Is Ivanti or OpenVPN better?

Neither clearly leads. Ivanti starts at On request and OpenVPN at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Ivanti or OpenVPN?

OpenVPN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ivanti and Free for OpenVPN.

Does Ivanti or OpenVPN run on more platforms?

Ivanti runs on Web. OpenVPN runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.

Can I use OpenVPN for free?

Yes. OpenVPN has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ivanti starts at On request.

What is Ivanti best used for?

Ivanti is most often used for controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces, automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale, enforcing device compliance before network access in regulated industries, prioritizing vulnerability patches by risk level. Of those, controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces and automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale are not what OpenVPN is typically brought in for.

What can Ivanti do that OpenVPN cannot?

OpenVPN covers Open source core, Access Server admin UI, Per-connection licensing, Free tier.

Networking · head to head

Ivanti vs OpenVPN

Ivanti

Networking

Security, service management, and unified endpoint management

From: On request
Rated: -

Full review Website

OpenVPN

Networking

Open source VPN protocol with a commercial Access Server product priced per simultaneous connection

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only OpenVPN has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Ivanti no pricing information published - enterprise custom pricing required; OpenVPN open source OpenVPN, while free, requires real technical skill to configure, secure and maintain without the Access Server admin layer
Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ivanti and OpenVPN actually diverge.

Attributes where Ivanti and OpenVPN differ
Attribute	Ivanti	OpenVPN
Starting price	On request	Free
Pricing model	quote	Open source core is free; Access Server billed per simultaneous connection
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web	Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Networking).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Ivanti

Nothing recorded that OpenVPN does not also cover.

Only in OpenVPN

Open source core
Access Server admin UI
Per-connection licensing
Free tier
Cross-platform clients

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Ivanti

Controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforcesnot OpenVPN
Automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scalenot OpenVPN
Enforcing device compliance before network access in regulated industriesnot OpenVPN
Prioritizing vulnerability patches by risk levelnot OpenVPN
Enabling passwordless zero-trust access without VPN infrastructurenot OpenVPN

OpenVPN

A technical team wanting a fully free, self-configured VPN server using the open source protocol without any vendor relationshipnot Ivanti
A small business wanting a supported, easier-to-administer VPN server, willing to pay per concurrent connection rather than per employeenot Ivanti
An organisation with more staff than typical concurrent VPN usage, since Access Server bills only active simultaneous connections, not total accountsnot Ivanti
An IoT or large-scale deployment needing custom Enterprise pricing above 2,000 connectionsnot Ivanti

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Ivanti

no pricing information published - enterprise custom pricing required

OpenVPN

Open source OpenVPN, while free, requires real technical skill to configure, secure and maintain without the Access Server admin layer
Per-connection billing on Access Server means usage spikes, such as an all-hands remote day, can push simultaneous connections over a licensed limit and block new connections until usage drops or the plan is upgraded
OpenVPN's traditional hub-and-spoke architecture routes traffic through a central server, unlike mesh VPN tools like Tailscale or NetBird that establish direct peer-to-peer connections where possible, which can add latency
Client configuration and certificate management for the open source version is more manual and error-prone than newer VPN tools with zero-config onboarding
Access Server pricing above the Growth tier reverts to custom Enterprise quoting, so very large deployments lose the pricing transparency of the lower tiers
The protocol's throughput is generally lower than newer kernel-integrated protocols like WireGuard under equivalent conditions, which matters for high-bandwidth use cases

Pricing, plan by plan

Ivanti

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Ivanti review.

OpenVPN

Free

Access Server FreeFree
- Up to 2 simultaneous connections
- All features included
Access Server Growth$7/month
- Per simultaneous connection beyond the free tier
- Annual billing
Access Server Enterprise/IoT$undefined/month
- Custom pricing for 2,000+ connections

Which should you pick?

Choose Ivanti if

Nothing in the data separates Ivanti from OpenVPN on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Ivanti review

Choose OpenVPN if

You need open source core.
You want to start without paying.
You work on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
You also want access server admin ui.

OpenVPN review

Questions people ask

Is Ivanti or OpenVPN better?: Neither clearly leads. Ivanti starts at On request and OpenVPN at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ivanti or OpenVPN?: OpenVPN has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Ivanti and Free for OpenVPN.
Does Ivanti or OpenVPN run on more platforms?: Ivanti runs on Web. OpenVPN runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use OpenVPN for free?: Yes. OpenVPN has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Ivanti starts at On request.
What is Ivanti best used for?: Ivanti is most often used for controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces, automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale, enforcing device compliance before network access in regulated industries, prioritizing vulnerability patches by risk level. Of those, controlling device compliance and patches for remote workforces and automating service ticketing and change processes at enterprise scale are not what OpenVPN is typically brought in for.
What can Ivanti do that OpenVPN cannot?: OpenVPN covers Open source core, Access Server admin UI, Per-connection licensing, Free tier.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ivanti: How much does Ivanti cost?

Ivanti does not publish pricing on their website. As an enterprise solution, pricing is customized based on organizational needs. Contact Ivanti through their website to request a demo and pricing information.

Source

OpenVPN: Is OpenVPN free?

The open source protocol and software are free under the GPL; Access Server, the commercial packaged product, charges per simultaneous connection beyond a free 2-connection tier.

OpenVPN: What counts as a connection for billing purposes?

A simultaneously active connected device, not a registered user account or total device count; unlimited accounts and devices can be created but only the licensed number can be connected at once.

OpenVPN: How does OpenVPN compare with WireGuard-based tools like Tailscale?

OpenVPN uses a traditional hub-and-spoke VPN architecture rather than the mesh, peer-to-peer approach used by newer tools like Tailscale or NetBird.

Ivanti vs OpenVPN

Ivanti

OpenVPN

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Ivanti

Only in OpenVPN

What people use each for

Ivanti

OpenVPN

Where each one falls short

Ivanti

OpenVPN

Pricing, plan by plan

Ivanti

OpenVPN

Which should you pick?

Choose Ivanti if

Choose OpenVPN if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Ivanti

More on OpenVPN

Keep looking

Other head to heads