head to head · open source
openvpn-install vs SoftEtherVPN
openvpn-install has 16,180 GitHub stars, 3,336 forks, 24 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. SoftEtherVPN has 13,709 stars, 2,807 forks, 296 open issues and last shipped yesterday. openvpn-install leads on adoption by 18% (16,180 vs 13,709 stars). openvpn-install is written in Shell under MIT; SoftEtherVPN is written in C under Apache-2.0. openvpn-install has attracted 21% as many forks as stars, SoftEtherVPN 20%. SoftEtherVPN was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (openvpn), 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.
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Side by side
| openvpn-install | SoftEtherVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 16K | ★ 14K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Shell | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-01 | 2026-11-05 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.3K | ⑂ 2.8K |
| 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 SoftEtherVPN if
- You want the SoftEtherVPN feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C
- You evaluated both and SoftEtherVPN fits your workflow better
About openvpn-install
openvpn install OpenVPN installer for Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, openSUSE, CentOS, Amazon Linux, Arch Linux, Oracle Linux, Rocky Linux and AlmaLinux. This script will let you setup and manage your own secure VPN server in just a few seconds. What is this? This script is meant to be run on your own server, whether it's a VPS or a dedicated server, or even a computer at home. Once set up, you will be able to generate client configuration files for every device you want to connect. Internet routing, access between VPN clients, and access to selected server side networks can be configured independently. By default…
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About SoftEtherVPN
SoftEther VPN SoftEther VPN BOARD MEMBERS OF THIS REPOSITORY SOFTETHER VPN ADVANTAGES Installation For FreeBSD For Windows From binary installers (stable channel) Build from Source code Antivirus False Positive Detection About HTML5 based Modern Admin Console and JSON RPC API Suite Built in SoftEther VPN Server HTML5 Ajax based Web Administration Console Built in SoftEther Server VPN JSON RPC API Suite TO CIRCUMVENT YOUR GOVERNMENT'S FIREWALL RESTRICTION SOURCE CODE CONTRIBUTION DEAR SECURITY EXPERTS SoftEther VPN (Developer Edition Master Repository) An Open Source Cross platform Multi protocol VPN Program This…
read the full SoftEtherVPN overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is openvpn-install or SoftEtherVPN more popular?
openvpn-install has 16,180 GitHub stars and SoftEtherVPN has 13,709. openvpn-install has the larger community by that measure.
Are openvpn-install and SoftEtherVPN free?
Both are open source. openvpn-install is licensed under MIT and SoftEtherVPN under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between openvpn-install and SoftEtherVPN?
openvpn-install is written in Shell and SoftEtherVPN 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 SoftEtherVPN?
Choose openvpn-install if you want the larger community (16,180 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose SoftEtherVPN if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.