Firezone vs OpenVPN
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Firezone
Open-source secure remote access platform
VS
OpenVPN
Robust and flexible open-source VPN solution
| Feature | Firezone | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 92 · Excellent | 94 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-2.0 |
| Language | Elixir | C |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal, docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,103 | ★ 14,600 |
| First released | 2021 | 2001 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect, Tailscale | Cisco AnyConnect |
What are Firezone and OpenVPN?
Firezone
Firezone is a self-hosted secure remote access platform built on WireGuard, offering zero-trust network access with policy-based controls. It replaces traditional corporate VPNs.
- Zero-trust access policies
- WireGuard under the hood
- SSO integration
- Web admin portal
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is a mature, widely deployed VPN protocol and software supporting site-to-site and remote access connections. It uses SSL/TLS for key exchange and is highly configurable.
- Mature and battle-tested
- Site-to-site and remote access
- Highly configurable
- Strong TLS security
Firezone vs OpenVPN: key differences
Firezone is written in Elixir, while OpenVPN is built with C. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Firezone versus GPL-2.0 for OpenVPN. OpenVPN is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Firezone. OpenVPN is the more established project (first released 2001), while Firezone arrived in 2021.
Why pick each one
Choose Firezone if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in Elixir
Choose OpenVPN if…
- Battle-tested maturity
- Highly configurable
- Works through strict firewalls
Watch out for
- Complex configuration
- Slower than WireGuard
Frequently asked questions
Is Firezone or OpenVPN better?
Neither is universally better. OpenVPN has the larger community, while Firezone is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Firezone and OpenVPN free and open-source?
Yes. Firezone is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenVPN under GPL-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Firezone and OpenVPN with Docker?
Firezone: yes. OpenVPN: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Firezone or OpenVPN?
OpenVPN has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Firezone. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.