# MeshCentral vs openvpn

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

| | MeshCentral | openvpn |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 76/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 23 in Remote Access | #4 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 7 528 | 14 737 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +250 ✓ | +137 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 16 ✓ | 14 |
| Latest release | 1.3.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ | v2.7.8 · 6 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | JavaScript | C |

## Which one should you pick?

openvpn scores 76/100 against 74/100 for MeshCentral, so it is the safer default.

MeshCentral ships more often: 16 stable releases in the past year, against 14 for openvpn.

If you want the quickest setup, MeshCentral is easier to run; openvpn needs more configuration.

## Details

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

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