head to head · open source
openvpn-install vs OpenVPN
openvpn-install has 16,138 GitHub stars, 3,339 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. OpenVPN has 14,592 stars, 3,403 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped today. openvpn-install leads on adoption by 11% (16,138 vs 14,592 stars). openvpn-install is written in Shell under MIT; OpenVPN is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. openvpn-install has attracted 21% 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
| openvpn-install | OpenVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 15K |
| License | MIT | Custom / other |
| Written in | Shell | C |
| Last push | 2026-09-19 | 2026-09-22 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.3K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick openvpn-install if
- You weight community size — 16K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Shell
- 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 openvpn-install
openvpn install is an MIT licensed Bash script that installs and manages a self hosted OpenVPN server on Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Amazon Linux, Arch Linux, Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux, aimed at anyone who runs their own VPS, dedicated server or home machine and wants to generate VPN client configuration files per device.
read the full openvpn-install 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 openvpn-install or OpenVPN more popular?
openvpn-install has 16,138 GitHub stars and OpenVPN has 14,592. openvpn-install has the larger community by that measure.
Are openvpn-install and OpenVPN free?
Both are open source. openvpn-install is licensed under MIT, and OpenVPN has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between openvpn-install and OpenVPN?
openvpn-install is written in Shell 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, openvpn-install or OpenVPN?
Choose openvpn-install if you want the larger community (16,138 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose OpenVPN if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.