I firmly agree with security experts who say that security software should disclose its source code. And the fact that we have some powerful open-source VPNs out there only further supports this notion.
So, this article is for you if you’re in search of a good open-source VPN for business or individual use cases. But please keep in mind that while the source code is free and open, a serious business-scale deployment can never be without costs. Still, some have introductory free plans for testing the waters.
Before starting with the list, I want to share a few words of caution with those who think 100% free VPNs are a good idea. With such freeware, you should expect exploitative data sharing, slow speeds, or even cyberattacks.
With the basics and disclaimer taken care of, here is the list of the most popular open-source VPNs for businesses and individuals.
- 1. Mullvad VPN
- 2. Proton VPN
- 3. IVPN
- 4. OpenVPN
- 5. SoftEther VPN
- 6. Outline
- 7. WireGuard
- 8. Freelan
- Show less
I will now discuss these open-source VPNs and their main features in detail.
1. Mullvad VPN
The Sweden-based Mullvad VPN is one of the best personal VPN I often recommend to individuals looking for a reliable daily driver.
It has an extremely straightforward flat pricing structure, which doesn’t push you towards longer subscription cycles. Moreover, they don’t ask for your name or email, and the entire registration is decently anonymous, with various payment options, including crypto, wire transfer, cards, and even cash. And they are one of those rare VPN providers who don’t advertise their services via affiliate relationships.
Mullvad VPN was launched in 2009 and is owned by Amagicom AB. The good thing is that the founders, Fredrik Strömberg and Daniel Berntsson, still own the company 100%.
Features
- Open-source desktop (Windows, macOS, and Linux) and mobile (Android and iOS) apps.
- Excellent documentation telling the pros & cons of VPNs in general
- Clear mention of 700+ servers in 45+ countries with ownership status (rented or Mullvad-owned)
- Homegrown tech (known as DAITA) to fight against AI-powered internet surveillance
- Anonymous sign-up and payments
- Encrypted DNS and multihop
- Independently audited since 2010
- High-speed servers (1 to 40 Gbps)
- In-house support team
- Five devices per subscription
Pricing
You’ll be charged €5/month, irrespective of the length of the subscription.
2. Proton VPN
Proton saw the light of day when a team of scientists met at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in 2014. Currently, they are headquartered in Geneva and governed by the privacy-friendly Swiss laws.
To their credit, they have one of the best free tiers (no ads and no logs) in the entire VPN industry. Moreover, they have multiple other products—password manager, encrypted cloud storage, and private email—aimed at user privacy.
I should add that Proton VPN comes with a powerful feature set and a beautiful UI to make all that work.
Features
- Open source desktop apps (Windows, macOS, and Linux), mobile (Android and iOS) apps, and browser extensions (Firefox and Chrome).
- Over 10,000 servers across 120+ countries
- Built-in ads, trackers, and malware blocker
- VPN servers with full-disk encryption and perfect forward secrecy
- Secure core (Proton’s terminology for multi-hop connections)
- Independently audited desktop apps and browser extensions
- Native VPN protocol, Stealth
- Up to 1-10 Gbps bandwidth servers
- Encrypted DNS and Tor-over-VPN
- 10 Devices per subscription
- Free forever tier
Take a detailed look at its features, pros & cons, and first-hand experience with our Proton VPN review.
Pricing
Paid plans start at €4.49/month for a two-year subscription. You also have a Proton Unlimited €7.99/month plan offering its VPN, password manager, mail, calendar, and cloud storage combined.
3. IVPN
IVPN is another VPN provider that provides email-free registration and accepts crypto payments for greater anonymity. Another feather in IVPN’s cap is that they don’t market themselves with affiliated partnership programs. Finally, you can rest assured knowing that IVPN servers (including email and customer service) are self-hosted by its own team.
The company was founded in 2009 and has its headquarters in Gibraltar. Its founding team consists of ten people from seven countries.
Features
- Open-source apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android
- 75+ Servers in over 30 countries
- Automatic key and IP address rotation
- Time-based VPN connection pause and restore
- Private DNS servers and ad and tracker blocker
- Obfsproxy for traffic obfuscation
- Multi-hop and SOCKS5 proxy
- Annual security audits since 2019
- Up to seven devices per subscription
Pricing Plans
IVPN subscriptions start at $2 and $4 a week for its Standard and Pro plans, respectively. The Pro plan covers seven devices per subscription in comparison to two under Standard. Besides, the Pro gets you anti-tracking and multi-hop.
4. OpenVPN
You might have heard about OpenVPN as a VPN protocol used by leading VPN providers. However, you can also deploy it directly as a VPN from OpenVPN itself.
As for some background, OpenVPN was authored back in 2001 by one of its co-founders, James Yonan. The first official public release was done in 2002. In the following years, OpenVPN released its Access Server and CloudConnexa solutions as business VPNs for anyone looking for self-hosting or a turnkey cloud-based VPN, respectively.
OpenVPN is hosted in Pleasanton, California.
Features
Access Server
- Open-source core VPN protocol
- Deploy on IAAS providers, Docker, Linux, Hyper-V, and VMware ESXi.
- Quick launch templates for Azure, AWS, Digital Ocean, and Oracle Cloud
- Role, device, and IP-based network access
- Support for multiple user authentication protocols, including PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, etc.
CloudConnexa
- Content filtering across 40+ categories
- Malware, phishing, and DDoS protection
- Intrusion prevention system
- Access and DNS queries logs
- OpenVPN clients for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS (supporting both Access Server and CloudConnexa)
Pricing
Access Server and CloudConnexa are priced similarly, starting at $11/month for five users. Free starter plan offers two free connections (Access Server) and three free seats (CloudConnexa).
5. SoftEther VPN
SoftEther VPN ships as an academic research project from the University of Tsukuba, Japan. The first public release in March 2013 was indeed a personal project by Daiyuu Nobori in fulfillment of his master’s degree.
As of now, SoftEther is a business offering unless some individual wants to self-host a VPN (highly unlikely!).
It’s completely open source and distributed as freeware. You can have the source code from its official website or the GitHub repository.
Features
- VPN over ICMP and DNS to bypass firewalls
- Remote access and site-to-site VPN
- VPN server for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, and macOS X
- VPN client for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
- CLI and Graphical interface for VPN server management
- Support for SoftEther VPN protocol, OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, L2TPv3/IPsec, etc.
- User authentication via AD, NT Domain, and RADIUS
- Security policies per user and per group
- Support for English, Japanese, and Simplified-Chinese
Pricing
SoftEther is a freeware suitable for self-hosting on-premises or in the cloud. Please note that there is no cloud offering from the developers as of this writing.
6. Outline
Outline is another option businesses and tech-savvy individuals can take to deploy VPN servers and allow access via the client applications.
This is supported by two different applications, Outline Manager and Outline Client. The prior is for setting up servers on Windows, Linux, and macOS. Outline Client supports connecting to the network via secure VPN tunnels.
Outline is a Jigsaw venture, which in turn is a Google-backed Technology incubator established in 2011.
Features
- Native support to set up VPN servers with leading IAAS providers, such as Digital Ocean, AWS, and Google Cloud
- Open source Outline client apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and Chrome
- Independently audited by Radically Open Security (2018 & 2022) and Cure53 (2018 & 2024)
- Based on Shadowsocks with AEAD 256-bit ChaCha20-IETF-POLY1305 cipher
- (Caution!) The server IP is sent to Google whenever the server automatically updates
Pricing
Outline is free to host.
7. WireGuard
WireGuard is not technically a VPN but a VPN protocol, which is regarded as the current best alternative to OpenVPN. WireGuard is easily auditable (~small code base) and offers quicker speeds without sacrificing on the security front.
While it was developed for Linux at the onset, it currently ships with support for many more platforms, including Windows, macOS, BSD, Android, iOS, and more.
Initially released in 2015, WireGuard is free and open source and ideal for businesses looking to self-host VPN servers.
Features
- Natively included in the Linux kernel since 2020
- ChaCha20 for symmetric encryption and Poly1305 fr authentication
- Built in denial-of-service (DoS) protection with handshake authentication
- Container-ready design ensures Docker containers access the network only through a secure WireGuard tunnel
- Effortless network management and access control by associating public keys with allowed IPs
Pricing
WireGuard is free to implement.
8. Freelan
Freelan is an open-source utility that businesses can deploy for self-hosting a VPN. It’s compatible with multiple VPN topologies, including the standard client-server arrangement.
It was released back in 2013 by Julien Kauffmann.
Freelan Features
- Available for Windows, macOS X, and Linux
- CLI-based VPN client (graphical interface under development)
- Supports client-server, peer-to-peer, and hybrid VPN setups
- Uses a custom protocol, FSCP (FreeLAN Secure Channel Protocol)
- Certificate and username/password-based authentication
Freelan Pricing
It’s free to self-host.
A Few More Options…
The below open-source VPNs deserve honorable mentions on this list.
sshuttle: Access a remote network via SSH without admin privileges.
Tailscale: WireGuard-based business offering to implement remote access and site-to-site networking.
NetBird: A WireGuard-based peer-to-peer business VPN with cloud and on-premises possibilities.
Headscale: An open-source Tailscale implementation for self-hosting.
Final Remarks
I will keep it short: leave self-hosting open-source VPNs to experts because misconfiguration can cost you more compared to a good cloud VPN subscription. And with that, remember you would be placing an ISP-level trust in your VPN provider. So, make that choice very wisely.
For enterprises, on-premises implementation can be a great alternative, as they have the financial and technical bandwidth to support it.
However, in the rare instance that you’re a beginner and pulling your hair out, check this VPN guide to start from ground zero.
