Citrix Gateway vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

Citrix and OpenVPN are both solutions in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category. Citrix is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.3, while OpenVPN is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.9. Citrix holds a 3.3% mindshare in EIV, compared to OpenVPN’s 13.9% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 98% of OpenVPN users who would recommend it.

Citrix Gateway

Read 39 Citrix Gateway reviews

2,138 Views
1,732 Comparison Views

92% willing to recommend

OpenVPN Access Server

Read 52 OpenVPN Access Server reviews

6,981 Views
6,702 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Citrix Gateway

OpenVPN Access Server

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

Citrix Gateway and OpenVPN Access Server compete in the secure access solutions category. Citrix Gateway appears to have the upper hand due to its robust feature set and strong scalability options, though OpenVPN Access Server is praised for its cost-effectiveness and ease of use.

Features: Citrix Gateway provides features like load balancing, dual-factor authentication, and a clientless VPN, enhancing integration with virtual environments and compatibility with platforms like Azure and AWS. OpenVPN Access Server is valued for its strong encryption, simple setup, and flexible deployment, supporting various operating systems with notable cost-effectiveness.

Room for Improvement: Citrix Gateway could benefit from improving its multi-factor authentication, reducing cloud-related limitations, and simplifying its user interface and integration process. OpenVPN Access Server could improve scalability, offer faster connection speeds, and enhance high-availability support for more complex deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Citrix Gateway supports versatile deployment, but its complexity can lead to longer deployment times, despite responsive technical support. OpenVPN Access Server is straightforward to deploy across multiple environments, with strong community support and positive customer service feedback.

Pricing and ROI: Citrix Gateway is considered a premium product with high pricing, justified by its advanced security and performance features, though some users find it costly. OpenVPN Access Server, being open-source, offers lower costs and exceptional value, especially appealing to small businesses looking to minimize expenses.

To learn more, read our detailed Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server

December 2025

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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

6.1

Citrix Gateway enhances security and offers cost savings, with benefits depending on business models and infrastructure implementation.

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.

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.1

Citrix Gateway support is mixed; users value documentation but note varying responsiveness and seek proactive communication and training.

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.

Very experienced engineers contact you in order to troubleshoot the problem.

PEDRO FONSECA

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.

Siva Kuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

It was very good, and I would rate it an eight.

reviewer2711823

Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

I have not dealt with support or customer service, however, the documentation is good, and I would rate it a seven out of ten.

reviewer2620536

Service Delivery Manager at CasCom

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.5

Citrix Gateway offers high scalability and flexibility, supporting thousands of users across different environments with tri-scaler capabilities.

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.

Siva Kuppala

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.

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

Citrix Gateway is not for small companies; it's for medium companies because the pricing is better for more users.

PEDRO FONSECA

Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

It's not very easy to expand, and it would be beneficial if the process were simpler.

reviewer2711823

Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

It does not utilize much memory or CPU on the VM.

Girraj Godia

Devops Engineer at Emergent

I would give OpenVPN a six out of ten for scalability, as it's usually a single user or single device.

reviewer2620536

Service Delivery Manager at CasCom

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.9

Citrix Gateway provides stable, reliable performance with high user ratings, despite occasional minor challenges with updates and certificates.

Sentiment score

4.9

OpenVPN Access Server is stable and reliable, with minimal issues, though some challenges arise during updates or poor configuration.

I find Citrix products to be very stable.

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs user-friendliness, integration, and cloud improvements, addressing costs, stability, speed, security, and support issues.

Users want a more intuitive OpenVPN Access Server with improved security, scalability, and simpler management and configuration processes.

At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.

Jorge Alberto Martinez Gallego

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.

Siva Kuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

If they had a one-click setup where you provide credentials instead of manually running commands, that would be beneficial.

reviewer2711823

Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

If there was a dedicated plan for startups, it would be really helpful.

Girraj Godia

Devops Engineer at Emergent

OpenVPN could improve in centralized management.

reviewer2620536

Service Delivery Manager at CasCom

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Setup Cost

Citrix Gateway's varied pricing models require strategic planning, with costs ranging from $4,000 to $15,000 plus additional support fees.

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.

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

The price is one aspect, but technically it is complete.

PEDRO FONSECA

Citrix VDI & Windows Virtualization Specialist at ATOS

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.

reviewer2620536

Service Delivery Manager at CasCom

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for OpenVPN Access Server is really good, not that expensive.

Girraj Godia

Devops Engineer at Emergent

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Valuable Features

Citrix Gateway enhances network efficiency and security with features like VPN, load balancing, and seamless integration with other platforms.

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.

VivekKumar10

Co-Founder at Virajo

It's easy to scale and easy to implement.

Jorge Alberto Martinez Gallego

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.

Siva Kuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix Gateway report

The most valuable features of OpenVPN are its ease of use, client familiarity, end-user familiarity, operating system integration, and price points.

reviewer2620536

Service Delivery Manager at CasCom

What I appreciate the most about OpenVPN Access Server is that it's very easy to set up.

reviewer2711823

Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

Before using OpenVPN Access Server, only developers mainly had access to databases. We can create read-only users for databases and internally give them access using OpenVPN Access Server.

Girraj Godia

Devops Engineer at Emergent

For more quotes and insights, download the OpenVPN Access Server report

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

11th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Universal Access Gateways (1st), SSL VPN (4th)

OpenVPN Access Server

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 3.3%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 13.9%, down from 14.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
OpenVPN Access Server	13.9%
Citrix Gateway	3.3%
Other	82.8%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

Siva Kuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

Strong security and versatile features drive positive experience, but support responsiveness can improve

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. This is enabled through Citrix Gateway combined with endpoint analysis and optional Citrix analytics for security. Regarding improvements, implementing adaptive access policies on Citrix Gateway could be enhanced, particularly in security posture. Although it enforces real-time contextual access control based on device, user network risk, certain aspects can be improved. Other areas for improvement include BYOD access control and risk-based decision-making. Additionally, there is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules. Incident response speed is another area that could be enhanced.

Read full review

Girraj Godia

Devops Engineer at Emergent

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.

Read full review

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

17%

Comms Service Provider

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	16

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	31
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	14

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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?

It's difficult to say that because Citrix Gateway is changing all the time. It is improving all the time, and I think that it is periodically giving us patches. Anything that I can think to be impr...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Citrix Gateway?

I participate in integrator projects over the last year or two. Citrix Gateway is used in both my company and my customer's companies.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenVPN Access Server?

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for OpenVPN Access Server is really good, not that expensive. I am easily able to add new users from the OpenVPN Access Server official websit...

See all answers

Comparisons

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 11% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 10% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 10% of the time

SonicWall SMA vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 7% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Citrix Gateway

Compared 7% of the time

More Citrix Gateway Competitors

Fortinet FortiClient vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 18% of the time

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 6% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 6% of the time

Check Point Remote Access VPN vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 6% of the time

Tailscale vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 4% of the time

More OpenVPN Access Server Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway

January 2026

Download Citrix Gateway product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenVPN Access Server

December 2025

Download OpenVPN Access Server product report

Also Known As

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway

OpenVPN

Overview

Citrix Gateway is a customer-managed solution that can be deployed on premises or on any public cloud, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform. Citrix Gateway provides users with secure access and single sign-on to all the virtual, SaaS and web applications they need to be productive.

Citrix

OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise provides secure, scalable remote access with strong encryption and cross-platform compatibility, leveraging open-source flexibility for cost-effectiveness. It's ideal for connecting remote workers, maintaining privacy, and securing network communications.

OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise is renowned for its ease of setup and adaptability, supporting Linux and different operating systems, which ensures robust security and seamless integration across network scenarios. With features like two-factor authentication and customizable installers, it emphasizes privacy and remote connectivity. While it offers robust documentation and community support, there are challenges with user management due to the lack of a simple GUI. Users note stability issues under heavy traffic, and improvements in security features and configuration automation are desired. Despite these areas for enhancement, it remains a reliable choice for secure remote access.

What are the key features?

Easy Setup: Hassle-free installation process facilitates quick deployment
Cross-Platform Compatibility: Supports Linux and different operating systems for widespread utility
Strong Encryption: Secures data with advanced encryption technologies
Two-Factor Authentication: Enhances security through additional authentication layer
Customizable Installers: Allows personalized installation process to suit organizational preferences

What benefits and ROI should users seek?

Cost-Effectiveness: Open-source nature reduces licensing costs
User-Friendliness: Comprehensive documentation and community support ease the implementation
Scalability: Adapts to growing connectivity and bandwidth needs
Enhanced Security: Provides secure access to network resources and data

In industries such as finance and healthcare, OpenVPN Access Server Enterprise secures sensitive data while enabling remote access across LANs and VPCs. It's utilized for encrypted traffic protection, facilitating site-to-site VPNs, and connecting mobile workers securely, thus maintaining data integrity in interoffice communications and IoT platforms.

OpenVPN

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

Buyer's Guide

Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server

December 2025

Free Report: Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server

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