⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: OpenVPN starts free and moves to $7/month on Growth. Avast VPN ships inside bundles from $49.99/first yr.
- Best for: Avast SecureLine VPN suits everyday browsing on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. OpenVPN suits remote access to private networks.
- Key difference: One is a finished vpn service with apps. The other is an open source vpn protocol plus self-hosted server software.
- Our pick: OpenVPN, because you control the vpn server, the encryption ciphers and the logs yourself.
Most people meet these two products in completely different ways.
Avast SecureLine VPN usually shows up bundled with Avast antivirus.
OpenVPN usually shows up when a work laptop needs remote access.
So this is not a fair fight between two identical products.
It is a choice between a packaged vpn app and a protocol you run yourself.
Overview
This Avast VPN vs OpenVPN comparison covers pricing, security features, speed and setup effort.
Our sources are published specs, official documentation and G2 reviews.
Our writers also spent hands-on time with both products.
Those notes sit in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.
By the end you will know which one fits your internet connection and budget.
What is Avast VPN?
Avast SecureLine VPN is a consumer virtual private network built by Avast.
It hides your IP address and encrypts traffic on any public network.
You install one app, pick a country, and connect.
The network is small: around 700 servers in 34 countries.
Many vpns run far larger fleets, which limits your choices here.
It supports OpenVPN, WireGuard and the proprietary Mimic protocol.
Avast VPN
A plug-and-play vpn app for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and Android TV. One subscription covers 10 devices. The 60 day trial is longer than most vpns offer.
Avast VPN Pricing
Avast sells the VPN inside wider security bundles. Here is what our database records for Avast products.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free Antivirus | Free | Basic malware cover, no VPN |
| Premium Security | $49.99/first yr | Device security plus add-ons |
| Ultimate | $49.99/first yr | Security, VPN and cleanup together |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: Yes. A 60 day free trial runs on every supported platform. You must enter payment information first.
Money-back guarantee: Avast lists a 30 day refund window on paid subscriptions bought directly.
📌 Note: Free trials of this length are rare. Nothing is charged until the 60 day trial ends, but cancel before day 60 if you do not want the renewal.
⚠️ Pricing conflict: Our research notes list standalone SecureLine plans at $4.59 per month on one year, $4.29 on two years and $4.39 on three years, with no monthly option. Our CSV records the bundle prices above, so the table and schema use the CSV figures. Check the checkout page before you buy.
Key Benefits of Avast VPN
Here is what makes Avast SecureLine VPN worth a look:
- Smart VPN mode: Set rules so the app can automatically connect on a chosen wi-fi network. Smart VPN can also stay off for banking sites you trust.
- Ten devices, one plan: One subscription covers 10 devices at once. That suits a family more than one device licences do.
- Multiple platforms: There is a Windows app, a Mac client, an Android app, an iOS build and Android TV support.
- Kill switch: If the vpn connection drops, the kill switch cuts your internet until the tunnel returns.
- Protocol choice: OpenVPN, WireGuard and the in-house Mimic protocol are all selectable in settings.
- 60 day trial: Two months of full access beats the 7 day free trials most vpns hand out.
- Simple by design: The app is built for everyday online activities, not for tinkering.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer installed the Windows app and ran it for everyday browsing and streaming. Here is what stood out from that hands-on time:
The short clip below walks through the same session on screen.
Avast VPN Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- 60 day free trial, longer than most competitors offer
- Beginner-friendly app that is easy to navigate
- Covers up to 10 devices on one subscription
- Smart VPN mode can turn the tunnel on automatically
- Based in the Czech Republic, outside data-sharing alliances
❌ Cons
- Only around 700 servers in 34 countries
- No logs policy has no independent audit behind it
- The FTC fined Avast $16.5 million in February 2024
- Speeds fall off sharply on distant servers
What is OpenVPN?
OpenVPN is two things at once, and that trips people up.
First, it is an open source vpn protocol created in 2001.
Second, it is openvpn software you host: Access Server and CloudConnexa.
The openvpn protocol builds a secure tunnel using SSL/TLS.
It belongs to the Secure Sockets Layer family of vpn protocols.
You pick your own vpn server location instead of renting one.
That is why companies use it for remote access to private networks.
Most vpn providers also resell openvpn connections inside their own apps.
So you meet its encryption protocols even when the brand on screen says otherwise.
Very few virtual private networks have lasted this long without a rewrite.
🏆 Winner: OpenVPN
The OpenVPN Community Edition is free forever. Access Server adds a web console, user management and support. You keep control of the logs.
OpenVPN Pricing
Pricing splits between the free community build and the hosted tiers. Here is what our database records.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Self-hosted setups and testing |
| Growth | $7/month | Small teams needing a console |
| Enterprise | Custom | Large deployments and support |
Pricing verified September 2026.
Free trial: Not needed on the free tier. The community build stays free with no payment details at all.
Money-back guarantee: Paid connection tiers bill per user, so you can scale down instead of asking for a refund.
📌 Note: The $0 tier is real, but you still pay for hosting. A small cloud box for the openvpn server is the hidden cost here.
⚠️ Warning: Paid plans are priced per connection, so costs climb with vpn users. G2 reviewers flag the licensing model as expensive once teams grow.
Key Benefits of OpenVPN
Here is why OpenVPN is one of the few names every vpn provider still lists:
- Open code: Anyone can inspect the open source openvpn protocol for flaws. That constant scrutiny is why it keeps a place among the safest vpn protocols.
- TCP or UDP: OpenVPN TCP delivers every packet in order. OpenVPN UDP is faster but does not guarantee delivery.
- Strong crypto: It supports AES and Blowfish through the OpenSSL library. Perfect Forward Secrecy limits the damage of any single breach.
- Firewall friendly: It moves through firewalls and NAT gateways that block other vpn protocols.
- Runs anywhere: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS are covered, plus oddities like Tomato and Solaris.
- Scales both ways: The same tool handles one laptop or site-to-site links for a large organisation.
- Editable config: Connections use plain text .ovpn files you can open and edit yourself.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer set up a self-hosted server and connected with the OpenVPN Connect client. Here is what stood out from that build:
OpenVPN Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- The OpenVPN Community Edition is free to run
- Open source code anyone can audit or patch
- Handles both IPv4 and IPv6 traffic
- Bypasses firewalls and filtering hardware well
- You own the vpn server, so you own the logs
❌ Cons
- Slower than newer protocols such as WireGuard
- Manual configuration is complex for beginners
- Less friendly on mobile devices than on desktops
- No country-hopping server list for streaming
Feature Comparison
These two products overlap on one job only: moving your traffic through an encrypted vpn tunnel. Everything around that job is built differently. Here are the ten areas that decide the choice.
| Feature | Avast VPN | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $49.99/first yr | $0 free tier |
| Free Plan | ❌ | ✅ |
| Ready-made server list | ✅ 34 countries | ❌ bring your own |
| Kill switch in app | ✅ | ❌ depends on client |
| Open source code | ❌ | ✅ |
| Independent audit | ❌ | ✅ 2016-2017 code audits |
| Streaming support | ✅ mixed results | ❌ not the purpose |
| Site-to-site networking | ❌ | ✅ |
| Best For | Everyday online privacy | Remote access and control |
1. Setup and Ease of Use
Avast VPN: Download, install, sign in, connect. G2 and app store feedback point to a clean layout that beginners handle without a guide. Nothing about the vpn app expects networking knowledge.
OpenVPN: You install openvpn on a server, generate certificates, then import a profile into the openvpn client. OpenVPN Access Server adds a web console, but the client software still needs per-device setup. Most vpn providers ship the protocol preconfigured instead, which is why so many vpn clients already speak it. Manual configuration is where beginners stall.
2. Server Network and Locations
Avast VPN: Around 700 Avast SecureLine VPN servers sit in 34 countries. Coverage is thin across the Middle East and Africa. The list includes streaming and torrenting servers, but the small fleet limits your options.
OpenVPN: There is no fleet. Your openvpn servers are wherever you deploy them, from one cloud box to site-to-site links between offices. Great for control, useless for hopping countries.
3. Protocols and Encryption
Avast VPN: You get three tunneling protocols: OpenVPN, WireGuard and Mimic, Avast’s custom security protocol. Mimic exists to survive networks that block standard vpn connections. The encryption keys and ciphers are not yours to change.
OpenVPN: How OpenVPN works is easy to describe. It sits at the transport layer, runs authentication, then wraps data traffic in a secure tunnel. Transmission Control Protocol keeps every packet in order, while User Datagram Protocol trades that promise for speed. You choose the encryption algorithms and key lengths, and TLS auth plus an HMAC firewall guard the handshake. That control is why it is rated above most vpn protocols of the same age.
4. Security Features
Avast VPN: A kill switch stops traffic when the connection drops. Smart VPN mode can automatically connect on untrusted wi-fi. Reviewers still say it lacks standout security features next to rivals.
OpenVPN: Security comes from the design: certificate and credential authentication, public key infrastructure and a hash message authentication code on every packet. Access Server adds zero trust rules and DNS filtering on top.
⚠️ Warning: The openvpn protocol protects the tunnel, not the server owner’s behaviour. If you connect to somebody else’s box, their operator sees what an internet service provider would see. Run a test for dns leaks after you connect either way.
5. Privacy, Logging and Audits
Avast VPN: The no logs policy records timestamps, data volume and connection details, but not identifiable browsing data. There is no independent audit to confirm it. In February 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered Avast to pay $16.5 million over a subsidiary, Jumpshot, that sold user data without consent.
OpenVPN: There is no privacy policy to trust because there is no middleman. QuarksLab and Cryptography Engineering audited the code between December 2016 and April 2017 and found two minor issues, both fixed. Sensitive data only crosses secure connections you built yourself.
6. Speed and Performance
Avast VPN: Performance is inconsistent. Nearby servers hold a fast connection, distant ones drop hard. Speed tests from other reviewers show the same split.
OpenVPN: The protocol is slower than WireGuard by design, since SSL/TLS adds overhead. Choosing the UDP protocol over TCP recovers much of it. On your own hardware, the ceiling is your host’s bandwidth.
7. Streaming and Torrenting
Avast VPN: It reaches Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video, with mixed results elsewhere. Users report trouble with Hulu and BBC iPlayer. Dedicated P2P servers handle torrents.
OpenVPN: Streaming is not the point. A self-hosted exit IP is usually flagged as a data centre address, so services block it fast. If BBC iPlayer matters, this is the wrong tool.
8. Device Support and Apps
Avast VPN: Windows, macOS, Android, iOS and Android TV builds exist, and 10 devices run on one plan. Avast products also ship browser extensions and a hardened browser, though those are separate from the VPN.
OpenVPN: OpenVPN Connect covers the same operating systems, plus Linux and router firmware that Avast never reaches. The openvpn gui on Windows is functional rather than pretty. Setting up one device at a time is normal.
9. Support and Documentation
Avast VPN: Support comes through the Avast help centre and ticketing. Some users describe it as unhelpful, especially on billing questions. Many also find Avast SecureLine VPN installed on their computer without remembering the install.
OpenVPN: Documentation, source code, a wiki and a community forum cover almost every question. G2 reviewers rate the paid support well. The trade-off is that free users are self-served.
10. Pricing & Cost
Here are both price lists side by side, straight from our database.
| Plan | Avast VPN | OpenVPN |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free Antivirus: Free (no VPN) | Free: $0 |
| Entry paid | Premium Security: $49.99/first yr | Growth: $7/month |
| Top tier | Ultimate: $49.99/first yr | Enterprise: Custom |
Avast VPN: You are buying a bundle, not a lone vpn service. Premium Security and Ultimate both list at $49.99 for the first year, so Ultimate is the one that carries the VPN. Renewal prices are higher.
OpenVPN: Free means free if you self-host. Growth at $7/month buys the console and user management. Budget for server hosting on top of either.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Zero software cost | OpenVPN | Free tier, no card needed |
| One-tap protection on public wi-fi | Avast VPN | Smart VPN handles it |
| Netflix and Prime Video | Avast VPN | Real server list |
| Remote access to an office | OpenVPN | Built for private networks |
| Proof of no logging | OpenVPN | You own the vpn server |
| Cover for 10 devices | Avast VPN | One subscription, ten seats |
💰 Your Budget
OpenVPN’s free tier costs nothing but your hosting bill. Avast asks $49.99 for the first year of a bundle, and renewals cost more.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
If you already run a cloud server, OpenVPN slots in beside it. If your stack is one laptop and a phone, the Avast app is less work.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Certificates, ports and .ovpn files are normal for sysadmins and painful for everyone else. Be honest about which group you are in.
📺 Your Streaming Habits
Only one of these has a country list to switch between. If you want BBC iPlayer or Prime Video abroad, a self-hosted tunnel will not help.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Use the 60 day free trial before paying Avast anything. OpenVPN needs no trial because the community build never expires.
🛟 Support Options
Avast gives you a help desk that reviewers criticise. OpenVPN gives you documentation, forums and paid support tiers for business accounts.
Switching Guide
Already running one of them? Here is what changes.
🔄 Switching from Avast VPN to OpenVPN?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- No subscription and no renewal price jump
- Full control of encryption ciphers and logging
- Site-to-site and zero trust options for work
❌ What you’ll lose:
- The 34-country server list
- Smart VPN mode and the built-in kill switch
- Android TV and one-tap mobile connections
📋 How to switch:
- Cancel the Avast subscription before the renewal date
- Deploy Access Server or the community build on a host
- Import the .ovpn profile into OpenVPN Connect and test
🔄 Switching from OpenVPN to Avast VPN?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- Servers in 34 countries with no setup
- Streaming and torrenting servers that are maintained
- Ten device seats and a phone app your family can use
❌ What you’ll lose:
- Control over the server and its logs
- Free operation and open code you can inspect
- Custom ports and certificate rules
📋 How to switch:
- Shut down the openvpn server and revoke old certificates
- Start the 60 day trial and install the Windows app
- Set Smart VPN rules for your home and office wi-fi
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
We did not run lab stress tests, long-run speed tests or streaming checks across every region. Enterprise licensing, custom deployments and router-level installs sit outside this comparison. Our notes reflect the September 2026 builds, and both products change often.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | OpenVPN |
| 👶 Ease of Use | Avast VPN |
| 🌍 Server Network | Avast VPN |
| 🔐 Protocols and Encryption | OpenVPN |
| 🕵️ Privacy and Audits | OpenVPN |
| 📺 Streaming | Avast VPN |
| 🏢 Remote Access | OpenVPN |
| 📚 Documentation | OpenVPN |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | OpenVPN |
🏆 WINNER: OPENVPN
OpenVPN wins 5 of 8 categories.
Best for: remote access, self-hosted privacy, technical users, business networks
OpenVPN takes it because trust is built into the design rather than promised in a policy. You run the server, you set the encryption, and nobody else holds your connection records.
Avast SecureLine VPN is still the easier product. The 60 day free trial, the ten device allowance and the Smart VPN rules all make sense for a household that wants more security without homework.
What holds it back is the record. A small server fleet, no independent audits and a $16.5 million FTC penalty are hard to look past when rivals cost the same.
Pick Avast if you want to click one button. Pick OpenVPN if you want to know exactly what the tunnel is doing.
More of Avast VPN Compared
Here is how Avast SecureLine VPN lands against the vpn services people usually shortlist beside it:
Avast VPN wins on: the 60 day trial window, the simpler first-run screen, ten device seats
NordVPN wins on: a far bigger server count, audited no-logs claims, steadier speeds on long-distance routes
Avast VPN wins on: lower first-year cost inside a bundle, antivirus in the same purchase, Android TV support
ExpressVPN wins on: published audit history, wider country coverage, more reliable streaming unblocking
Avast VPN wins on: a longer trial, a lighter Windows client, bundled cleanup and AntiTrack tools
Surfshark wins on: unlimited devices, cheaper multi-year pricing, split tunneling on more platforms
Avast VPN vs Private Internet Access
Avast VPN wins on: less cluttered settings, clearer plan names, longer risk-free window
PIA wins on: letting you pick encryption levels, courtroom-tested logging record, far larger network
More of OpenVPN Compared
And here is how OpenVPN reads against the vpn providers that use or replace it:
OpenVPN wins on: zero cost at the free tier, self-owned infrastructure, editable configuration files
NordVPN wins on: instant setup, a ready server map, consumer streaming performance
OpenVPN wins on: site-to-site links, zero trust access rules, no account required for the community build
ProtonVPN wins on: a usable free consumer tier, Secure Core routing, polished mobile apps
OpenVPN vs CyberGhost
OpenVPN wins on: transparency of code, business remote access, control over ports and ciphers
CyberGhost wins on: one-click protocol switching, purpose-built streaming servers, beginner onboarding
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Avast VPN actually work?
Yes. The tunnel encrypts traffic and hides your IP address on any network. Nearby servers perform well, but distant ones slow down noticeably.
Is OpenVPN free?
The community build is free and always has been. Hosted plans start at $7 per month, and you still pay for whatever server you run it on.
What is the difference between VPN and OpenVPN?
A VPN is the service. OpenVPN is the protocol that service can use to build the tunnel. Many paid providers run it under their own apps.
Is Avast SecureLine VPN safe to use?
It encrypts your traffic properly. The concern is trust, not code: no third-party audit backs the no-logs claim, and the FTC penalised the parent company in 2024.
Is OpenVPN better than NordVPN?
For remote access and control, yes. For streaming, country switching and easy apps, NordVPN wins. They solve different problems despite sharing the protocol.
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