive, and the technical team knows the product inside and out. Additionally, with such a massive community, we can almost always find immediate answers in their forum or documentation without needing to open a ticket. My advice is to map out your user access groups and routing subnets before configuring the server; this makes it easier to enforce least privilege.

We previously relied on a legacy IPsec VPN solution and the standard open-source community edition of OpenVPN. We switched due to the administrative bottleneck, as managing the open-source version required our team to handle everything through the command-line interface, creating individual user configuration files to track down connection failures. It did not have a centralized dashboard or a user portal, which resulted in a massive number of internal support tickets. Moving to OpenVPN Access Server solved all of that by providing the web admin portal and seamless SAML integration, completely automating user management and relieving our administrators.

Regarding the return on investment from OpenVPN Access Server, it really comes down to the drastic drop in onboarding and engineering time. Before we implemented it, our senior technical staff had to spend 20 to 30 minutes per user manually generating cryptographic keys, setting up routing rules, and securely transferring profile files to each employee. This was a significant drain on highly skilled personnel, but now with our SAML identity provider integration, the entire workflow takes under two minutes. The platform automatically reads the user role and maps them to the correct network subnets instantly, saving us countless hours of administration overhead every month, allowing our engineering team to focus on managing critical infrastructure rather than grinding through access tickets. For us, that efficiency completely justifies our licensing cost.

The pricing for OpenVPN Access Server is fine and very straightforward, and we did not face any hassles accessing it. The pricing, setup cost, and licensing were within our limits and budget, making it very user-friendly.

Before choosing OpenVPN Access Server, we evaluated other options, looking closely at WireGuard and Cisco AnyConnect. Cisco AnyConnect was a strong enterprise contender, but it felt overly complex for our hybrid cloud needs and required locking into their ecosystem, which we wanted to avoid. We valued WireGuard for its raw connection speed and lightweight protocol, but it lacked the necessary enterprise features including a built-in administrative web portal, straightforward SAML integration, and robust access control list. Ultimately, OpenVPN Access Server won out because it offered the ease of management and advanced user governance features we needed.

If I had to give advice to others looking into using OpenVPN Access Server, my biggest recommendation is to carefully map out your user access groups and routing subnets on paper before diving into the configuration. The platform makes it incredibly easy to enforce least privilege and zero-trust principles, but the setup goes smoother if you have a clear architecture of who needs to access what private resources. Utilize the two free concurrent connections to test your identity provider integration, enforce multi-factor authentication, and provide the automation workflow during the testing phase to illustrate how much administrative time you will save, making it easier to justify the licensing cost when scaling up. I rate my overall experience with OpenVPN Access Server an 8 out of 10.

Hybrid Cloud

Amazon Web Services  (AWS)

What do you like best about the product?

I like that it offers a wide variety of countries to choose from for dedicated IP addresses, which lets us pick the best option for our specific use case. I also appreciate how easy it is to use, and that it runs quietly in the background while you work. On top of that, it’s great that the application is updated regularly, so it continues to improve with each update.

What do you dislike about the product?

OpenVPN is undoubtedly one of the best VPN services currently available. Another strong point is that their technical support is consistently available online to guide you and respond to any questions you may have.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

The number of available servers is excellent. When I use OpenVPN, I have real peace of mind knowing my IP address is protected, and I don’t worry about leaks or exposure. If my internet goes down and then comes back, this is the first application to reconnect, so my real IP address is never exposed.

What do you like best about the product?

I like that it has a very intuitive, user-friendly web interface, which allows even employees without technical knowledge to start using it quickly. I also appreciate how easy it is to save and switch between different network profiles depending on the team’s needs. Furthermore, it runs smoothly on any operating system.

What do you dislike about the product?

It adapts well to organizations of all sizes, supports a large number of simultaneous users, and offers us a very economical, highly profitable alternative—without sacrificing quality or security.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

It helps us address data vulnerability by letting employees remotely connect to our on-premises servers, microservices, and company-sensitive APIs through a secure, encrypted connection. It also allows us to distribute our network infrastructure across different servers.

What do you like best about the product?

Easy to deploy and access, user friendly

What do you dislike about the product?

OpenVPN Access Server is powerful and reliable, but there are a few areas that could be improved. The administration interface can feel somewhat dated and not as intuitive as newer VPN or zero-trust platforms, especially during initial setup. Some configuration options are technical and may require documentation or prior networking experience, which can slow down onboarding for smaller teams.

Pricing can also become a concern as the number of users grows, since the licensing model may feel expensive compared with alternatives like WireGuard-based solutions or cloud-native VPN options. Integrations are functional, but they are not always as seamless as expected with modern identity providers, monitoring tools, or cloud environments.

Performance is generally stable, but depending on configuration and server resources, throughput may not always match lighter VPN solutions. It would be helpful to see a more modern UI, simpler deployment guides, clearer pricing tiers, stronger built-in monitoring, and easier integration with cloud platforms and identity management systems.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

OpenVPN Access Server helps solve the need for secure remote access to internal systems, servers, and business applications without exposing them directly to the public internet. It allows remote users and external devices to connect through an encrypted VPN tunnel, which improves security and makes access easier to control.

The main benefit is that it gives us a centralized way to manage VPN users, permissions, and connections. This is especially useful for teams that need to access private resources from different locations. It also helps reduce risk by keeping sensitive services behind the VPN instead of opening ports publicly.

Overall, OpenVPN Access Server provides a practical and reliable solution for remote connectivity, secure server access, and controlled network access. It benefits us by improving security, simplifying remote work, and giving administrators better visibility and control over who can connect to the network.

What do you like best about the product?

I like OpenVPN Access Server because it provides a simple and secure VPN solution that allows us to access internal resources securely. Its costs are low, and the deployment process is very easy. The support is great too. I value its simplicity and the fact that it is built on top of the open-source version but has been improved significantly; it's very stable. Configuration is simple, and I appreciate that its features can be extended with scripts. The initial setup was very easy, with only a few configurations needed, and deploying it on Linux was straightforward.

What do you dislike about the product?

Not a lot of features like IPS/IDS, logging could be much better, doesn't help much with threat hunting, no integration with third-party security tooling.

What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?

I use OpenVPN Access Server as a VPN solution, providing secure access to internal resources. It offers flexibility for remote work, is cost-effective, easy to deploy, and comes with great support.