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Microsoft Azure VPN 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
4.4
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway offers cost savings, scalability, and seamless secure connectivity, transitioning from CapEx to OpEx.
Sentiment score
3.0
OpenVPN Access Server enhances remote work efficiency, reduces errors, and offers substantial long-term benefits despite initial costs.
The solution provides significant cost savings, transitioning expenses from CapEx to OpEx.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
4.1
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway support is praised for premium responsiveness, criticized for basic delays, and improved with a support contract.
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.
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.
Prioritization of tasks can also be challenging, impacting the timely resolution of problems.
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
6.9
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway offers scalable connectivity with flexible bandwidth, supporting various users, noted for high availability and reliability.
Sentiment score
5.8
OpenVPN Access Server scales well, but some users face challenges with hardware limits, OS issues, and network conditions.
The process was very efficient to scale the solution, which supports a high level of scalability.
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
6.4
Opinions on Azure VPN Gateway's stability vary; some find it reliable, while others face issues, especially with Linux-based apps.
Sentiment score
4.9
OpenVPN Access Server is stable and reliable, with minimal issues, though some challenges arise during updates or poor configuration.
Azure VPN Gateway is very stable due to reliance on Microsoft's own network.
 

Room For Improvement

Users seek enhanced Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway troubleshooting, affordability, user-friendly setup, improved documentation, and better threat protection features.
Users want a more intuitive OpenVPN Access Server with improved security, scalability, and simpler management and configuration processes.
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.
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

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is cost-effective for cloud connectivity despite potential added costs for extra features and older protocols.
OpenVPN Access Server provides a cost-effective, flexible VPN solution with free community access and reasonable enterprise pricing.
The price of Azure VPN Gateway should be rated five from a purely invoice aspect.
The pricing is somewhat high but acceptable, considering it replaces the need for physical network equipment, leading to cost savings.
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

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway provides secure, scalable, and easy-to-use connections with robust performance and comprehensive integration within Azure.
OpenVPN Access Server offers user-friendly setup, strong security, compatibility, scalability, and efficient remote access across multiple operating systems.
It's cost-effective by eliminating the need for firewall and networking equipment purchases.
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.
The most valuable features of OpenVPN are its ease of use, client familiarity, end-user familiarity, operating system integration, and price points.
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.
What I appreciate the most about OpenVPN Access Server is that it's very easy to set up.
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
4th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
27
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
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 Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 5.9%, down from 7.4% 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%
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway5.9%
Other78.7%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

MatsHagberg Olsson2 - PeerSpot reviewer
Designs subnets with high security while navigating evolving integration processes
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. You can configure these networks using IP numbers and connect them using certificates or SaaS strings. It also requires Entra ID for privileged access groups, resulting in high security.
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
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Government
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
11%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business13
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise13
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise14
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?
In Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway, there aren't too many areas for improvement, but the configuration part might be a little tricky. It took some time to get things to work, but once figured out, it b...
What advice do you have for others considering Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?
We work with Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway and the VPN firewalls. We have our local physical firewall infrastructure from Cisco and other companies, but we can't compare those with the virtual networ...
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

MS Azure VPN Gateway
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
871,358 professionals have used our research since 2012.