When talking about VPNs, you might have heard about OpenVPN in one or the other. But, what is it?
Is it another VPN service provider? If not, then what is it?
OpenVPN is open-source software that VPN services use to establish and secure the connection from the user to the server.
When using a VPN service, you might notice the mention of “OpenVPN” protocol – that’s when you know what the VPN services use OpenVPN or gives you the option to use OpenVPN protocol. In case you’re wondering, a protocol is just a set of rules that are followed to communicate between different devices. OpenVPN uses a custom set of rules to ensure a secure connection.
Let me explain it further to give you an overview of OpenVPN and how it works.
OpenVPN: Overview
If you go by the numbers, the majority of the VPN companies support OpenVPN protocol. And, for the most part, OpenVPN protocol is the best way to get a fast and secure VPN performance when compared to other VPN protocols like PPTP and L2TP.
As mentioned above, a lot of VPN service providers tend to rely on OpenVPN protocol, that also includes popular VPNs like ExpressVPN.
Just because it’s widely adopted by VPN service providers over a decade, it has proved its reliability and benefits.
Technically, OpenVPN uses all the encryption, certification, and authentication features of OpenSSL library to ensure the best security practices. In addition to that, it also uses the TLS protocol to secure your network traffic effectively.
To add more advanced capabilities on top of its security, it also gives you the ability to use 3rd party plugins and scripts.
In my personal usage, I definitely find OpenVPN protocol to be the best for faster speeds and a secure connection.
However, in some cases, you might find some VPNs having their own protocols in addition to OpenVPN. For instance, VyperVPN offers a chameleon protocol. But, unlike OpenVPN, it’s not open source. So, you can’t really know how it works and what it does unless you test it thoroughly.
OpenVPN is also considered as one of the best VPN protocol there is. But, what are the advantages of using OpenVPN protocol? Let’s take a look at a few points..
Advantages of OpenVPN
There are numerous advantages of OpenVPN protocol. Some of them are as follows:
- Can handle thousands of dynamic connections.
- Uses the encryption, certification, and authentication features of the OpenSSL library.
- It can run over UDP or TCP protocol.
- It is an open-source project.
- Runs on all major platforms.
Not just limited to the technical advantages, but as an open-source project, it makes it possible for anyone to contribute while constantly improving the protocol without relying on any single company.
Any security issues or problems with the protocol gets immediately patched by the community. In that way, it’s way better than any other proprietary protocols.
Also, the fact that you don’t have to, believe me, makes it even better. You can simply check the source code of OpenVPN on GitHub to review its safety and security for yourself. Of course, you would need technical expertise to do that — but even if you don’t, you can be reassured that hundreds and thousands of developers keep an eye on it.
If you’re wondering about its disadvantages, there’s none except the fact that it may require complex manual configuration in Linux.
Of course, it requires you to use a separate GUI i.e generally the app provided by the VPN provider. So, that is not really a disadvantage here anymore.
To be clear, on platforms like Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS, you just have to download and install a VPN app of your choice and get started using OpenVPN protocol.
It’s worth noting that I’m not comparing OpenVPN with WireGuard in this article, which is something fairly new but being adopted by a lot of VPN service providers recently for its advantages over OpenVPN. As an example, Mullvad VPN uses WireGuard protocol.
Best VPN Services Which Supports OpenVPN
These are the best VPN services which support the OpenVPN to give highest possible anonymity to the users.
1. NordVPN
Do we really need an introduction to NordVPN? Absolutely not. NordVPN is one such VPN provider available on the Internet with a positive name. The service claimed to be having the biggest server network in the industry. Currently, it has 5014 servers located in the 59 countries.
Everything is perfect in the NordVPN, the massive server network, powerful security protocols, restricted content unblocking, breaking the firewall of China, torrent support, and OpenVPN support.
NordVPN supports the OpenVPN through TCP and UDP connections.
- For OpenVPN TCP connections – port 443.
- For OpenVPN UDP connections – port 1194.
As we know OpenVPN supports multiple platforms, it lets you stay safe on any device from PC, Mac, Linux, and mobile platforms like iOS and Android.
2. ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is our next recommendation which suits best with OpenVPN. ExpressVPN has many pro advantages. The service is express fast and it has more than 3,000 servers located over 94 countries.
When it comes to security, ExpressVPN has reliable 256-bit AES encryption, and DNS leak test and protection. With OpenVPN support, you can connect with encryption settings and protocols: from UDP to TCP, L2TP/IPSec and PPTP, and even SSTP with port 443 for powerful firewalls.
3. PureVPN
PureVPN is our third recommendation for an everyday Internet user who is very serious about their online privacy. The service offers faster data speeds along with some extra features such as malware shields, app blocking features, and DNS website filters.
In addition to all the basic features in a VPN, it also features a set of P2P servers. If you need to share files peer-to-peer over a secure network, you would definitely need this on your VPN.
The plans of PureVPN are affordable and it supports 30 days money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with the service.
These are the best-recommended VPN services which support OpenVPN client. What do you think about the OpenVPN client? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.