head to head · open source
algo vs OpenVPN
algo has 30,448 GitHub stars, 2,373 forks, 77 open issues and last shipped 8 days ago. OpenVPN has 14,761 stars, 3,424 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. algo leads on adoption by 106% (30,448 vs 14,761 stars). algo is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; OpenVPN is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. algo has attracted 8% 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. The two share 2 topic tags (security, vpn), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| algo | OpenVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 30K | ★ 15K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Python | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-28 | 2026-11-03 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.4K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick algo if
- You weight community size — 30K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- 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 algo
Algo VPN Algo VPN is a set of Ansible scripts that simplify the setup of a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN. It uses the most secure defaults available and works with common cloud providers. See our release announcement for more information. Features Supports only IKEv2 with strong crypto (AES GCM, SHA2, and P 256) for iOS, MacOS, and Linux Supports WireGuard for all of the above, in addition to Android and Windows 11 Generates .conf files and QR codes for iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows WireGuard clients Generates Apple profiles to auto configure iOS and macOS devices for IPsec no client software required…
About OpenVPN
OpenVPN A Secure tunneling daemon Copyright (C) 2002 2026 OpenVPN Inc. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 as published by the Free Software Foundation. To get the latest release of OpenVPN, go to: To Build and Install, tar zxf openvpn .tar.gz cd openvpn ./configure make make install or see the file INSTALL for more info. For information on how to build OpenVPN on/for Windows with MinGW or MSVC see README.cmake.md. For detailed information on OpenVPN, including examples, see the man page For a sample VPN…
read the full OpenVPN overview →
More in Infrastructure & Operations
Related comparisons
More Networking & Connectivity projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the Networking & Connectivity field.
Frequently asked questions
Is algo or OpenVPN more popular?
algo has 30,448 GitHub stars and OpenVPN has 14,761. algo has the larger community by that measure.
Are algo and OpenVPN free?
Both are open source. algo is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and OpenVPN has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between algo and OpenVPN?
algo is written in Python 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, algo or OpenVPN?
Choose algo if you want the larger community (30,448 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose OpenVPN if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.