A staple of every VPN service is encryption, and by extension, encryption protocols. You’ll see that most providers offer OpenVPN and WireGuard, which begs the question of which is better. Well, if you always set your protocol to “Automatic” you have nothing to worry about.
However, some people want to manually control their VPN’s behavior. In that case, they’ll mostly have to pick between WireGuard or OpenVPN. To cut it short, both protocols are some of the safest and most studied. From a safety standpoint, there’s no wrong.
Still, some differences make each option stand out compared to the other. This OpenVPN vs WireGuard duel will get into what these protocols are and how they compare in speed, security, compatibility, bypassing censorship, and a few more important aspects.
WireGuard vs OpenVPN: A Quick Summary
So, which protocol is better overall, OpenVPN or WireGuard? Here’s a quick rundown of our comparison round-by-round:
- Security & Privacy: Tie
- Speed: WireGuard
- Compatibility: Tie
- Bypassing Censorship: OpenVPN
- Data/Battery Consumption: WireGuard
As you can see, WireGuard is on par with OpenVPN in security, privacy, and compatibility, and the winner of two rounds – speed and data/battery consumption, as it’s less resource-taxing. OpenVPN is better for circumventing censorship only, making WireGuard a superior protocol overall.
What are OpenVPN and WireGuard protocols?
Let’s start with a bit of history. If you know what VPNs are and how they function, you’re acquainted with the term “tunneling.” This means using an encryption protocol to tunnel your traffic and shield it from snoopers, ISPs, government surveillance, etc.
The purpose of encryption protocols is ENCRYPTION but they achieve it differently.
OpenVPN
Let’s start with OpenVPN. This isn’t the oldest protocol. That title likely goes to the likes of PPTP. However, OpenVPN’s first inception graced the world in 2001, and since then, never left. This protocol excels in security, privacy, reliability, and importantly – compatibility.
James Yonan, the man behind this protocol, first designed OpenVPN to secure internet connections in Asia and Russia. Moreover, there’s a dedicated OpenVPN app for multiple devices that you can use to safely connect to a VPN through this protocol.
Like WireGuard, OpenVPN tunnels your traffic but transfers data packets in one of two ways:
- UDP or User Data Gram Protocol
- TCP or Transmission Control Protocol
TCP and UDP are familiar terms for VPN users, especially for those who use popular VPN services. There, you can select TCP if you want to prioritize reliability and even bypass censorship in countries like Iran, China, Russia, or Turkey. UDP offers more speed.
This protocol is ideal for gamers or those who need faster connections at the cost of lower reliability. OpenVPN’s existence is justified because of its easy implementation across many devices, accessibility, open-source nature, and the fact that it’s FREE.
On paper, there are very few things OpenVPN can’t do, making it a nearly ideal VPN protocol. You’ll rarely find providers not offering it, which tells us volumes about its superiority. Of course, it’s not perfect and later on, we’ll delve into its shortcomings.
WireGuard
We’ll get into a more detailed OpenVPN vs WireGuard rack-up but first, let’s see what’s up with the latter. This is a much newer protocol that came out right after OpenVPN’s coming of age, in 2019. Very quickly, Donenfeld’s invention took off and became another VPN staple.
OpenVPN’s slower connection times were replaced by WireGuard’s lightning-fast connections. Its stability was unprecedented at the time, as WireGuard displayed stable performance combined with near-perfect security which VPN users value the most.
Like OpenVPN, WireGuard was another open-source solution, making it easy for experts to improve it. Let’s not forget that WireGuard contained, and still does, fewer lines of code, allowing for a smoother implementation across various devices – truly next-gen!
So far, the OpenVPN vs WireGuard setup looks like it’s inclined towards WireGuard. But is Jason A. Donenfeld a better mastermind than James Yonan? We’ll see that if WireGuard manages to be the #1 protocol for 18 years. One is certain – this protocol is at large.
You’ll find that pretty much every provider now offers it, and because it’s open-source, many renowned free VPNs adopted it as their main “fuel.”
WireGuard vs OpenVPN Comparison: Who Wins?
Enough history lessons for today; you’ve come here to watch these two fight. So, which provider is better, WireGuard or OpenVPN? Let these head-to-head comparisons decide.
OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Security & Privacy Comparison
Both protocols are very secure. Some speculated that WireGuard had this “anonymity” problem, but in 2025, this problem was completely gone. Currently, both protocols can use various encryption options ranging from 128-bit to 256-bit.
As for encryption methods, you can expect AES-GCM and AES-CBC. We always recommend AES-256-GCM because it’s the strongest but of course, you can opt even for 128-bit CBC if you want to prioritize speed over the strongest encryption level.
One thing to note in this comparison between OpenVPN and WireGuard is that the former is more customizable. For example, the supported cipher in WireGuard is ChaCha20 with Poly1305 authentication. OpenVPN supports ChaCha20, Blowfish, Camellia, and AES types.
What about privacy? We mentioned that WireGuard had the issue of storing user IP addresses on the server, which was quickly patched. For example, NordVPN has NordLynx, which is an even more improved WireGuard version with this issue eliminated.
You can read our detailed NordVPN analysis here. Either way, privacy is strong in both now. Protocols aren’t doing as much for privacy as the VPNs themselves. If the VPN doesn’t store logs, you can rest assured you’ll be safe whilst using OpenVPN, WireGuard, IKEv2, or anything else.
Be aware that OpenVPN can also be “bad” if set incorrectly. However, if you opt for providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, or Private Internet Access, you can rest assured incorrect protocol setup is impossible. The first WireGuard vs OpenVPN comparison is a tie.
Speed Comparison of WireGuard and OpenVPN
WireGuard is known for being the fastest protocol, so it’s indeed a better performer than OpenVPN. This is very noticeable in connection times. OpenVPN takes a few seconds to connect, while WireGuard takes a snap of a finger – literally! Let’s do some speed tests.
Above is our internet speed without using a VPN. We’re hovering around 50 Mbps and 10 Mbps for downloads and uploads respectively. To see if WireGuard is really faster than OpenVPN, we tested two VPNs. First, we used Private Internet Access.
This provider offers WireGuard, while NordVPN, the second provider we tested, offers NordLynx, a supposedly improved WireGuard version. You can see how the two rack up against each other in the NordVPN vs Private Internet Access comparison.
For now, let’s shift our attention to these tables:
NordVPN OpenVPN vs WireGuard Download/Upload Speed
| OpenVPN | WireGuard (NordLynx) | |
| UK Server | 46.47/9.37 Mbps | 46.64/9.49 Mbps |
| US Server | 37.09/8.49 Mbps | 41.40/9.41 Mbps |
| Japanese Server | 34.55/8.21 Mbps | 36.84/8.66 Mbps |
Enjoy Fast NordLynx Speed With NordVPN
PIA VPN OpenVPN vs WireGuard Download/Upload Speed
| OpenVPN | WireGuard | |
| UK Server | 39.18/9.28 Mbps | 42.26/9.59 Mbps |
| US Server | 26.87/8.85 Mbps | 27.07/9.19 Mbps |
| Japanese Server | 32.85/8.15 Mbps | 33.49/6.10 Mbps |
Speed Up Your PIA VPN Connection With WireGuard
As you can see in both cases, WireGuard was a bit faster than OpenVPN UDP (we used UDP because it’s faster than TCP) – the same goes for NordLynx, which is almost the same.
We’ve experienced lower latency too, making WireGuard snappier for gaming. To conclude, WireGuard wins the speed round.
Which Protocol Is More Compatible?
In 2025, it’s evident that both protocols are massively popular. WireGuard used to be the underdog at its release but today, you can use it on any device. iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and Linux devices – all of them support WireGuard that functions like a charm.
Of course, OpenVPN is there too but providers prioritize WireGuard as a faster, yet equally safe alternative. We especially love WireGuard when using a VPN on iPhone or Android devices because it makes mobile browsing and streaming utterly smooth.
What about router compatibility? OpenVPN used to be superior here but you can now use WireGuard as your preferred protocol, depending on the router model. For instance, NordVPN offers it on ASUS routers and a few other models, where it performs impressively.
In terms of compatibility, there are no differences anymore, making this comparison a tie.
Bypassing Censorship: Which Protocol Does It Better?
WireGuard has yet to consistently outperform OpenVPN in bypassing censorship. One reason is that WireGuard is limited to using only the UDP protocol, while OpenVPN can use both UDP and TCP. Although UDP generally offers better performance and explains WireGuard’s impressive speed, TCP can be more effective at evading censorship due to its ability to resemble regular web traffic.
OpenVPN’s TCP transfer protocol seems to be much better at overcoming censorship and we can prove this in seconds. NordVPN’s obfuscated servers that work in China use OpenVPN TCP! Try NordVPN with NordLynx in China and you’ll get poor results.
The same is true for many other providers.
For example, Astrill VPN, one of the most reliable VPN services in China, does not use WireGuard to bypass the Great Firewall. Instead, it relies either on Stealth VPN or its proprietary OpenWeb solution. OpenVPN is a strong winner of this round; its rival has a lot to do to improve.
Bypass Censorship With NordVPN
Data Consumption & Battery Drain Differences
Mobile users, take note of this. In terms of data consumption, WireGuard is advantageous, as OpenVPN tends to consume more. When using a VPN, expect to spend more data either way, because of all of the security, encryption, tunneling, and other stuff going on.
On average, OpenVPN will bump up the consumption by roughly 20%, which is significant. Instead of spending 1 GB, you’ll spend 1.2 GB, which, accumulated over time, makes for a staggering difference. WireGuard’s lightweight nature comes to light here.
This protocol’s data consumption increase is about 5%. In terms of battery drain, OpenVPN’s sophistication and more “robust” coding take a bigger toll on the battery. WireGuard’s welterweight category doesn’t beat your battery that much, so it’s better on the go.
The final round is won by WireGuard which is ultimately the overall winner.
What About Proprietary VPN Protocols?
Proprietary protocols like NordLynx in NordVPN or Lightway in ExpressVPN are nothing more than improved “conventional” protocols. NordVPN’s NordLynx is essentially WireGuard, while Lightway and its mysterious recipe are yet to be divulged.
Given Lightway’s speed and performance, it’s highly comparable to WireGuard and likely loosely or entirely based on it. We then have other “uncommon” protocols like Stealth VPN, Hydra in Hotspot Shield, OpenWeb in Astrill VPN, and a few more.
Try ExpressVPN’s Safe Lightway Protocol
All of them are usually based on either OpenVPN or WireGuard and are given fancy names. In our experience, NordLynx is the fastest and most secure option, yet, it’s based on the latter. You can check our VPN speed comparison and see its amazing results.
Which VPNs Support WireGuard?
Which don’t?! While this wasn’t the case a few years ago, nowadays, even some free providers include this amazing protocol. Here’s the list of our favorite WireGuard VPNs:
- NordVPN – the best overall provider with NordLynx/OpenVPN protocols
- Private Internet Access – safe, secure, and feature-rich provider
- Proton VPN – incredible privacy, with WireGuard even in its free plan
- Surfshark – affordable, with servers in 100 countries
- CyberGhost – streaming-and-P2P-ready on all devices
- Hide.me
- IPVanish
- TunnelBear, and likely dozens more…
OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Our Conclusion
The VPN technology has progressed so much, introducing more modern features, advanced security, and fresh protocols to choose from. What have we learned from our WireGuard vs OpenVPN round-up? Well, the takeaway lesson is that WireGuard is the new standard.
While OpenVPN’s tried-and-tested formula is still amazing, its heir inevitably takes the throne. Apart from bypassing censorship where OpenVPN TCP is still widely used, WireGuard is on par, and even better than OpenVPN in speeds, data consumption, and battery drain.
For the majority of cases, it’s better to use WireGuard. However, if you’re facing issues with it, OpenVPN is a great replacement and worth testing in cases of inconvenience.