OpenVPN Access Server vs WatchGuard FireCloud

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.

WatchGuard FireCloud is a managed, cloud-based firewall service designed to protect remote users from internet-based security threats. FireCloud Internet Access provides protected internet access; Total Access also connects users to local company-network resources without a VPN. Content scanning can use Gateway AntiVirus and APT Blocker to address threats including viruses, spyware, malicious applications and data leakage. FireCloud can also block botnets, SQL injections, cross-site scripting and buffer overflows. Application Control uses more than 1,800 signatures to identify and block more than 1,000 applications, including selected behaviors such as file transfer. Identity options include SAML providers such as AuthPoint, Microsoft Entra ID and Okta, along with WatchGuard Cloud Directory. Administrators can set centralized Zero Trust policies using factors such as location, time and user behavior. Total Access can use Virtual Gateways, Server Gateways or Fireboxes for private-resource access. Licensing is per user. The listed Internet Access plan for 1–50 licenses costs $97.75 a year per user license. Total Access has a free 30-day trial for up to 250 users.