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Citrix Gateway 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Citrix Gateway boosts financial gain by enhancing security, effectiveness varies by business model and deployment, offering server protection.
Sentiment score
3.8
OpenVPN Access Server enhances remote work with essential VPN connectivity, reducing errors despite challenges in quantifying financial benefits.
Citrix Gateway secures our environment from potential threats, which can save substantial financial resources, especially in preventing data breaches or ransomware attacks.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.0
Citrix Gateway's support is mixed, with users praising responsiveness but noting long wait times and insufficient expertise.
Sentiment score
7.5
OpenVPN Access Server's support is praised for high responsiveness, effectiveness, and comprehensive documentation, with strong community resources.
While there are multiple support tiers with priority response times of around 30 minutes, there appears to be a limitation in the number of technical teams who can immediately understand and resolve issues.
It was very good, and I would rate it an eight.
I have not dealt with support or customer service, however, the documentation is good, and I would rate it a seven out of ten.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Citrix Gateway is highly scalable, supporting various deployments, though some users report challenges and suggest scalability improvements.
Sentiment score
7.0
OpenVPN Access Server is scalable but experiences vary with environment and configuration, involving challenges in horizontal and vertical scaling.
The solution features high availability, supporting both active-passive and active-active deployments to ensure constant product availability.
I believe that the scalability of Citrix Gateway depends on the project's requirements, as it can vary from simple load balancing to extensive Web Application Firewall implementations.
It's not very easy to expand, and it would be beneficial if the process were simpler.
I would give OpenVPN a six out of ten for scalability, as it's usually a single user or single device.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Citrix Gateway is generally stable with high ratings, though occasional setup or update issues can affect trust.
Sentiment score
8.6
OpenVPN Access Server is stable, reliable, with high ratings, though some note minor performance and update handling issues.
 

Room For Improvement

Citrix Gateway needs improved user-friendliness, integration, training, security, support, pricing, setup, speed, and analytics features.
OpenVPN Access Server needs UI improvements, simpler user management, enhanced security, better upgrades, scalability, and configuration processes.
At this time it costs 35% more than other solutions.
There is potential for reducing administrative overhead by applying policies dynamically based on context rather than static rules.
It doesn't matter if it's Windows, Apple, Mac, or Linux - they're all very easy.
OpenVPN could improve in centralized management.
 

Setup Cost

Citrix Gateway offers diverse licensing with high pricing, regarded as a premium solution, but regional cost varies.
OpenVPN Access Server offers flexible licensing with competitive pricing, combining a free community version with affordable paid options.
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model.
My experience with pricing is excellent as the pricing is free.
 

Valuable Features

Citrix Gateway provides seamless app support, security features, scalability, and deployment flexibility, enhancing accessibility and performance for organizations.
OpenVPN Access Server is open-source, secure, and user-friendly, offering cross-platform support, strong encryption, and seamless remote access.
The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
Secure SaaS access is particularly valuable as it ensures that SaaS-based applications are delivered securely.
It's easy to scale and easy to implement.
The most valuable features of OpenVPN are its ease of use, client familiarity, end-user familiarity, operating system integration, and price points.
What I appreciate the most about OpenVPN Access Server is that it's very easy to set up.
 

Categories and Ranking

Citrix Gateway
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
10th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Universal Access Gateways (1st), SSL VPN (2nd)
OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
48
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of Citrix Gateway is 3.3%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 12.7%, down from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

VivekKumar10 - PeerSpot reviewer
Enables secure remote access and load balancing with enhanced protection features
I find Citrix Gateway valuable for its capabilities as a reverse proxy, providing security to applications exposed to the Internet. Key features include load balancing, dual-factor authentication, clientless VPN, and Web Application Firewall (WAF). The product effectively helps me protect the organization's network from potential threats, thereby securing our environment from hackers and ransomware attacks.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
32%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Computer Software Company
18%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Educational Organization
8%
University
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Gateway?
We can maintain our systems using the solution.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Gateway?
I consider Citrix Gateway to be an expensive solution, generally ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 yearly, depending on the model. It is seen as a premium product compared to competitors like F5, and ...
What needs improvement with Citrix Gateway?
In the past, I submitted some support tickets, and while the support did resolve the problems, the time taken was sometimes long. They can perhaps improve the time for solutions in the support tick...
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

Citrix NetScaler Unified Gateway
OpenVPN
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aeronamic, Avianca, Bechtel Corporation, Betfair UK, Catholic University Leuven (K.U. Leuven), Centene Corporation, Cerner, Charityshare, City of High Point, Clark Builders
Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Find out what your peers are saying about Citrix Gateway vs. OpenVPN Access Server and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,592 professionals have used our research since 2012.