OpenVPN Access Server vs ZeroTier Platform: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

OpenVPN Access Server: Self-hosted business VPN with zero-trust controls and flexible auth. built by OpenVPN. Core capabilities include Zero-trust access controls with identity, device, and location verification, Flexible authentication: PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, local, and custom methods, MFA support via TOTP..

ZeroTier Platform: SD networking platform creating encrypted P2P virtual overlays across distributed infra. built by ZeroTier. Core capabilities include Cryptographic identity-based device authentication, End-to-end encrypted traffic, Peer-to-peer connectivity with NAT traversal..

Both serve the VPN market but differ in approach, feature depth, and target audience.

OpenVPN Access Server differentiates with Zero-trust access controls with identity, device, and location verification, Flexible authentication: PAM, RADIUS, LDAP, SAML, local, and custom methods, MFA support via TOTP. ZeroTier Platform differentiates with Cryptographic identity-based device authentication, End-to-end encrypted traffic, Peer-to-peer connectivity with NAT traversal.

OpenVPN Access Server is developed by OpenVPN. ZeroTier Platform is developed by ZeroTier. Vendor maturity, funding stage, and team size can be important factors when evaluating long-term viability and support quality.

OpenVPN Access Server and ZeroTier Platform serve similar VPN use cases: both are VPN tools, both cover ZTNA, Remote Access. Review the feature comparison above to determine which fits your requirements.