OpenVPN Access Server vs Zscaler Private Access

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.

Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) controls access to private applications, workloads, and operational technology for users connecting from different devices and locations. It brokers a one-to-one connection between an authorized user and a specific app, without granting access to the corporate network or exposing the app publicly. ZPA can discover applications and recommend app segments and policies. Workload-to-workload segmentation covers communications across hybrid and multicloud environments, including AWS and Azure. Privileged Remote Access offers clientless access to RDP, SSH, and VNC production systems for remote workers and third parties. Other described capabilities include inline threat inspection, Web Data Loss Prevention for data in motion, and policy-enforced access to mission-critical apps during connectivity outages. The cloud deployment is listed for Windows, macOS, Android, Android on ChromeOS, and iOS, alongside Linux and web platforms. Pricing is on request, and there is no free plan.