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Citrix Gateway vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 15, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.5
Citrix Gateway offers cost-effective security, protecting against breaches and ransomware, enhancing ROI compared to traditional laptop deployment.
Sentiment score
4.5
OpenVPN Access Server boosts efficiency, reduces onboarding time, lowers costs, enhances security, and streamlines user experience with MFA integration.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
Co-Founder at Virajo
Now, with the SAML and Active Directory integration, the process is down to under two minutes, which frees up our senior staff to focus on critical infrastructure tasks instead of managing access tickets.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
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.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
In terms of return on investment, I saved money, especially when I saved about 80 percent of the cost I would have used in setting up other VPNs that were not private or self-hosted.
Founder at DedSec
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Citrix Gateway's customer service is generally satisfactory with fast responses, knowledgeable staff, but concerns about delays and inconsistency.
Sentiment score
5.3
OpenVPN Access Server offers quick, knowledgeable support with robust forums and documentation, enabling many to resolve issues independently.
Very experienced engineers contact you in order to troubleshoot the problem.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
While there are multiple support tiers with priority response times of around 30 minutes, there appears to be a limitation in the number of technical teams who can immediately understand and resolve issues.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I would definitely rate customer support 10 out of 10.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
The ticketing system is responsive, and the technical team knows the product inside and out.
Associate Manager, Technology Services Information Technology Operations at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
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.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
Citrix Gateway offers scalable, adaptable solutions for diverse deployments, with experiences varying on deployment size and requirements.
Sentiment score
6.1
OpenVPN Access Server is praised for scalability and growth, but costs and manual adjustments may be required.
The solution features high availability, supporting both active-passive and active-active deployments to ensure constant product availability.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
I believe that the scalability of Citrix Gateway depends on the project's requirements, as it can vary from simple load balancing to extensive Web Application Firewall implementations.
Co-Founder at Virajo
Citrix Gateway is not for small companies; it's for medium companies because the pricing is better for more users.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
When we deploy and install OpenVPN Access Server, the principle is to install and forget.
System Network Administrator at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
You can easily upgrade the underlying hardware resources or spin up additional nodes in a cluster configuration if you need to handle a massive surge in concurrent users.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It's not very easy to expand, and it would be beneficial if the process were simpler.
Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.9
Citrix Gateway is reliable with positive user feedback, though some suggest improvements in setup and connection flow.
Sentiment score
7.8
OpenVPN Access Server is stable, receiving high ratings and consistent connectivity, with occasional minor connection drops when left on too long.
I find Citrix products to be very stable.
Co-Founder at Virajo
We used the EPA agent for client certificate authentication and gathered information for the Smart Access feature, but we are no longer using it.
Technical Manager at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.
OpenVPN Access Server is 100% stable in my experience.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Regarding stability, I have not had any crashes, performance issues, or stability issues with OpenVPN Access Server.
DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
OpenVPN Access Server is very stable, and we have a hassle-free work experience using it.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs better load balancing, security, user interface, integration, and cost-efficiency, along with enhanced support and automation.
OpenVPN Access Server requires security, compatibility, scalability, and usability improvements, alongside flexible pricing and enhanced management and troubleshooting features.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
Docente De Planta- Programa Ingeniería Física at Universidad del Cauca
The main purpose of Citrix Gateway is to enforce the appropriate level of access to the correct user on the proper device under the correct conditions.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
The monitoring site could be much better because monitoring NetScaler and Citrix Gateway is too difficult with just SNMP traps available.
Technical Manager at Migros Ticaret A.Ş.
Adding stronger multi-factor authentication and continuous monitoring using tools like Splunk.
Cloud Operations Engineer at PowerSchool
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.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Additionally, native support for newer, lighter protocols like WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency would be beneficial.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

Setup Cost

Citrix Gateway is a high-priced, premium network solution with various licensing options, attracting customers willing to invest in quality.
OpenVPN Access Server offers a free open-source version with optional paid support, known for reasonable pricing and ease of use.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
Co-Founder at Virajo
The price is one aspect, but technically it is complete.
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
The sticker price may look clear, but the real cost includes the time spent untangling subscription limitations, account conflicts, sales handoffs, and unclear guidance.
Webmaster & Software Engineer at a university with 501-1,000 employees
It was really cheap for what I needed, especially since it is self-hosted and allowed me to set up my own personal VPN.
Founder at DedSec
My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
 

Valuable Features

Citrix Gateway provides secure, scalable connectivity with load balancing, VPN, and dual-factor authentication for efficient remote access.
OpenVPN Access Server offers secure, cross-platform compatibility, ease of management, scalability, and cost-effectiveness with automatic updates and strong performance.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Co-Founder at Virajo
It's easy to scale and easy to implement.
Docente De Planta- Programa Ingeniería Física at Universidad del Cauca
Secure SaaS access is particularly valuable as it ensures that SaaS-based applications are delivered securely.
Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited
The most valuable features of OpenVPN are its ease of use, client familiarity, end-user familiarity, operating system integration, and price points.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
The main benefits I have seen from using OpenVPN Access Server include secure access to private resources over the public internet.
DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
OpenVPN Access Server has positively impacted my organization by allowing access to our private services, enhancing security, and enabling remote work from anywhere.
DevOps and Site Reliability Engineer at Honey Insurance
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (1st), SSL VPN (1st)
OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
69
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 3.8%, up from 3.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 11.7%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
OpenVPN Access Server11.7%
Citrix Gateway3.8%
Other84.5%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

PEDRO FONSECA - PeerSpot reviewer
Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS
Modular security has protected remote access and simplifies endpoint compliance management
The most valuable feature in Citrix Gateway is the securable, modular solution. The most useful behaviors that Citrix has is that you can secure the applications and all the infrastructure in a modular way. You can segment the securization in groups, allowing you to do a lot of things. Citrix Gateway is really strong and secure for the companies to have the Endpoint Analysis feature configured. You can configure this to check what the company needs to be checked. Companies need to authorize some devices to check if antivirus can accomplish the necessities of the company. The final appliance is really secure for accessing the company's network resources. You have many ways to maintain security protocols. One way is using Citrix Gateway, and another is the Citrix policies where you can configure many things in desktops and applications published for the company.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Computer Software Company
7%
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise17
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business40
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise22
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
The price is one aspect, but technically it is complete. Technically, it is really complete.
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
I see room for improvement in several areas. The monitoring site could be much better because monitoring NetScaler and Citrix Gateway is too difficult with just SNMP traps available. Improving the ...
What is your primary use case for Citrix Gateway?
I am on the customer side using Citrix products, specifically Citrix CVAD for Virtual and Desktop virtualization. I am using Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops service. We are using Citrix Gateway an...
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?
I use it for a client, so I do not have much information regarding the pricing, setup cost, and licensing. But from what I have gathered, the pricing and setup costs are a little more expensive com...
What needs improvement with OpenVPN Access Server?
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 ar...
 

Also Known As

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
906,960 professionals have used our research since 2012.