head to head · open source
AdGuardHome vs OpenVPN
AdGuardHome has 36,970 GitHub stars, 2,520 forks, 1,253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenVPN has 14,569 stars, 3,401 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AdGuardHome leads on adoption by 154% (36,970 vs 14,569 stars). AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; OpenVPN is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. AdGuardHome has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, OpenVPN 23%. OpenVPN was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| AdGuardHome | OpenVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 15K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | TypeScript | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-18 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AdGuardHome if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick OpenVPN if
- You want the OpenVPN feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and OpenVPN fits your workflow better
About AdGuardHome
AdGuard Home is a free and open source, network wide DNS server that blocks ads and trackers for every device on a network, aimed at self hosters, homelab operators, and network administrators who want filtering without installing client side software on each device.
read the full AdGuardHome overview →
About OpenVPN
OpenVPN is open source VPN daemon. It provides secure tunneling for network connections. Project lives in Infrastructure & Operations / Networking & Connectivity ecosystem. Tagline says Zero Trust VPN solutions for secure business networking. GitHub description says OpenVPN is an open source VPN daemon. Repository language is C. GitHub license field says NOASSERTION, while README states GNU General Public License version 2. README states copyright 2002 2026 OpenVPN Inc.
read the full OpenVPN overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuardHome or OpenVPN more popular?
AdGuardHome has 36,970 GitHub stars and OpenVPN has 14,569. AdGuardHome has the larger community by that measure.
Are AdGuardHome and OpenVPN free?
Both are open source. AdGuardHome is licensed under GPL-3.0, and OpenVPN has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between AdGuardHome and OpenVPN?
AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript and OpenVPN in C. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AdGuardHome or OpenVPN?
Choose AdGuardHome if you want the larger community (36,970 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenVPN if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.