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Barracuda SSL VPN[EOL] vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 19, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Barracuda SSL VPN[EOL]
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenVPN Access Server
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
71
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN (1st), ZTNA (9th)
 

Featured Reviews

Ikh-Erdene Namsrai - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Administrator at Mongolian Mining Corporation
Provides good scalability and has a simple setup process
We use Barracuda SSL VPN for network connection The product is easy to connect. There could be more security features included in the product. We are the latest version of Barracuda SSL VPN. I rate Barracuda SSL VPN's stability an eight or nine out of ten. We have 30-40 Barracuda SSL VPN…
AS
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Secure remote access has protected critical data and now simplifies role-based user management
An area for improvement is the pricing model. The concurrent user licenses get expensive pretty quickly as your organization grows, so more flexible pricing options would be a huge plus. Another area is configurational disconnect. While the admin web UI handles about 90% of what you need, the moment you have to do deep, advanced routing customization, you still have to drop back to the command line interface to make those changes. It would be great to see those deeper configurations completely integrated into the web portal. Lastly, it would be awesome to see native support for newer, lighter protocols through WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The setup is straightforward and hassle-free."
"It's a stand alone system that functions well."
"This solution is valuable because it's a stand alone system and doesn't disconnect, it functions well, it's a good software and good system, and I believe it's a better product than Cisco."
"What I find most valuable is the total cost of ownership."
"The product is easy to connect."
"The most valuable feature would be that you can actually narrow down your session to one application on one server, which is really nice."
"We were surprised how straightforward it was to integrate with AWS."
"It allowed people to remotely access files from their mobile devices and was so easy for end-users to use that they were able to work more efficiently no matter where they were, whether at a client’s campus, home, traveling – wherever they had a device and internet access."
"For those looking into OpenVPN Access Server, I recommend it for its strong security, user-friendly access management, and operational scale."
"Encrypted connections are, in all situations, better than unencrypted, so security is much better with OpenVPN."
"The initial setup phase of OpenVPN Access Server was fine, and it was easy."
"OpenVPN is a good option for kick-starting any kind of interoperability between offices."
"We have seen a return on investment with OpenVPN Access Server, as the overall cost of management has decreased; one engineer can now handle what previously required more personnel, equating to a 66% reduction in engineering hours."
"There is support for multi-factor authentication."
 

Cons

"There could be more security features included in the product."
"Reporting could be improved."
"Barracuda should find other ways to stir up interest about this product."
"They are good, but sometimes it can take weeks to solve an issue."
"Since it's not going to be getting any more software updates as per the end of this year, we have to move off to a different product.."
"The interface could be a little bit better in future iterations."
"Everything in OpenVPN Access Server is very good, but the price is expensive."
"The product is fully customized through configuration files, which is all achieved through manual data entry."
"OpenVPN Access Server could be improved in several areas. The encryption strength is inevitably lower compared with the latest technologies, and when I try to add features like two-factor authentication, the needed plugins and so on often are not really available or do not fit well."
"My impression of the connection speed when using OpenVPN Access Server compared to other VPN solutions is that it is stable and reliable, but it can be resource-heavy compared to newer solutions, handling day-to-day corporate traffic well while experiencing higher CPU utilization and slightly slower connection throughput compared directly to lighter protocols like WireGuard."
"I would be more happy with the idea of licensing to have a reduced price with longer, grouped, annual fees. We have a lot of other software that does the same thing. It's a little higher price if you're going with a shorter stint, but there's a reduction in price for three- and five-year contracts."
"From the user experience perspective, OpenVPN Access Server should be more user-friendly in the East Africa market where I am located."
"There are certain shortcomings in the product's stability that need improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The product is affordable and reasonably priced so it would make a lot of sense for people to use it long-term."
"Barracuda SSL VPN is inexpensive."
"One of the valuable features of OpenVPN is that it is free for a single user."
"The product's pricing is good value, definitely. It is one of the best features, I would say. Evaluate the product before seeing which type of licensing is good for you. I think there is a good evaluation method available for OpenVPN, so you can just evaluate if it meets your needs. Then go forward with the right licensing policy."
"Begin with the community version and upgrade to paid one if the need arises."
"The price point is fantastic since it is free."
"The licensing has a fixed pricing."
"With regard to setup cost, pricing and/or licensing, the simple answer is that you'll need to set aside some time to learn it and experiment with it."
"OpenVPN Access Server was free for students. I don't know if you have to pay for an advanced version."
"OpenVPN Access Server is a cheap corporate solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
12%
Healthcare Company
10%
Performing Arts
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business45
Midsize Enterprise14
Large Enterprise25
 

Questions from the Community

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How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenVPN Access Server?
The pricing and setup costs for OpenVPN Access Server are on the high side since licenses are not user-dependent but based on the number of connections established. With two free simultaneous conne...
What needs improvement with OpenVPN Access Server?
There are definitely areas for improvement. A broader network level access faces challenges, and the clustering configuration seems insufficient, posing a single point of failure. Moreover, patch m...
 

Also Known As

No data available
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about OpenVPN, Tailscale, Fortinet and others in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN. Updated: September 2026.
916,056 professionals have used our research since 2012.