The 6 Best OpenVPN Clients to Consider in 2023

In addition to choosing a security-minded, reliable company, you must choose the best software. A good business VPN must:

Choosing The Best VPN Service

You’ve heard that a VPN is essential for your business — and it’s true.

But how to find the right one? How to find the best VPN?

That’s what this guide is for. Here, we’ll expand on what a VPN is and whether it matters for your business. Then you can jump to the section that is most important to you. Yes, this is a lot of information — but that should mean you’ll be able to find what you need. And if not, please let us know. You can send an email through our support ticket system, or even drop us a note on Twitter.

The point of this post is to help you determine if a VPN would benefit your business, and if so, which is the best VPN for you.

The bottom line: we’re hoping to help you get connected. Let’s dive into the beginning, explaining what it takes to create a Virtual Private Network (VPN). And as any good VPN buyer’s guide should do, let’s talk about what your choices are and what you can look for in the best VPN services.

What is a VPN?

While it’s been around for over a decade now, VPN technology is anything but stagnant. In fact, there are a few different brands doing slightly different things with business VPNs. As you decide which VPN is best for you, the important thing to remember is that your privacy and security are paramount, so whatever you choose for your business should reflect that. You need a product that stays current with the latest security technology, and one that provides ease of use — otherwise, it will be tough to use this tool to its fullest extent, and all too tempting to let updates lapse.

2. Securing Remote Access

With the right VPN, you can protect remote workers who connect on unsecured networks in hotels, coffee shops, airports, and more. If your team needs to work from home and connect remotely, or you want to hire someone in a different region — the right VPN allows you to do that securely.

Make sure your remote workforce has secure access to everything they need with a VPN. Whether those resources are in your network on-premise or on the cloud, your team can access securely from anywhere. Just make sure you authorize each device, and limit access accordingly.

1. A distributed workforce needs high-speed and reliable connectivity. If your remote team grows suddenly, are you ready to scale? Or will your bandwidth hold you back? Your VPN should allow for split-tunnel routing so users’ internet traffic doesn’t eat up your bandwidth.
2. Vendors need access to the certain resources, but they never need to see your entire network. Limit and revoke access as needed to keep things simple and secure. With access control, you can grant access based on groups, separating employees from partners and contractors.
3. Create frictionless security for your team. The easier it is to stay secure, the more likely your team is to do just that. You need a solution that provides security, convenience, and confidence. When you integrate your VPN with identity services through LDAP, RADIUS, or SAML, you provide users with convenient and secure access with a single set of credentials — across all apps.

3. Protecting Access to SaaS Applications

Whether your team needs to access Slack, Jira, or another SaaS tool specific to your company, the right VPN can help you do just that — without risking your company data.

SaaS applications are common — but they don’t always have great security. Creating security with SaaS can be tricky, especially when more than one app is involved. If your SaaS provider doesn’t MFA or other security steps, use a VPN.

1. Lock down SaaS access. Make sure that only your team is accessing your resources with a VPN. With VPN clients, you can set up connections in the office and through personal devices, knowing their connections are secured regardless of the network they connect from.
2. Prevent unauthorized access with IP whitelisting. If you whitelist the public IP address of your VPN server, then clients that connect to the VPN inherit the whitelisted IP address.
3. Watch your bandwidth. You can create a split-tunnel VPN environment with access to the IP address of the SaaS using the VPN tunnel, while all other internet traffic travels outside the tunnel. This method keeps latency low — and security high.
4. Enforce access control, because not all VPN users need access to the same SaaS tools. With user and group access control lists, you can easily create specified access according to roles. Then you can grant SaaS access only to those job roles that require it.

4. Enforcing Zero Trust Access

5. Setting Up Site-to-Site Networking

If you’ve got more than one network, you can keep them connected with a site-to-site VPN.

1. Connect private networks. With a VPN, you can bring together networks and eliminate single points of failure. Multiple locations, HQ and field work, or a growing remote community — they can all stay safely connected.
2. Connect quickly. It doesn’t take long to set up connections at branches and remote locations to connect to the VPN server.
3. Connect affordably. Lower your costs by avoiding hardware — just use a VPN software instead. With today’s technology, enterprise security doesn’t have to break your budget.

What To Look For In A VPN

When searching for the right VPN for your business, you need a different set of criteria than what you find on the list of “best consumer VPNs.” While those focus on privacy and hiding an IP address, a business VPN focuses on securing communications.

When partnering with an enterprise VPN provider, you must understand the software, how to configure it, and the reputation of the company. If you put together a VPN request for proposal (RFP), that would include a company profile request. A response might look like this:

OpenVPN is the author of open source virtual private network (OpenVPN) software and the provider of multi-platform OpenVPN applications across all OS platforms ranging from Windows, mac, Linux, Android, and iOS and end-to-end OpenVPN servers on the cloud. As the de facto standard in VPN technology — with over 60 million downloads since inception and 20 years going strong — no major vulnerabilities have been found. With widespread usage, the cooperation of the open source community, and multiple security audits, we deliver security you can trust. At OpenVPN, our mission is to connect your world securely by providing a safer, more secure experience online.

In addition to choosing a security-minded, reliable company, you must choose the best software. A good business VPN must:

• Adhere to the OpenVPN industry standard
• Use reliable, top-notch encryption
• Provide a dedicated IP address
• Provide hotspot protection
• Respect your privacy
• Provide 24/7 customer support
• Come recommended by people you trust

Our OpenVPN CEO, Francis Dinha, explains, “Choosing a VPN without carefully vetting your provider could leave you unprotected and subject to risky liability issues — you may even accidentally download malware in the process.”

What are important features and benefits to look for?

1. BYOD regardless of operating system
2. Scalable, fault-tolerant, and flexible deployment options
3. VPN administration web portal
4. Fine-grained access control
5. One-click client distribution
6. Multiple secure authentication modes
7. No-hassle certificate management
8. Transparent open source code

OpenVPN Access Server and OpenVPN Cloud provide you with two options for a strong business VPN.

OpenVPN Access Server is our self-hosted VPN solution. It’s easy to test out with two free simultaneous connections. We provide a flexible subscription purchase that you can increase or decrease as your needs demand. It’s built on transparent open source code. The Admin Web UI provides you with a VPN administration web portal to easily maintain your server and users. The free VPN client software, OpenVPN Connect, is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. You can create fine-grained access control based on IP address, protocol, or even port granularity. It integrates seamlessly with multiple secure authentication modes.

OpenVPN Cloud is our next-gen private networking solution — an OpenVPN-as-a-Service product. It eliminates the need for VPN server installation. We provide hosted services in regions around the globe. It’s easy to test out with three free simultaneous connections. We provide a flexible subscription purchase that you can increase or decrease as your needs demand. It’s built on transparent open source code. The web-based administration portal provides a clean UI to manage your network and users. The free VPN client software, OpenVPN Connect, is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It integrates with SAML authentication products.

And finally, how do you know if the VPN will fit your specific business needs? It helps if you can find a company that provides you with a free trial period or free connections. For example, OpenVPN Access Server provides two free concurrent connections. This allows you the ability to launch your server, set up users, and test the configuration of routing, authentication, and other specifics for your network. With OpenVPN Cloud, we provide you with three free concurrent connections to set up and test all features and functionality.

Next-gen VPN with OpenVPN Cloud

With OpenVPN Cloud, your VPN lives within our secure worldwide network. From there, it’s easy to set up a full-mesh, site-to-site private global network. You can also provide remote access to your team, and even provide secure Remote Desktop and web server connections. All of this can be done without opening up private networks to internet access.

OpenVPN Cloud includes the following features:

• Uses the secure and thoroughly tested OpenVPN protocol
• IP-layer networking allows access to all TCP and UDP based services
• Supports site-to-site networking
• Supports remote access
• Supports peer-to-peer communication
• Self-service portal for VPN administrators
• Self-service portal for end users
• Static IP addresses for user devices and network connectors
• OpenVPN Cloud DNS services or use customer’s internal private DNS servers
• Split tunnel networking
• Identity verification using X509 certificates
• Supports SAML 2.0 identity federation for SSO
• Integrates with your private LDAP directory
• Full-mesh access or fine-grained access control user groups

Conclusion

Finding the best VPN for your business can feel overwhelming, especially if your background isn’t in tech. But whether you’re an IT admin with years of experience or a new business owner without any VPN knowledge whatsoever, OpenVPN has a product that you can set up easily and efficiently — and that will protect your network as you grow.

The 6 Best OpenVPN Clients to Consider in 2023

What is a VPN protocol, and why does it matter? As explained by Restore Privacy, a VPN protocol is a set of instructions to establish a secure and encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server for data transmission. Different protocols, different sets of instructions. It’s not uncommon for a VPN to use multiple protocols, but most will build off of one protocol as their primary protocol. Examples include OpenVPN, WireGuard, and IPsec.

In this article, we’ll be specifically looking at OpenVPN. OpenVPN in an open-source tunneling protocol, developed by OpenVPN Technologies. It is currently the most popular protocol on the market, thanks to its versatility and strong security. OpenVPN uses the OpenSSL library and TLS protocols to provide encryption. OpenSSL supports a number of different algorithms and ciphers, including AES, Blowfish, Camellia, and ChaCha20. OpenVPN is available on all major platforms. Read on to learn about the best OpenVPN clients in 2023.

The 6 Best OpenVPN Clients in 2023

CyberGhost

CyberGhost is a Romania-based VPN provider that protects users’ data from online surveillance and censorship. Since 2011, the company has been preventing shady organizations and actors who wish to profit off of personal information maliciously. With CyberGhost, users can mask their IP address by connecting to one of over 5,700 VPN servers located in 90 countries, keeping their web traffic anonymous and secure. CyberGhost defends privacy as a fundamental human right, being the first in the industry to publish a transparency report while building new user-oriented crypto-technology for the future.

ExpressVPN

ExpressVPN is a British-based company whose VPN solution lets users securely and anonymously browse the web and access blocked worldwide content from anywhere. The company currently hosts over 3,000 VPN servers, with 160 server locations in 94 countries across the globe, and users have the option to switch between servers whenever they want. Users can hide their IP addresses from potentially malicious actors and enjoy anonymous web surfing, unlocked regional content, and unthrottled data speeds.

IPVanish

IPVanish is a USA-based virtual private network provider founded in 2012 that was recently acquired in 2019 by J2 Global. The vendor offers VPN software and applications for desktop and mobile devices, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, ChromeOS, and Amazon devices. IPVanish also offers VPN software for routers. IPVanish currently operates over 1,300 servers in over 75 global locations, with most of its servers located in North America and Europe.

NordVPN

NordVPN is a Panama-based virtual private network provider formed in 2012 to fight against Internet censorship, content control, and intrusive government surveillance. As of 2020, the vendor helps more than 12 million customers protect their online transactions and web traffic from Internet surveillance and cyber threats. The vendor operates over 5500 VPN servers in 58 countries, providing military-grade encryption, DNS leak protection, and lightning-fast data speeds.

PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN, a Swedish-based VPN provider, offers stable connections from anywhere in the world and uninterrupted VPN service. The vendor offers applications for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux. PrivateVPN keeps your IP address, your location, your activity, and your personal communication private to protect your identity. The company currently operates 200 servers across 63 countries, backed by 2048-bit encryption with PPTP, IPSec, IKEv2, L2PT, and OpenVPN protocols. Private VPN offers anonymous payment options and virtual remote help that makes installation effortless.

Surfshark

Surfshark is a British Virgin Islands-based virtual private network provider founded in 2018. The vendor offers VPN applications for multiple platforms and devices, including iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, FireTV, and Apple TV. Surfshark currently offers over 1,040 servers in more than 61 countries. All of Surfshark’s servers come with private DNS, Camouflage Mode, IPsec/IKEv2, P2P-friendly capabilities, OpenVPN, and extension support.

What is OpenVPN? And what are the best OpenVPN clients?

OpenVPN is an open-source, Virtual Private Network (VPN) protocol that is recognized across the industry as being the most secure VPPN tunneling protocol available. It is reliable and secure because it can be implemented with strong AES encryption and strong standards for authentication.

As well as being extremely secure, OpenVPN is highly customizable and can be implemented in several different ways. OpenVPN encryption consists of a data and control channel. The control channel is there to handle key exchange whereas the data channel encrypts the VPN user’s web traffic.

What are the best OpenVPN clients?

Below, you’ll find our hand-picked list of the best OpenVPN clients around. If you’d like to know more, keep scrolling or head over to our VPN reviews.

ExpressVPN – The best OpenVPN client. It offers a large network of blazing fast servers, sleek apps for all OS, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

In our testing we checked that all ExpressVPN plans work for Netflix. The one year plan is the best value: three months free and a 30 day risk-free trial.

Best OpenVPN clients – In-depth Analysis

We’ve put together a list of the very best OpenVPN clients; all the services implement OpenVPN encryption to the highest standard and have custom OpenVPN clients, meaning they’re incredibly easy to set up. To learn more, be sure to click through and check out our detailed VPN reviews.

1. ExpressVPN

Editor’s Choice | September 2023

ExpressVPN is the best OpenVPN client. It comes with super-fast apps for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows, top-of-the-line OpenVPN implementation, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free option

Pricing

• 12 months + 3 months FREE + Backblaze backup: $6.67/mth

Pros

• Strong OpenVPN implementation
• IP addresses in 94 countries
• Lots of security features
• Audited zero-logs policy
• Lightning-fast service – ideal for all your data-intensive tasks

Cons

• An expensive VPN, but you get top-notch service
• No port-forwarding, not great for torrenters
• Only six simultaneous connections

Speeds

Available for

Unblocks

• Netflix
• iPlayer
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu

Server locations

Website

ExpressVPN is a superb service that implements OpenVPN to a very high standard – AES-256 cipher with RSA-4096 handshake and SHA-512 HMAC hash authentication and perfect forward secrecy (PFS). This OpenVPN setup far surpasses our minimum standards. What’s more, ExpressVPN comes with a watertight privacy policy and an audited no-logs guarantee. IP addresses are available in 94 countries worldwide, and all the servers on ExpressVPN’s network are remarkably fast, meaning the VPN is a top pick for anyone wanting to stream in HD without buffering interruptions.

Our ExpressVPN review shows why their software is popular for all platforms and is extremely easy to use. In addition, that software includes all the important features you would expect from a top-of-the-range VPN: DNS leak protection, stealth mode, and a kill switch. This reliable and trusted VPN has users all over the world. It has proven it can keep up with the needs of an ever-growing client base, which is not something many VPNs can do. ExpressVPN has fantastic OpenVPN encryption, which will protect your privacy both on public WiFi and at home. It’s also perfect for unblocking anything! Finally, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee to allow you to test the service without risk.

Get 3 months free when you buy a 12-month subscription with ExpressVPN

2. NordVPN

NordVPN is the best mid-range OpenVPN service. It’s a great value-for-money VPN with strong OpenVPN configuration, top-notch privacy features, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free option

Pricing

• 24 months + 3 months FREE: $3.69/mth

Pros

• Advanced privacy features, including stealth servers
• Consistently fast, ideal for streaming and gaming
• Based in Panama – great for privacy
• Excellent value-for-money

Cons

• Less simultaneous connections than IPVanish – only six
• More expensive than VPNs bellow
• Fewer server locations than ExpressVPN

Speeds

Available for

Unblocks

• Netflix
• iPlayer
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu

Server locations

Website

NordVPN is undoubtedly a very fully featured service. The fact that it is based in Panama and keeps no logs at all is also a big draw for those who care about privacy. Its software looks good, works well, and now its speed performance is very impressive.

NordVPN uses the following encryption settings for OpenVPN connections; Data channel: an AES-256-CBC cipher with HMAC SHA256 hash authentication. Control channel: an AES-256-CBC cipher with an RSA-2048 handshake and HMAC SHA256 data authentication. Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) is provided by a DHE-4096 key exchange. This is a very strong setup.

NordVPN permits torrenting, works with all major streaming services (including US Netflix and BBC iPlayer, and has servers in 60 countries all over the world. It even throws in a full smart DNS service for free! What you get with NordVPN is a very fully featured, privacy-friendly VPN service that is also very fast. And a three-day free trial, plus a 30-day money-back guarantee gives you plenty of opportunities to ensure that everything works for you as it should.

3. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN is the cheapest VPN with OpenVPN encryption. It offers a strong zero-logs policy, superb privacy features like smart DNS functionality, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free option

Pricing

Pros

• The cheapest VPN on this list
• Strong OpenVPN encryption
• Smart-DNS functionality on every server

Cons

• Not as fast as VPNs above
• Not independently audited (yet)
• Fewer servers than ExpressVPN and NordVPN

Speeds

Available for

Unblocks

• Netflix
• iPlayer
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu

Server locations

Website

PrivateVPN is a Swedish VPN service that provides fantastic OpenVPN implementation and a staunch no-logs policy – with that in mind, you can see why it’s so highly regarded by its customers. The price is superb considering what you get. The VPN is fully featured and unblocks services that many VPNs can’t (Netflix US, BBC iPlayer). Customer care is available 24/7 in case you have any issues with the service.

Reliability is excellent with this trusted VPN. The software is available for all platforms. What’s more, it’s a dream to use and works extremely efficiently. Servers are located in over 63 countries and PrivateVPN adds more servers regularly. This VPN keeps impressing and is definitely upwardly mobile. With a seven-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, you have no reason not to test this VPN.

4. IPVanish

IPVanish is a very fast and secure OpenVPN client. It includes a strong OpenVPN encryption, great speeds, OpenVPN set up guides for all devices, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free option

Pricing

Pros

• Unlimited simultaneous connections
• Easy-to-use apps with built-in guides for all OS
• Obfuscated (hidden) servers and a kill-switch

Cons

• Based in the US, not an ideal country privacy-wise
• Smaller servers network than VPNs above
• Struggles to unblock BBC iPlayer

Speeds

Available for

Unblocks

Server locations

Website

IPVanish is a US-based VPN provider that implements OpenVPN above our cited minimum standards. Though it isn’t quite so strongly implemented as the other VPNs in our list, it does have perfect forward secrecy – and is secure as well as private. IPVanish excels when it comes to speed. All of its servers in over 75 locations across the globe are super-duper-fast. So, you’ll be able to undertake data-intensive tasks and stay secure at the same time, thanks to OpenVPN encryption.

A zero-logs policy makes up for the fact that the VPN is based in the US. In terms of customer care, help is available during US business hours, which could be an issue if you’re living elsewhere in the world. However, this VPN is fully featured, will protect you at home and on public WiFi, and is as fast as they come! Furthermore, it has a 30-day money-back guarantee (for all except iOS and non-refundable payment methods), so you can test it for yourself to see just how quickly it compares to other services!

5. VPNArea

www.vpnarea.com

VPNArea is a very secure but affordable VPN with OpenVPN encryption. It keeps you protected with advanced privacy features for all your devices, and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Free option

Pricing

Pros

• Provides DNS leak protection and a kill-switch
• Available for all your OS, including Linux
• Up to eight simultaneous connections

Cons

• Fewer servers than ExpressVPN and NordVPN
• Slower than the VPNs above
• Not publicly audited (yet)

Speeds

Available for

Unblocks

• Netflix
• iPlayer
• Amazon Prime
• Hulu

Server locations

This Bulgarian provider is a real all-rounder. It has brilliantly implemented OpenVPN encryption with PFS and a zero logs policy. Servers in over 100 locations provide fast connections, perfect for streaming in HD. Customer care is both friendly and efficient – this VPN really cares about its users.

The software is fully featured with DNS leak protection and a kill-switch. In addition, it is available for all popular platforms and is extremely easy to use. With so much on offer and watertight privacy, this VPN is well worth a try – so why not test it using the 30-day money-back guarantee?

The components of OpenVPN

OpenVPN is the most secure encryption around, but it relies on certain critical factors, and unless VPNs get every one of these vital components of the protocol right, the security of the whole encryption protocol comes crashing down. These components are as follows:

• The Cipher – A cipher is the algorithm that a VPN uses to encrypt the data. Encryption is only ever as strong as the cipher that the VPN protocol uses. The most common ciphers that VPN providers use are AES and Blowfish. Blowfish has been around since 1993. It is a cipher that has been cracked on a number of occasions and is not considered watertight in terms of security. It uses weaker keys than AES, but its main drawback is its 64-bit block size, which is why it struggles to encrypt large files.
• Advanced EncryptionStandard (AES) is a more modern form of encryption. AES has to be a minimum of 128-bit for it to be secure. Here at ProPrivacy.com, we generally prefer the 256-bit implementation. However, 128-bit AES is perfectly secure (and interestingly actually has a stronger key schedule).
• Encryption channels. OpenVPN uses two channels: the data channel and the control channel. The components for each one are as follows: Data channel – cipher + hash authentication. Control channel – cipher + TLS handshake encryption + hash authentication + whether perfect forward secrecy is used (and how).
• Handshake encryption. This is used to secure the TLS key exchange. RSA is usually used, but DHE or ECDH can be used instead and also provide PFS.
• Hash Authentication. This uses a cryptographic hash to verify that data has not been tampered with. In OpenVPN, it is usually done using HMAC SHA, but if an AES-GCM cipher is being used (instead of AES-CBC) then the GCM can provide the hash auth instead.
• Perfect Forward secrecy – PFS is a system in which a unique private encryption key is generated for each session. It means that each Transport Layer Security (TLS) session has its own set of keys. That’s why they’re referred to as “ephemeral keys” – they are used once only – and then they disappear.

As a result, OpenVPN encryption is only ever as strong as its weakest point, which is why OpenVPN must meet certain minimum requirements. The minimum settings we recommend for OpenVPN connections are:

Data channel: an AES-128-CBC cipher with HMAC SHA1 has authentication. If an AES-GCM cipher is used then addition authentication is not required.

Control channel: an AES-128-CBC cipher with RSA-2048 or ECDH-385 handshake encryption and HMAC SHA1 hash authentication (see notes about ASES-GCM above). Perfect forward secrecy may be provided by any DHE or ECDH key exchange.

Is OpenVPN safe to Use?

OpenVPN is safe to use, but it is possible to identify OpenVPN encrypted traffic using Deep Packet Inspection (DPI). DPI can be performed at the ISP level on behalf of the government.

As a result, in countries where VPN use is blocked using ISP-level firewalls, it is essential that your VPN can disguise OpenVPN traffic as regular HTTPS. This is usually done by routing OpenVPN traffic over port 443 to disguise it as regular HTTPS.

Obfuscation can also be achieved via other methods including Stunnel, Obfsproxy, or XOR. These have varying ways of concealing VPN use and bypassing ISP firewalls (all of which are considered more robust than OpenVPN over port 443)

So, in order to be truly secure in a country where OpenVPN is illegal (Egypt, China, Russia, and Iran, for example), it’s essential that your VPN has one of the latter-mentioned obfuscation methods. We’d recommend checking this before you subscribe. Also, bear in mind that OpenVPN over port 443 can be spotted with even modest DPI, and a more robust form of cloaking is needed.

Why is OpenVPN the most secure VPN protocol?

There are several VPN encryption protocols out there. These include the following:

• Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PP2P) – which is now considered outdated and insecure)
• Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
• Internet Protocol Security (IPsec). This is an authentication protocol that needs to be paired with a tunneling suite to make it suitable for VPN encryption purposes. IPsec is usually combined with L2TP to make L2TP/IPsec or with IKEv2 to make IKEv2/IPsec. It is worth noting that this commonly used auth method cannot exist on its own without being paired with a tunneling suite. Also, L2TP/IPsec is secure enough for most stuff, but the Snowden papers showed it can be cracked by the NSA.
• Secure Socket Tunneling Protocol (SSTP)
• Internet Key Exchange version 2 (IKEv2).

All these protocols are secure – with the exception of PPTP, which should be avoided if you’re serious about your online privacy. However, none of them can match up the level of security that OpenVPN provides.

OpenVPN’s security and streaming capability – particularly if you stick to OpenVPN UDP – put it top of the class, but do bear in mind that it’s generally the slowest VPN protocol out of the bunch.

What’s more, OpenVPN cannot be penetrated by anyone trying to snoop on your data; it’s proven to be secure. In fact, when implemented to our minimum standards or above (the ones in this guide are all implemented in excess of our minimum standards) it cannot even be penetrated by government intelligence agencies.

What are OpenVPN tunnels?

A VPN “tunnel” is the name given to the encrypted connection between a device and the VPN server. When a VPN user’s traffic is encrypted and “tunneled” to a VPN server, the user’s ISP is unable to detect the content of the traffic. This means the ISP is unable to analyze any of your data as it passes through its servers. This is how the VPN provides digital privacy.

And it’s not just your ISP. Local network administrators in workplaces, schools, on public WiFi, landlords – and even the government – are unable to monitor traffic thanks to the encryption “tunnel” provided by the VPN software.

OpenVPN SSL VPN (Secure Sockets Layer Encryption)

The OpenVPN protocol makes use of Secure Sockets Layer Encryption (SSL). This is a popular method for encrypting data between a computer and the server it is connected to. Specifically, it makes use of the TLS protocol and the OpenSSL library.

This means you can configure OpenVPN to run on any port, making it possible to use OpenVPN to get around firewalls. By running OpenVPN TCP over port 443, OpenVPN traffic is disguised. This is because TCP port 443 is used for regular SSL traffic (https). This makes it very difficult for ISPs to detect OpenVPN use. This is often referred to as “stealth mode.”

It is worth noting that this is only one method of concealing the use of a VPN. Other popular methods include Stunnel and Obfsproxy. In addition, some VPNs such as ExpressVPN and VyprVPN have their own proprietary cloaking features, which are known to work extremely well for anyone attempting to circumnavigate firewalls – like the great firewall of China.

Setting up OpenVPN

Setting up and using OpenVPN can be done in one of two ways, and we’ve detailed them below:

Custom OpenVPN Clients

The easiest method is by subscribing to a VPN that has custom VPN software with native OpenVPN functionality. We have listed the best OpenVPN clients above, all of which implement OpenVPN to the highest standard.

Open-source OpenVPN Clients

The second method is by using config files provided by the VPN provider (.ovpn files) and a third-party OpenVPN client. The developers of the OpenVPN protocol also produce an open-source client that anybody can use on any platform. In addition, there are other third-party OpenVPN clients available such as OpenVPN connect and OpenVPN for Android.

These third-party clients are a bit more tricky to set up and are often missing extra features such as a kill switch. If you want to use a third-party client, you will be able to follow a setup guide on your VPNs website. However, on the whole, we recommend you stick to the custom client if you can.

OpenVPN Compatibility

All the VPNs in this guide have been selected because they provide OpenVPN on all popular platforms. Let’s take a closer look:

Android VPN OpenVPN

In order to use one of our OpenVPN VPN picks on an Android device, you’ll need to make sure you download the correct client from the VPN’s site. Alternatively, you can find the OpenVPN client on the Google Play Store. After you have downloaded the VPN software to your Android device, you can log in using the credentials you inserted when you subscribed.

If you want to use a third-party client for Android, we recommend OpenVPN for Android. Alternatively, you can get custom Android VPN apps that will already have open VPN implemented

OpenVPN for iPhone

OpenVPN for iOS is a bit rarer than on the other platforms. Apple makes it harder to implement OpenVPN, which is why IKEv2 is generally the encryption of choice on iOS devices. OpenVPN is only currently available on iOS using the OpenVPN Connect (third party) app.

As long as your favorite VPN provides .ovpn config files you can install the app from the iTunes store and use it. Please follow your VPN’s setup guide to download the config files and set up the OpenVPN Connect client. Check out this OpenVPN Connect review for more details. Also, if you want a list of the best VPN service for iPhone, check out our best iPhone VPN article.

Windows VPN OpenVPN

All the VPNs we have recommended in this guide have excellent Windows clients with built-in OpenVPN functionality. For this reason, all you will need to do is subscribe, download the windows client, select OpenVPN in the settings, and connect to the VPN. If you want to know more information about using a VPN with Windows, then take a look at our Windows VPN guide.

If for any reason you want to use a third-party client on Windows, we recommend: OpenVPN.

OpenVPN for Mac

As with iOS, it is possible that you will need to use a third-party client to connect to OpenVPN on a Mac. The very best OpenVPN providers do implement OpenVPN on their Mac clients, so as long as you stick to one of the VPNs higher in this list, you will be fine. If you are a Mac user and you want more information about using a VPN, take a look at our Mac VPN guide.

However, it is not hard to set up OpenVPN using a third-party client because your VPN will have a setup guide to help you do so. You will want to use Tunnelblick as this is the best third-party client for Mac OSX. If you use Apple TV, check out our VPN for apple tv guide for more information.

Using an OpenVPN Router

Another option is to use an OpenVPN router. Some routers come with an OpenVPN client built in that can be set up to work with a VPN of your choice (using .ovpn config files).

A VPN router is extremely handy because it means that you don’t have to connect every single device in your house to the VPN separately. As soon as the router is connected to the VPN, all the devices in your home are automatically protected by the OpenVPN encryption.

What Can I Do with an OpenVPN VPN?

Your privacy is guaranteed with strong OpenVPN encryption; you’ll be free to access whichever content you’d like without worrying about ISPs, governments, corporations, advertisers, or WiFi hackers keeping tabs on you. No third parties will be able to see what you get up to online, and what’s more, you’ll be able to bypass government-imposed restrictions and censorship.

Additionally, with a VPN, you won’t be beholden to geo-restrictions. You can access online services and websites that are supposed to be inaccessible in your country. You can watch foreign TV streams and international sports competitions . If you are an Expat, a VPN can be a very useful tool, as you are able to access websites from back home. In the end, there’s no limit to what you can do online with a VPN, especially when you’re safe in the knowledge that you have the very best privacy protection in place: OpenVPN encryption .

Should I use OpenVPN for streaming?

Although OpenVPN UDP is a fast tunneling protocol, it is worth noting that many VPN providers nowadays also provide WireGuard. This is a protocol that has been specifically designed to provide even faster speeds, which makes it a great option for >Ultimately, you are free to try any of the protocols that your VPN provider comes with. If one of the protocols works better when streaming on your devices, then this will be the best protocol to use for you.

If your VPN provides the option to connect using OpenVPN UDP or OpenVPN TCP, we would recommend sticking to OpenVPN UDP for streaming. However, if you also have the option to switch to WireGuard, or if your VPN has a custom protocol that is designed to be fast (some VPNs have their own protocol) then we recommend trying this for streaming.

The good news is that both WireGuard and OpenVPN are secure and future-proof. This means that while they are fast, you are not sacrificing data security when you use either of these protocols. This is not true of protocols like PPTP, which is fast but does not offer reliable data protection.

Conclusion

Despite being a little slower than other protocols, OpenVPN’s robust encryption makes it the best around. Make sure to subscribe to one of the best OpenVPN clients to keep yourself as secure as possible:

From $6.67/month

The best OpenVPN client. It offers a large network of blazing fast servers, sleek apps for all OS, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

ProPrivacy TrustScore: 10 out of 10 Simultaneous connections 5 Server locations 160 Free trial No

From $3.69/month

The best mid-range VPN with secure OpenVPN encryption. It offers fast servers, stealth service, and a bunch of other customizations.

ProPrivacy TrustScore: 9.9 out of 10 Simultaneous connections 6 Server locations 60 Free trial No

From $2.00/month

An inexpensive OpenVPN service for all popular platforms, with a strict no-logs policy, and excellent geo-spoofing capabilities.

ProPrivacy TrustScore: 9.8 out of 10 Simultaneous connections 10 Server locations 200 Free trial No

From $3.33/month

An all-rounder OpenVPN client. It offers great privacy, fast servers suitable for streaming, and a superb OpenVPN implementation.

ProPrivacy TrustScore: 9.7 out of 10 Simultaneous connections Unlimited Server locations 75 Free trial No

From $2.99/month

A great value-for-money VPN with a strong OpenVPN encryption, a zero-logs policy, DNS leak protection, and other useful security features.

ProPrivacy TrustScore: 9.6 out of 10 Simultaneous connections 8 Free trial No Server locations 100

The best OpenVPN clients – FAQs

Are there any free VPNs with OpenVPN encryption?

Yes, some free VPNs, including AtlasVPN and Hide.me offer OpenVPN encryption. However, these free providers may not turn out to be what you expected, as they tend to impose many limitations on their free plans – reduced speeds, data caps, bandwidth limitations, and such. That’s because their free services are not their main products, but more of a VPN testing sample you can try for free, using a limited number of servers or data allowance.

If you wish to use the full potential of these services, you will have to upgrade to their paid plans. Alternatively, you can use some of the unlimited free VPN services, but these services usually don’t come with OpenVPN protocol and have little to no regard for your online privacy and security.

Is OpenVPN the best protocol for streaming?

OpenVPN is a super secure and super fast VPN protocol, making it an ideal choice for streaming and all your other demanding online tasks. Besides, VPNs that come with OpenVPN encryption are usually the prominent names of the VPN industry, meaning you’ll get plenty of servers to choose from and excellent geo-spoofing features to help you access nearly any streaming platform in the world. Also, with encryption as strong as OpenVPN, you don’t have to fear that somebody will be able to decipher your sensitive online data, or other types of intrusions.

Currently, the only slightly faster VPN protocol for streaming than OpenVPN is WireGuard, so if you feel you’re not getting as fast a VPN service for streaming as you hoped for, you can try this excellent OpenVPN alternative.

Written by: Ray Walsh

Digital privacy expert with 5 years experience testing and reviewing VPNs. He’s been quoted in The Express, The Times, The Washington Post, The Register, CNET & many more.