WireGuard is a VPN protocol — not a service — with just 4,000 lines of code, making it far easier to audit than OpenVPN or IPsec and delivering faster connection times.
Each app below addresses a specific gap in WireGuard's offering. We picked them based on real user review patterns and feature differentiation.
OpenVPN is the most widely deployed open-source VPN protocol, supported by virtually every router, firewall, and VPN service. It uses TLS for key exchange and has a long track record. More complex configuration than WireGuard but universally supported.
Explore OpenVPN data →Tailscale automates WireGuard key exchange, IP assignment, and NAT traversal so you can connect devices in minutes without any manual configuration. Suitable for teams and individuals who want WireGuard's speed without its setup complexity.
Explore Tailscale data →IKEv2/IPsec is natively supported on iOS, macOS, Windows, and Android without any additional apps. It reconnects quickly after network changes (important on mobile) and offers strong security when configured properly.
Explore IPsec/IKEv2 data →Nebula is an open-source mesh networking tool developed by Slack for connecting thousands of hosts across cloud and on-premise environments. It uses its own lightweight protocol and supports certificate-based authentication.
Explore Nebula data →ZeroTier creates virtual Ethernet networks using its own SDN protocol. It supports custom IP ranges, VLANs, and is free for up to 25 devices. More flexible than WireGuard for complex network topologies.
Explore ZeroTier data →SoftEther VPN supports multiple protocols simultaneously (OpenVPN, L2TP, SSTP, EtherIP) and can perform L2 bridging across the internet. It was developed at the University of Tsukuba and is free and open-source.
Explore SoftEther VPN data →WireGuard was written by Jason Donenfeld and first published in 2016. It is now merged into the Linux kernel (5.6+) and is used as the underlying protocol by Mullvad, Tailscale, NordVPN, and many others.
WireGuard is a VPN protocol, not a service. You need to either run your own WireGuard server or use a commercial VPN provider that supports WireGuard (such as Mullvad, Proton VPN, or NordVPN) to use it as a complete VPN solution.
WireGuard uses modern cryptography (ChaCha20, Poly1305, Curve25519, BLAKE2s) and a minimal codebase of ~4,000 lines, making it easier to audit. OpenVPN has decades of field testing. Both are secure when configured correctly; WireGuard is easier to configure correctly.
Yes. WireGuard has official clients for Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, and Android. On Linux kernel 5.6+, it is built directly into the kernel as a native module.
App Vulture tracks VPN tools and protocols by update frequency, audit status, and adoption metrics. See our full comparison above for current data.
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