OpenVPN vs NordLayer: Which Business VPN is Better?
Deliver enterprise-grade protection for every employee, everywhere, backed by a robust platform and flexible pricing.
The #1 Business VPN
Trusted by 20,000+ organizations for over two decades.
The #1 Business VPNWhat is the difference between OpenVPN and NordLayer?
OpenVPN provides essential secure access and Zero Trust capabilities without the overhead of a full platform, enabling faster deployment, easier management, and cost-effective growth.
 | NordLayer | |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise-ready |  Yes | Yes |
| Global infrastructure | Yes | Yes |
| Flexible deployment | Yes | Yes |
| Friendly UI | Yes | Yes |
| Activity logs | Yes | Yes |
| 24/7 support | Yes | Yes |
| Supports multiple open source protocols | Yes | Yes |
| Phishing & malware protection | Yes | Yes |
| Content filtering | Yes |  No |
| Based on open source | Yes | No |
| Fully customizable | Yes | No |
| DPI, QoS, etc. for all plans | Yes | No |
| Dedicated IPs, private gateways for all tiers | Yes | No |
| Native support for app-layer segmentation | Yes | No |
Why companies choose OpenVPN?
NordLayer is strong in enterprise environments that want dedicated gateways and strict control. But for SMBs, MSPs, and growing businesses, it can be overly complex and expensive.
OpenVPN delivers the right balance: fast setup, broad authentication support, power ful Zero Trust security, and unlimited scalability — all at a fraction of the cost.
Faster, Easier Deployment
OpenVPN setup takes most customers less than one hour without the need for complex hardware or over-engineered infrastructure.NordLayer requires dedicated gateways and custom setups that slow down time-to-value.
Cost-Effective Scalability for SMBs & MSPs
OpenVPN offers predictable, volume-based pricing that scales affordably, with multiple isolated overlay networks (WPCs) and multi-tenant management — ideal for MSPs. No bandwidth restrictions, no performance throttling.NordLayer's pricing model often fits larger enterprises better — but can be costly for small businesses as they scale users, and infrastructure can limit scalability as teams grow.
Flexible Authentication — Modern & Legacy Support
OpenVPN supports SAML + LDAP and even local authentication (create users directly in CloudConnexa). With OpenVPN, you can onboard any user base — modern or legacy.NordLayer only integrates with select identity providers (Azure AD, Okta, Google Workspace).
Built-In Zero Trust & Security Enhancements
OpenVPN enforces Zero Trust principles across all users, apps, and devices. Application- and domain-based routing ensures users only access what they need.Cyber Shield (IDS/IPS + content filtering) offers deeper protection than NordLayer's basic web protection.
Backed by enterprise-grade security
SOC 2 Type 2
ISO/IEC 27001:2022
HIPAA Compliant
GDPR CompliantTwo solutions — one goal
Self-hosted or cloud-delivered: We've got your network security covered.
Self-hosted
Access Server
Access Server gives you complete control over your security architecture with customizable access policies and private tunneling.
Deploy on IaaS providers, Docker, Linux, Hyper-V, and VMware ESXi- Get started fast with a ready-to-use templates
- Protect your data by routing internet traffic through the Access Server
- Enforce access policies with identity, device, and IP verification
Cloud-delivered
CloudConnexa®
Connect your applications, private networks, workforce, and IoT devices — without complex, hard-to-scale hardware or self-managed server software.
- Enforce security with a full suite of Zero Trust controls
- Connect networks seamlessly using OpenVPN or IPsec
- Enhance protection with content filtering and IDS/IPS
- Simplify routing with domain-based traffic rules
Try the world's most-used VPN for secure access
20K
Business Customers
4M+
Users
Fast
Performance and Deployment
#1
Business VPN on G2
What our customers say about us
Jason K.REPAYEasy to configure options, add users, and that it has two factor authentication built in. You can configure the system to allow connections on common ports so that you're able to connect from pretty much anywhere in the world.
Johnathan B.Surry TelephoneConfiguring and updating my own server is super simple. In my experience, I've always had some difficulty setting up hardware VPN appliances, but OpenVPN was no-nonsense.
Alex H.DGDeanThe OpenVPN Access Server AMI is a great out of the box VPN solution for your AWS VPC...
John G.Anovys, LLCOpenVPN offers users a very simple and secure VPN option that is both economical and quick to install. Users are able to easily install it on their client devices.
Jeremy F.Intelligent PathwaysThe availability of client software for all operating systems and mobile devices means my customers can connect regardless of their setup.
Josh Wc.nexgen|packaging, LLCExcellent, flexible solution for our Azure environment.