OpenVPN vs SoftEther VPN
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted remote access & vpn options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
OpenVPN
Robust and flexible open-source VPN solution
VS
SoftEther VPN
Multi-protocol VPN server from the University of Tsukuba
| Feature | OpenVPN | SoftEther VPN |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 94 · Excellent | 84 · Excellent |
| Category | Remote Access & VPN | Remote Access & VPN |
| License | GPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | C | C |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker, binary | bare-metal, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 14,600 | ★ 13,582 |
| First released | 2001 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Cisco AnyConnect | Cisco AnyConnect |
What are OpenVPN and SoftEther VPN?
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
SoftEther VPN
SoftEther VPN is a powerful open-source multi-protocol VPN server supporting its own protocol plus OpenVPN, L2TP/IPsec, and SSTP. It is known for high performance and firewall traversal.
- Multiple VPN protocols
- Excellent firewall traversal
- Cross-platform server
- High throughput
OpenVPN vs SoftEther VPN: key differences
Both projects are written in C. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for OpenVPN versus Apache-2.0 for SoftEther VPN. OpenVPN is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for SoftEther VPN. OpenVPN is the more established project (first released 2001), while SoftEther VPN arrived in 2014. OpenVPN lists first-class Docker deployment; SoftEther VPN does not.
Why pick each one
Choose OpenVPN if…
- Battle-tested maturity
- Highly configurable
- Works through strict firewalls
Watch out for
- Complex configuration
- Slower than WireGuard
Choose SoftEther VPN if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 13.6k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is OpenVPN or SoftEther VPN better?
Neither is universally better. OpenVPN has the larger community; both share a hard setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OpenVPN and SoftEther VPN free and open-source?
Yes. OpenVPN is licensed under GPL-2.0 and SoftEther VPN under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OpenVPN and SoftEther VPN with Docker?
OpenVPN: yes. SoftEther VPN: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, OpenVPN or SoftEther VPN?
OpenVPN has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for SoftEther VPN. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.