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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
3.0
OpenVPN Access Server enhances remote work efficiency, reduces errors, and offers substantial long-term benefits despite initial costs.
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
3.2
OpenVPN Access Server's support is underutilized due to comprehensive online resources and strong community assistance with highly rated technical support.
The support experience has received mixed reviews, as not all support staff possess the necessary technical expertise to handle inquiries effectively.
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
5.8
OpenVPN Access Server scales well, but some users face challenges with hardware limits, OS issues, and network conditions.
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.
It does not utilize much memory or CPU on the VM.
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
4.9
OpenVPN Access Server is stable and reliable, with minimal issues, though some challenges arise during updates or poor configuration.
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs improved user-friendliness, integration, training, security, support, pricing, setup, speed, and analytics features.
Users want a more intuitive OpenVPN Access Server with improved security, scalability, and simpler management and configuration processes.
There is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
Providing store credit for OpenVPN Access Server through a startup program, similar to YC's program which gives credit to new startups.
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 provides a cost-effective, flexible VPN solution with free community access and reasonable enterprise pricing.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for OpenVPN Access Server is really good, not that expensive.
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 offers user-friendly setup, strong security, compatibility, scalability, and efficient remote access across 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.
It's easy to scale and easy to implement.
Secure SaaS access is particularly valuable as it ensures that SaaS-based applications are delivered securely.
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.
It has been really useful, as we don't have to give access to everyone, and just give access to OpenVPN Access Server, and they are able to access databases or internal websites.
 

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
6.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 3.2%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 15.4%, up from 15.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenVPN Access Server15.4%
Citrix Gateway3.2%
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.
Girraj Godia - PeerSpot reviewer
Has improved internal app access by allowing secure user onboarding and simplified network whitelisting
The plan for OpenVPN Access Server could be improved. When adding new people, better plans for startups would be beneficial. I'm working in a startup and sometimes people think we should take the enterprise plan or not. If there was a dedicated plan for startups, it would be really helpful. For instance, providing store credit for OpenVPN Access Server through a startup program, similar to YC's program which gives credit to new startups. UI-wise, OpenVPN Access Server is easy to manage, but the overall overview dashboard in the admin portal could be improved. Currently, you have to go through dropdowns to find where to add users or whitelist IPs. Creating an onboarding dashboard where an admin person can find these things easily would be beneficial.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Healthcare Company
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
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 Business31
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: September 2025.
872,019 professionals have used our research since 2012.