# authentik vs openvpn

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | authentik | openvpn |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 3 in IAM | #4 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 26 157 ✓ | 14 737 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +452 ✓ | +137 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 9 | 14 ✓ |
| Latest release | version/2026.8.5 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.7.8 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Other | Other |
| Main language | Python | C |

## Which one should you pick?

authentik scores 81/100 against 76/100 for openvpn, so it is the safer default.

openvpn ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 9 for authentik.

authentik is growing faster right now (+452 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [authentik](https://selfhost.directory/project/authentik) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/authentik.md)
- [openvpn](https://selfhost.directory/project/openvpn) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openvpn.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/authentik-vs-openvpn