OpenVPN vs WireGuard
Learn how OpenVPN and WireGuard differ in their key features, development activity, technology
stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these vpn & secure access tools is best for you.
Learn how OpenVPN and WireGuard differ in their key features, development activity, technology stack and community adoption, so you can decide which of these vpn & secure access tools is best for you.
OpenVPN
Last 30 days
Last commit
19 hours agoRepository age
15 yearsVersion
v2.7.8Self-hosted
YesRepository
openvpn/openvpn
WireGuard
Last 30 days
Last commit
6 months agoRepository age
7 yearsLicense
GPL-2.0Repository
wireguard-tools
Detailed Comparison
OpenVPN appears to have several advantages over WireGuard, particularly in popularity, activity, maturity and features. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
OpenVPN appears to have several advantages over WireGuard, particularly in popularity, activity, maturity and features. Consider your specific needs regarding popularity, growth, activity, technology, maturity, licensing and features when making your decision.
Community & Popularity
OpenVPN significantly outpaces WireGuard in community adoption with 14,726 stars compared to 735 stars on GitHub. This 20.0x difference suggests OpenVPN has a much larger and more active community. In terms of developer contributions, OpenVPN has 3,421 forks, indicating strong developer engagement.
Growth Momentum
WireGuard is growing faster, adding 15 stars in the last 30 days (+2.1%) against adding 120 stars for OpenVPN (+0.8%). WireGuard is the smaller project of the two, so it is closing the gap rather than extending a lead.
Development Activity
OpenVPN shows more recent development activity with its last commit 19 hours ago, while WireGuard was last updated 6 months ago. This suggests OpenVPN is being more actively maintained.
Technology Stack
Both tools share common technology foundations, being built with Bash, Python, C, Objective-C. However, they differ in their additional technology choices: OpenVPN uses Perl while WireGuard leverages JavaScript, Golang, Rust, C++, Haskell.
Project Maturity
OpenVPN has been in development longer, starting 15 years ago, compared to WireGuard which began 7 years ago. This 7.8-year head start suggests OpenVPN may have more mature features and established processes.
Licensing
WireGuard is licensed under GPL-2.0, while OpenVPN's license terms are not publicly specified.
Use Cases & Features
Both tools serve similar use cases in VPN & Secure Access.
Hosting & Deployment
OpenVPN provides self-hosting options for complete data control and customization, while WireGuard may be primarily cloud-based or require different deployment approaches.
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