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Hillstone E-Series 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Hillstone E-Series
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
22nd
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
Firewalls (38th), SSL VPN (10th)
OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
1st
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Hillstone E-Series is 1.8%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 12.2%, down from 13.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
OpenVPN Access Server12.2%
Hillstone E-Series1.8%
Other86.0%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

TahirMahmood - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at Zubair Feeds
Offers good features like URL filtering, IPS, and IDS to users
We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. When we updated the tool's features, everything became okay. The tool only had some memory-related problems. It took the tool a month to fix the issues.
Fedir Plotnikov - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Globant
User management has simplified internal VPN access and now provides clear visibility and control
I do not use any role defining features because it is a really small organization, so it wasn't required, but it is there if needed. I have seen OpenVPN Access Server integrations such as LDAP, RADIUS, PAM, and SAML, but again, due to the size of the company, it wasn't necessary and we didn't have it inside the company. However, it was nice that it is already embedded inside. We haven't used much in terms of integrations with OpenVPN Access Server, so it's hard to say. We only used basic features there. My advice for others looking to implement OpenVPN Access Server is that it is at least worth trying if you need a fast and easy implementation solution without technical overhead and you just need VPN access, which is supported by all operating systems and mobile operating system vendors. It is definitely worth a try. OpenVPN Access Server was purchased directly from the website, not on the AWS marketplace or through a partner purchase. I would rate this product an overall eight out of ten.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the ransomware protection that the tool offers."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The installation is easy, we have not had any complaints from our customers."
"Very reliable solution with good scalability and straightforward implementation."
"The most valuable features of the Hillstone E-Series are its hardware capacity, innovation, and the throughput that the hardware can take."
"The most valuable feature of the Hillstone E-Series is its user-friendliness."
"This solution has two main features that we find very valuable; a threat-intelligence option, and a web/application filtering option. The technical support team are very good and very quick."
"If an organization is not looking for a web proxy, it's a very, very good product."
"Provided the easiest UX for our end-users and had the greatest interoperability with all the operating systems we used, including but not limited to: iOS, Android, OS X, Windows, and Linux."
"It is open source and therefore affordable for small projects."
"Provides privacy and cryptography for my network communication."
"The features I have found to be most valuable are the levels of encryption I can enact and the compression I can apply to improve throughput."
"It is much easier to scale and troubleshoot compared to regular Windows-based VPN solutions or PPTP daemon."
"This server allows you to connect to a network that does not have any public IP addresses."
"​It allows us to give access to our office network in a safe and secure way to users, no matter which computing platform they use. ​"
"Two-factor authentication allows us to not force frequent password changes."
 

Cons

"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."
"The current usage reporting is very basic."
"The tool needs to improve its price."
"The solution doesn't have a web proxy built into the system like Sophos. This is something they should work to change."
"Support from Hillstone E-Series has a shortcoming that needs improvement."
"The tool provides just a general report. It does not provide a granular report. Hence, the tool should work on its reporting feature."
"The tool only had some memory-related problems."
"I am not sure if this solution offers active directory integration. Adding that feature will definitely be an advantage."
"Open VPN Access Server could be more user-friendly."
"There was one annoying feature where we had to disable and enable the user."
"There are tasks that require logging onto the server to run commands, which is not intuitive through the UI."
"Regarding scalability, I find OpenVPN Access Server scalable with some caveats. However, sometimes your license disappears or gets wiped out when you scale the infrastructure, which can be quite annoying and requires reaching out to support to get set up again."
"I have not seen a return on investment in terms of fewer employees needed, money saved, or time saved."
"The security needs to be improved because it was a complaint that our customers had."
"The server configuration file needs to be improved, it's the biggest problem in the configuration process."
"If we had to create something for someone who was not necessarily tech savvy, I had to set that up on their computer, I had to write "read me's" and other things so that they could install their client and then connect to the VPN by themselves. So it was hard to set up for people who are not tech savvy."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Hillstone's pricing is economical and neither very high nor very low."
"The licensing model is very complex with many subcategories of licenses you can purchase. They could make it more simplified for customers to understand."
"The cost per year for licensing, and hardware, is approximately $850 for the basic plan."
"The tool's pricing is reasonable. It depends on the model. The product's pricing is around 600 USD. You need to buy a software license to activate the features. You need to pay around 150 USD for that."
"It is an open-source solution, so we don't pay for anything."
"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."
"I don't need to pay for its license since it is an open-source tool."
"The product offers yearly as well as monthly subscription plans. It has moderate pricing."
"The price point is fantastic since it is free."
"The solution is free of cost."
"One of the valuable features of OpenVPN is that it is free for a single user."
"The Pro Edition has a reasonable price per user."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
14%
Construction Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business9
Midsize Enterprise1
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business36
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise16
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Hillstone E-Series?
We received an update for the tool in July. The update was provided for the tool as there was a problem with the firewall, where too much memory was consumed, and the firewall was hanging a lot. Wh...
What is your primary use case for Hillstone E-Series?
I use the solution in my company for site-to-site VPN, SSL VPNs, URL filtering, IPS, IDS and all the other features which are available in the firewall.
What advice do you have for others considering Hillstone E-Series?
Our company did not use the tool's micro-segmentation features. There were no issues while integrating the tool. I have not used any AI in the tool. I recommend the tool to others. I rate the tool ...
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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenVPN Access Server?
Regarding pricing for OpenVPN Access Server, I don't remember all the details exactly, but I believe it is really flexible and even provides something like free trials, so anyone can try it. It was...
 

Also Known As

No data available
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Bank of China Macao, Instituto Tecnológico Bolivariano, Ministry of Labor in San Salvador, FEDCO
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about Hillstone E-Series vs. OpenVPN Access Server and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
892,776 professionals have used our research since 2012.