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OpenVPN Access Server vs Sangfor SSL VPN comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 14, 2025

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

OpenVPN Access Server
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
52
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Sangfor SSL VPN
Ranking in Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
18th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
SSL VPN (8th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Enterprise Infrastructure VPN category, the mindshare of OpenVPN Access Server is 13.4%, down from 14.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Sangfor SSL VPN is 2.2%, up from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
OpenVPN Access Server13.4%
Sangfor SSL VPN2.2%
Other84.4%
Enterprise Infrastructure VPN
 

Featured Reviews

Girraj Godia - PeerSpot reviewer
Devops Engineer at Emergent
Has improved internal app access by allowing secure user onboarding and simplified network whitelisting
The plan for OpenVPN Access Server could be improved. When adding new people, better plans for startups would be beneficial. I'm working in a startup and sometimes people think we should take the enterprise plan or not. If there was a dedicated plan for startups, it would be really helpful. For instance, providing store credit for OpenVPN Access Server through a startup program, similar to YC's program which gives credit to new startups. UI-wise, OpenVPN Access Server is easy to manage, but the overall overview dashboard in the admin portal could be improved. Currently, you have to go through dropdowns to find where to add users or whitelist IPs. Creating an onboarding dashboard where an admin person can find these things easily would be beneficial.
MW
IT & Statistical Officer at THQ Hospital Choubara
Easy-to-use platform with an efficient user authentication process
There is an area of improvement related to the configuration of specific numbers required for compatibility with banks in our country. The platform initially had limited numbers available for configuration, which posed a challenge as banks operate on different numbers. To address this, we had to request Sangfor Management to add the required numbers, which they later accommodated.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."
"Highly configurable. You can create your own custom client installer and can rebrand the server-side program."
"OpenVPN Access Server is a simple and easy-to-use solution that I can use myself without anybody's help."
"The product has strong encryption and scalability features. It provides security for private network connections."
"It was very easy to set up users."
"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."
"Security is the most valuable feature."
"OpenVPN Access Server allows us to establish a secure connection to an IP address that would otherwise be inaccessible without using a VPN."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a secure and user-friendly solution."
"It is a stable solution...The initial setup of the product is very easy."
"Sangfor SSL VPN provides secure encryption for communication."
"Sangfor SSL VPN has a user-friendly user interface."
"The most valuable feature is our ability to limit access by user, IP address, or MAC address."
"The platform is easy to use."
 

Cons

"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."
"This solution should improve the connection speed and the user interface. The stability of this solution should be improved as well."
"One improvement I would like to see in OpenVPN is better adaptability in certain geographical areas."
"Working on a faster connection might be a good idea for the product's next release."
"If we had to create something for someone who was not necessarily tech savvy, I had to set that up on their computer, I had to write "read me's" and other things so that they could install their client and then connect to the VPN by themselves. So it was hard to set up for people who are not tech savvy."
"The high availability deployment is not very straightforward. They can make it simpler. OpenVPN does not support some of the additional protocols that Pulse Secure and Cisco AnyConnect support. They can include support for these additional protocols."
"When there are too many concurrent users trying to connect at the same time, there may be a bit of a bottleneck."
"The stability of the solution could improve."
"Sangfor SSL VPN should provide advanced protection against ransomware and better data analysis."
"The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved."
"In redundancy mode, when the firewall goes off, the VPN should be able to connect to the secondary firewall automatically."
"I think Sangfor can provide a web-based SSL VPN version."
"The technical support team takes around two months to respond to queries. It is very time-consuming."
"No solution is perfect, so there is room for improvement."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"OpenVPN is a free and open-source solution."
"The licensing has a fixed pricing."
"The product's pricing is good value, definitely. It is one of the best features, I would say. Evaluate the product before seeing which type of licensing is good for you. I think there is a good evaluation method available for OpenVPN, so you can just evaluate if it meets your needs. Then go forward with the right licensing policy."
"I don't need to pay for its license since it is an open-source tool."
"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."
"The solution is free of cost."
"OpenVPN Access Server was free for students. I don't know if you have to pay for an advanced version."
"The solution was free of charge."
"Sangfor SSL VPN is a cheap solution."
"The pricing is good and the standard license allows for 30 users."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The first 30 licenses are free, and you have to purchase the rest if required."
"My company has a three-year license for Sangfor SSL VPN."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise14
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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?
The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for OpenVPN Access Server is really good, not that expensive. I am easily able to add new users from the OpenVPN Access Server official websit...
What needs improvement with Sangfor SSL VPN?
The solution's integration with other firewall vendors could be improved. Its interoperability matrices and different configurations with other vendor products also need improvements. Our client ha...
 

Also Known As

OpenVPN
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Verizon, Amazon, Disney, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Samsung
Investcorp, Central Bancorp, Griffiths & Armour
Find out what your peers are saying about OpenVPN Access Server vs. Sangfor SSL VPN and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,733 professionals have used our research since 2012.