OpenVPN CloudConnexa vs Pomerium

OpenVPN CloudConnexa is a cloud-managed networking service for connecting users, devices and sites through an overlay network. It supports OpenVPN and IPsec, site-to-site networking and split tunneling. Administrators manage access through a unified console with granular policies, audit logs and device posture controls. Security features include web filtering, intrusion detection and prevention, and threat defense. Identity options include LDAP, SAML and SCIM, with availability varying by plan; a public API and Terraform are listed for automation. CloudConnexa is fully cloud-based and managed by OpenVPN. Its overlay network has no default internet connection, so an Internet Gateway is required for internet access. Starter includes up to five seats, and each active user or connector uses one seat. Essential is $7 a month per seat and Premium is $9.50 a month per seat. Essential and Premium have a 14-day trial; charging begins only if a payment method was entered.

Pomerium is an open-source identity-aware proxy for controlling access to internal applications, servers, services, and workloads without requiring VPN client software. It checks identity, device state, and request context before granting access, and authenticates through identity providers that support OpenID Connect. Listed access scenarios include HTTP, MCP, SSH, gRPC, TCP, and UDP; supported app protocols also include HTTPS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, and WebSocket. Pomerium removes its authentication cookies before forwarding requests upstream, and sensitive databroker data is encrypted at rest. Downstream TLS has a minimum of TLS 1.2. Deployment options include Linux and macOS binaries, packages, Docker images, source builds, and desktop clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux. The free Personal plan lists 10 users, 10 routes, five policies, and two service accounts. Business costs $7.00 per month, billed annually, and lists limits of 1,000 users, 100 routes, 100 policies, and 20 service accounts. A free trial is also listed.