head to head · open source
amnezia-client vs OpenVPN
amnezia-client has 15,351 GitHub stars, 1,183 forks, 1,126 open issues and last shipped yesterday. OpenVPN has 14,643 stars, 3,404 forks, 226 open issues and last shipped yesterday. amnezia-client leads on adoption by 5% (15,351 vs 14,643 stars). amnezia-client is written in C++ under GPL-3.0; OpenVPN is written in C under a custom or non-standard licence. amnezia-client 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 1 topic tag (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.
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Side by side
| amnezia-client | OpenVPN | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 15K | ★ 15K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | C++ | C |
| Last push | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.2K | ⑂ 3.4K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick amnezia-client if
- You weight community size — 15K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C++
- 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 amnezia-client
Amnezia VPN Client is an open source, GPL 3.0 licensed VPN client for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS that connects to a VPN and also deploys a self hosted VPN server onto hardware the user already controls.
read the full amnezia-client 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 amnezia-client or OpenVPN more popular?
amnezia-client has 15,351 GitHub stars and OpenVPN has 14,643. amnezia-client has the larger community by that measure.
Are amnezia-client and OpenVPN free?
Both are open source. amnezia-client 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 amnezia-client and OpenVPN?
amnezia-client is written in C++ 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, amnezia-client or OpenVPN?
Choose amnezia-client if you want the larger community (15,351 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.