NetBird vs OpenVPN Access Server
NetBird
netbird.ioOpenVPN Access Server
openvpn.netSide by side
| Figure | NetBird | OpenVPN Access Server |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €6/mo | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 3 |
| Spec score · Business VPN Software | 9.5 (#3) | 9.5 (#2) |
| Spec score · Connectivity Solutions | 9.2 (#2) | 9.1 (#4) |
| Spec score · Virtual Private Network Software | 9.1 (#6) | 9.0 (#8) |
| Access model | hybrid | hybrid |
| Admin Controls | Centralized controls include grouping, DNS, private nameservers, and API-based configuration. | enterprise |
| Audit logs | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 2022 | 2001 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free Tier Limits | Free includes up to 5 users and 100 machines. | The free plan supports up to two simultaneous connections. |
| Headquarters | Berlin, Germany | Pleasanton, California, United States |
| Pricing Model | Usage-based pricing charges for active cloud users and machines. | Connection-based pricing with volume discounts and monthly or yearly billing. |
| Refund Policy | No refund policy is stated in the provided text. | Subscriptions can be canceled anytime; unused funds are credited for future usage, with refunds handled by sales. |
| Site-to-site networking | Yes | Yes |
| SSO / SCIM | Yes | Yes |
| Supported Platforms | Linux, Windows, macOS, mobile devices, Docker containers, and routers. | Linux server; Windows,macOS,iOS,Android,and ChromeOS clients; Docker; VMware ESXi; Microsoft Hyper-V; AWS,Azure,Google Cloud,IBM Cloud,DigitalOcean,Oracle Cloud,and Vultr |
Plans
OpenVPN Access Server
- FreeFree
- Growth$7 a month
- Enterprise & IoTPriced on request
In their own words
NetBird
NetBird connects users and machines through encrypted peer-to-peer networking based on WireGuard. It is offered as NetBird Cloud or can be self-hosted on an organization’s infrastructure. Its hybrid access model includes centralized controls for grouping, DNS, private nameservers and API-based configuration. Identity features include SSO, MFA, periodic re-authentication and identity-provider MFA settings. Teams can provision users and groups through an identity provider and organize them around teams and infrastructure. Device posture policies can check firewall, antivirus, geography and network location. Integrations include Okta, Microsoft, Google, MDM, EDR and SIEM platforms; logging covers network configuration changes and connection events, with SIEM streaming. NetBird supports Linux, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Android TV, tvOS, Docker and routers. Its BSD-3 license permits self-hosting. The free tier covers up to 5 users and 100 machines. Team costs €6/user/mo and Business costs €12/user/mo; billing counts users and machines that connect or log in at least once during the billing period. Team and Business plans offer a free trial.
OpenVPN Access Server
OpenVPN Access Server is a business VPN hosted in a customer's environment, including Linux systems, virtual appliances, containers and public clouds. Its free plan lasts indefinitely, includes all features, requires no credit card and permits up to two simultaneous connections. Growth costs $7 a month per connection and supports up to 2,000 connections; Enterprise & IoT has custom pricing and unlimited connections. A 14-day trial is available for five or more connections. Administrators have a Web UI, self-service client UI, CLI, REST API and automation templates. Authentication options include PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, local and custom methods. User- and group-level access controls are available, as are protocol and port restrictions. Identity, device and location context can be used to control application access. OpenVPN Connect supports Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and ChromeOS. Deployment options include Docker, Hyper-V, VMware ESXi, Kubernetes Helm and public cloud marketplaces. The listed security and compliance items include SOC 2 Type 2, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, HIPAA and GDPR.