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Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs OpenVPN Access Server comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Aug 6, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco IOS SSL VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
9th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
8.2
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (3rd)
OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
47
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Cisco IOS SSL VPN is 1.2%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 13.6%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Zoltán Nagy - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-scale solution that can be used to work from home remotely
I use Cisco IOS SSL VPN to work from home remotely The split panel functionality is much better in the Cisco IOS SSL VPN than in the Aruba VPN. The solution's graphical user interface is not very user-friendly. I assume that Cisco IOS SSL VPN has a better VPN client, which works better on…
Bertrand Moutault - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-use tool with which its users can access networks from home or external locations
Sometimes OpenVPN Access Server is difficult to connect to, and in our company, we don't know why it is difficult. The product may not connect if we lose connection at times. There are certain shortcomings in the product's stability that need improvement. In general, I want to improve the connect connectivity of the solution since I sometimes face stability issues.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It's a stable solution."
"It is stable."
"The solution is very reliable."
"I have found that Cisco IOS SSL VPN is stable."
"The product is very stable."
"Cisco VPN is easy to connect."
"It is highly scalable, speedy, and reliable."
"The setup and installation was easy."
"I have found the stability to be good."
"The product’s adaptability is valuable."
"The most valuable feature is that I can access my local network remotely and avoid doing all the port forwarding and redirections, and so on."
"Provides privacy and cryptography for my network communication."
"I like that it's easy to use, easy to download, and not hard to manage."
"The best thing is that it is open source and free of cost."
"The features I have found to be most valuable are the levels of encryption I can enact and the compression I can apply to improve throughput."
"The most valuable thing about OpenVPN Access Server is its ease of use."
 

Cons

"The pricing is a stumbling block to scaling our utilization of Cisco products and we would prefer to use more of them."
"Improvements could be made in terms of connectivity for applications."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN doesn't support the configuration of multiple VPNs."
"Multi-factor authentication in Cisco IOS SSL VPN has certain shortcomings that need improvement."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN should improve its pricing."
"In addition to Cisco, we work with other solutions on behalf of our customers, such as Fortinet for FortiGate, but this latter solution can achieve the same results at a lower price."
"Enhancing the client certificate deployment process could be a valuable improvement, ensuring smoother and more reliable certificate renewal experiences in the future."
"The pricing needs to be better."
"It should automate our processes."
"It is not scalable."
"I'd like to have more control over the users when they are accessing the network."
"The security needs to be improved because it was a complaint that our customers had."
"We occasionally have internet issues which affect stability."
"The stability of the solution could improve."
"If there was a Graphical User Interface to help streamline the configuration, I believe OpenVPN would probably venture more into the non-geek realm as it were."
"I would like to see a GUI or Web UI to manage users. Today these features are in the Pro Edition or are done by scripts."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"FortiGate does not charge the client a licensing fee, although Cisco charges clients a couple of dollars per year for each license."
"The platform is expensive."
"Cisco IOS SSL VPN is more expensive than the Aruba VPN, but it is worth the money."
"The product costs less."
"The tool is expensive."
"It is an expensive product."
"I would say it is a bit expensive, but I think it is worth the price."
"My company makes payments on a quarterly basis to the vendor to cover the licensing costs attached to the product. Cisco IOS SSL VPN is an expensive product. There are no additional costs apart from the licensing costs attached to the product."
"The product offers yearly as well as monthly subscription plans. It has moderate pricing."
"OpenVPN is a free and open-source solution."
"The price point is fantastic since it is free."
"OpenVPN is an open-source solution. If the solution is used for personal use it is free. For non-personal use, the solution can be expensive."
"The solution was free of charge."
"It is free, you buy support."
"With regard to setup cost, pricing and/or licensing, the simple answer is that you'll need to set aside some time to learn it and experiment with it."
"OpenVPN Access Server is a cheap corporate solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
24%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Educational Organization
8%
Healthcare Company
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
The pricing for Cisco IOS SSL VPN is based on per user. For more than one hundred users, it costs about $60 per seat.
What needs improvement with Cisco IOS SSL VPN?
Compatibility can sometimes be a challenge. There have been issues with operating systems where newer updates cause problems with backward compatibility. For instance, Windows 11 ( /products/window...
How does Fortinet FortiClient compare with Open VPN Access Server?
Fortinet FortiClient is a feature-rich solution that is easy to use and deploy without sacrificing safety and security. It has a very fast connection rate and has a built-in VPN. With this solution...
What do you like most about OpenVPN Access Server?
OpenVPN Access Server is a simple and easy-to-use solution that I can use myself without anybody's help.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for OpenVPN Access Server?
My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.
 

Also Known As

Cisco SSL VPN
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

MST Systems
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco IOS SSL VPN vs. OpenVPN Access Server and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
851,604 professionals have used our research since 2012.