Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server

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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

4.5

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway offers cost-effective, scalable connectivity, enhancing security and efficiency while simplifying network setup for businesses.

Sentiment score

3.4

OpenVPN Access Server enhances remote work efficiency with secure connectivity, despite initial costs, offering significant operational benefits.

The solution provides significant cost savings, transitioning expenses from CapEx to OpEx.

Infrastructure Architect at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees

Time savings have notably increased because establishing the connection with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway was straightforward.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

No quotes available

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

Customer Service

Sentiment score

4.6

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway support varies; premium praised for quick help, free criticized for delays; documentation gaps impact satisfaction.

Sentiment score

4.6

Users appreciate OpenVPN Access Server for its community and documentation, often eliminating the need for technical support.

Prioritization of tasks can also be challenging, impacting the timely resolution of problems.

Infrastructure Architect at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees

In a recent incident, I had an issue with the SharePoint API. It relates to documentation, specifically the lack of up-to-date documentation because Microsoft is moving away from the traditional SharePoint REST API to Microsoft Graph.

Mano Senaratne

Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.

We received the required support whenever we encountered challenges.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

I would rate the technical support an eight on a scale of one to ten.

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

DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Any issue was solved in five to ten minutes.

MYKOLA CHEBAN

System Network Administrator at a consultancy with 201-500 employees

The documentation was absolutely fine for me; it was well-structured, and I did not have any difficulties with this solution.

Fedir Plotnikov

Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Globant

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

6.1

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is scalable and cost-effective, supporting various configurations and user requirements with high availability.

Sentiment score

6.4

OpenVPN Access Server's scalability varies; some face challenges, while others achieve seamless scaling, influenced by infrastructure and regional factors.

The process was very efficient to scale the solution, which supports a high level of scalability.

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

It is auto-scalable, and I do not see any issues regarding scalability.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

When we deploy and install OpenVPN Access Server, the principle is to install and forget.

MYKOLA CHEBAN

System Network Administrator at a consultancy with 201-500 employees

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 is scalable on AWS because it is a matter of increasing the instance size and increasing the number of licenses.

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

DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.0

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is stable with minimal downtimes, though configuration and CI/CD integration improvements are needed for optimal performance.

Sentiment score

6.8

OpenVPN Access Server is stable and reliable, with minor issues resolved and consistently positive ratings for stability.

Azure VPN Gateway is very stable due to reliance on Microsoft's own network.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

Regarding stability, I have not had any crashes, performance issues, or stability issues with OpenVPN Access Server.

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

DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

I find it very stable.

MYKOLA CHEBAN

System Network Administrator at a consultancy with 201-500 employees

Room For Improvement

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway needs better troubleshooting, support, threat protection, faster connectivity, easier deployment, affordability, and enhanced documentation.

Users seek an improved OpenVPN GUI with enhanced security, speed, scalability, flexible licensing, and better configuration and notification systems.

More detailed logging would help in troubleshooting any failures during connection establishment or monitoring Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway.

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

The instructions on how to integrate P2N and P2S type networks into Azure VPN Gateway could be improved, though it is a constantly evolving process.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

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

You can see who can access what resources from the user view, but you can also see the reverse, which is which resource can be accessed by what users.

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

DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Setup Cost

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is seen as affordable by some, but costs can be high for smaller businesses.

OpenVPN Access Server is cost-effective, offering free and subscription plans; evaluate needs as support costs can arise.

We are paying around $300 per month for a VPN gateway, which seems high.

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

The pricing is somewhat high but acceptable, considering it replaces the need for physical network equipment, leading to cost savings.

Infrastructure Architect at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees

The price of Azure VPN Gateway should be rated five from a purely invoice aspect.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

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

My experience with the pricing, setup cost, and licensing cost of OpenVPN Access Server is that the licensing is fair for the value provided.

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

DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway excels with high availability, easy configuration, robust security, fast performance, and seamless Microsoft integration.

OpenVPN Access Server offers easy setup, strong security, multi-platform compatibility, scalability, and cost-effective remote connectivity with user-friendly management.

It simplifies the process of deploying a VPN connection, replacing all the physical network elements with a software appliance.

Infrastructure Architect at a maritime company with 10,001+ employees

The primary function of Azure VPN Gateway allows for designing subnets from existing networks, whether they are physical or virtual networks within Azure or other cloud instances.

Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology

The best feature of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is its sophisticated security mechanism for transmitting data between on-premise to Azure or Azure to Azure.

For more quotes and insights, download the Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway report

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

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

The main benefits I have seen from using OpenVPN Access Server include secure access to private resources over the public internet.

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

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.

Oleksii Pavliuk

DevOps and Site Reliability Engineer at Honey Insurance

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

4th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

OpenVPN Access Server

Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

1st

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 4.6%, down from 6.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 13.3%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
OpenVPN Access Server	13.3%
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway	4.6%
Other	82.1%

Enterprise Infrastructure VPN

Featured Reviews

Secure data links from on-premise sources have enabled private access to client databases

Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata

The best feature of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is its sophisticated security mechanism for transmitting data between on-premise to Azure or Azure to Azure. The process of building the VPN gateway is user-friendly, making it easy to configure. Additionally, it supports various options to establish connections between on-premise to Azure or other sources to targets. Using pfSense as a firewall and VPN at our on-premise allows us to establish connections between Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and our on-premise pfSense VPN easily. This streamlined connection process occurs within a few steps. Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway has positively impacted our organization because it is core to our system and crucial for establishing private connections to our customer's data sources. Their databases lie in a private network with no communication with the outside world. Our customers trust Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, and by extension, trust us because of this efficient networking establishment process.

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Fedir Plotnikov

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.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

11%

University

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	14
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	14

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	36
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	16

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

The solution is user-friendly.

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

The logging mechanism could use improvement. More detailed logging would help in troubleshooting any failures during connection establishment or monitoring Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway. Otherwise, e...

What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?

For those considering using Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, read the documentation thoroughly. Create an Excel sheet outlining tasks for both the source and target sides, especially when establishing ...

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?

I find it not cost-effective. It is not worth the money from a pricing perspective. However, it is a good investment for security and company information security. It is a good investment overall.

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Comparisons

Compared 12% of the time

Fortinet FortiClient vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 9% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 8% of the time

Tailscale vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 5% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Compared 4% of the time

More Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway Competitors

Fortinet FortiClient vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 15% of the time

Check Point Remote Access VPN vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 6% of the time

Ivanti Connect Secure vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 6% of the time

Cisco Secure Client (including AnyConnect) vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 5% of the time

Prisma Access by Palo Alto Networks vs OpenVPN Access Server

Compared 5% of the time

More OpenVPN Access Server Competitors

Product Reports

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway

Download Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway product report

OpenVPN Access Server

Download OpenVPN Access Server product report

Also Known As

MS Azure VPN Gateway

OpenVPN

Overview

A VPN gateway is a specific type of virtual network gateway that is used to send encrypted traffic between an Azure virtual network and an on-premises location over the public Internet. You can also use a VPN gateway to send encrypted traffic between Azure virtual networks over the Microsoft network. Each virtual network can have only one VPN gateway. However, you can create multiple connections to the same VPN gateway. When you create multiple connections to the same VPN gateway, all VPN tunnels share the available gateway bandwidth.

Microsoft

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

Information Not Available

Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server