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Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway 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:
 

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
4.0
OpenVPN Access Server enhances efficiency by reducing onboarding times, IT issues, and engineering hours, despite initial costs.
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.
Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata
Now, with the SAML and Active Directory integration, the process is down to under two minutes, which frees up our senior staff to focus on critical infrastructure tasks instead of managing access tickets.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
The platform automatically reads the user role and maps them to the correct network subnets instantly, saving us countless hours of administration overhead every month.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
 

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
4.7
OpenVPN Access Server offers highly rated, responsive support and resources, allowing users to resolve issues independently or through assistance.
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.
Head of Digital Engineering, Management Consultant at Stax Inc.
We received the required support whenever we encountered challenges.
Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata
I would definitely rate customer support 10 out of 10.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
My advice is to map out your user access groups and routing subnets before configuring the server; this makes it easier to enforce least privilege.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
I would rate the technical support an eight on a scale of one to ten.
DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
 

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
6.0
OpenVPN Access Server effectively scales, adapting to environments, cost-sensitive licensing, with minor complexities in AWS infrastructure management.
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.
Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata
When we deploy and install OpenVPN Access Server, the principle is to install and forget.
System Network Administrator at a consultancy with 201-500 employees
You can easily upgrade the underlying hardware resources or spin up additional nodes in a cluster configuration if you need to handle a massive surge in concurrent users.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
It's not very easy to expand, and it would be beneficial if the process were simpler.
Chief Cloud Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ 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
7.2
OpenVPN Access Server is stable and reliable, appreciated for its performance and minimal issues in server management tasks.
Azure VPN Gateway is very stable due to reliance on Microsoft's own network.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
OpenVPN Access Server is 100% stable in my experience.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Regarding stability, I have not had any crashes, performance issues, or stability issues with OpenVPN Access Server.
DevSecOps Engineer at a tech company with 51-200 employees
OpenVPN Access Server is very stable, and we have a hassle-free work experience using it.
Manager at a computer software company 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.
OpenVPN Access Server needs UI, speed, and stability improvements, better security, OS compatibility, affordable licensing, and intuitive admin interfaces.
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.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
Adding stronger multi-factor authentication and continuous monitoring using tools like Splunk.
Cloud Operations Engineer at PowerSchool India Pvt.Ltd
Lastly, it would be awesome to see native support for newer, lighter protocols through WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency.
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Additionally, native support for newer, lighter protocols like WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency would be beneficial.
Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 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 valued for its cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and licensing flexibility, especially compared to alternatives.
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.
Senior Solutions Architect at EQ2 Technology
The sticker price may look clear, but the real cost includes the time spent untangling subscription limitations, account conflicts, sales handoffs, and unclear guidance.
Webmaster & Software Engineer at a university with 501-1,000 employees
My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.
Service Delivery Manager at CasCom
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for OpenVPN Access Server is really good, not that expensive.
Devops Engineer at Emergent
 

Valuable Features

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway excels with high availability, easy configuration, robust security, fast performance, and seamless Microsoft integration.
OpenVPN Access Server offers flexibility, security, and cross-platform integration, with features like multi-factor authentication and easy user 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.
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.
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.
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.
DevOps and Site Reliability Engineer at Honey Insurance
 

Categories and Ranking

Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
7th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
28
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
61
Ranking in other categories
ZTNA (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is 3.6%, down from 6.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 11.7%, down from 12.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
OpenVPN Access Server11.7%
Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway3.6%
Other84.7%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Srinivas A - PeerSpot reviewer
Director- Head of DevOps, security, and Complaince at Rightdata
Secure data links from on-premise sources have enabled private access to client databases
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.
AS
Network operation center engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Secure remote access has protected critical data and now simplifies role-based user management
An area for improvement is the pricing model. The concurrent user licenses get expensive pretty quickly as your organization grows, so more flexible pricing options would be a huge plus. Another area is configurational disconnect. While the admin web UI handles about 90% of what you need, the moment you have to do deep, advanced routing customization, you still have to drop back to the command line interface to make those changes. It would be great to see those deeper configurations completely integrated into the web portal. Lastly, it would be awesome to see native support for newer, lighter protocols through WireGuard built straight into the platform alongside standard OpenVPN for better performance efficiency.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
10%
Construction Company
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business14
Midsize Enterprise2
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business36
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise18
 

Questions from the Community

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 ...
What is your primary use case for Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway?
Our main use case for Microsoft Azure VPN Gateway is to connect to the data sources of our clients. We establish the VPN gateway between our SaaS platform and their on-premise environment to connec...
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenVPN Access Server?
Do not assume the pricing or purchasing path will be straightforward, especially through AWS Marketplace. Confirm in writing whether your intended setup requires PAYG, BYOL, a Marketplace amendment...
What needs improvement with OpenVPN Access Server?
The licensing and purchasing workflow needs serious improvement. OpenVPN should provide clear documentation for customers who need multiple Access Server instances, different connection counts, AWS...
 

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: June 2026.
904,146 professionals have used our research since 2012.