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Citrix Gateway vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 31, 2025

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
7.0
Citrix Gateway boosts financial gain by enhancing security, effectiveness varies by business model and deployment, offering server protection.
Sentiment score
2.1
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise efficiently connects employees, balancing initial costs with intellectual value, and provides essential connectivity benefits.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Citrix Gateway's support is mixed, with users praising responsiveness but noting long wait times and insufficient expertise.
Sentiment score
3.6
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise technical support is highly rated, with responsive service and comprehensive documentation aiding user problem-solving.
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.
It was very good, and I would rate it an eight.
I have not dealt with support or customer service, however, the documentation is good, and I would rate it a seven out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Citrix Gateway is highly scalable, supporting various deployments, though some users report challenges and suggest scalability improvements.
Sentiment score
5.5
OpenVPN Access Server is scalable yet faces challenges like international expansion, downtime, and client ease-of-expansion processes.
The solution features high availability, supporting both active-passive and active-active deployments to ensure constant product availability.
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.
It's not very easy to expand, and it would be beneficial if the process were simpler.
I would give OpenVPN a six out of ten for scalability, as it's usually a single user or single device.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Citrix Gateway is generally stable with high ratings, though occasional setup or update issues can affect trust.
Sentiment score
4.1
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise is stable and reliable, with minor issues during Windows 10 updates resolved by patches.
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs improved user-friendliness, integration, training, security, support, pricing, setup, speed, and analytics features.
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise needs improved usability, stability, security, and features like Active Directory support and centralized management.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
There is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules.
It doesn't matter if it's Windows, Apple, Mac, or Linux - they're all very easy.
OpenVPN could improve in centralized management.
 

Setup Cost

Citrix Gateway offers diverse licensing with high pricing, regarded as a premium solution, but regional cost varies.
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise offers transparent pricing, affordable plans, and exceptional value, making it cheaper than Microsoft and Cisco.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.
 

Valuable Features

Citrix Gateway provides seamless app support, security features, scalability, and deployment flexibility, enhancing accessibility and performance for organizations.
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise offers easy setup, strong security, compatibility, affordability, and seamless integration with multiple operating systems.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Secure SaaS access is particularly valuable as it ensures that SaaS-based applications are delivered securely.
It's easy to scale and easy to implement.
The most valuable features of OpenVPN are its ease of use, client familiarity, end-user familiarity, operating system integration, and price points.
What I appreciate the most about OpenVPN Access Server is that it's very easy to set up.
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
9th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (1st), SSL VPN (2nd)
OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
5.9
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 3.3%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 15.3%, up from 15.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise15.3%
Citrix Gateway3.3%
Other81.4%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure remote access and load balancing with enhanced protection features
I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet. Key features include load balancing, dual-factor authentication, clientless VPN, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
LAWAL YUSUF - PeerSpot reviewer
Has robust features for encryption and stability
We use the product for secure remote access, including WiFi and IoT device security The product has strong encryption and scalability features. It provides security for private network connections. The product’s connectivity is very slow. It could be faster. We have been using OpenVPN Access…
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Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Enterprise Infrastructure VPN solutions are best for your needs.
866,956 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
7%
Educational Organization
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise15
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business30
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Gateway?
We can maintain our systems using the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model. It is seen as a premium product compared to competitors like F5, and ...
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
In the past, I submitted some support tickets, and while the support did resolve the problems, the time taken was sometimes long. They can perhaps improve the time for solutions in the support tick...
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 do you like most about OpenVPN Access Server?
OpenVPN Access Server is a simple and easy-to-use solution that I can use myself without anybody's help.
 

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: July 2025.
866,956 professionals have used our research since 2012.