It is common knowledge that VPN (Virtual Private Network) is by far the best way to surf the Internet anonymously. Open VPN and PPTP VPN are only two of the different kinds of VPN you can choose from. If you are a new VPN user, you will be confused as to which one is better than the other. A clear understanding on how they work and their pros and cons is a big help. This may require you to deal with some technical terms, though. Nevertheless, the explanation below is made simple as possible.
OpenVPN
OpenVPN is open-source software released in 2002 and became popular because of being a reliable VPN solution. It uses the SSLv3/TLSv1 and OpenSSL library protocols. This library is also being used for credit card information encryption. Both of them work well to make sure that the integrity of data is secured for network communication, and are also very difficult to block. OpenVPN allows you to use different ports for bypassing firewalls. It also runs on third party software such as Android and iOS.
PPTP VPN
On the other hand, PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) was developed to be included in Microsoft Windows and is therefore useful if you are using Windows computers. Nevertheless, it is also available for Mac OS X and Linux. PPTP VPN supports LAN (Local Area Network) internetworking, but it is more ideal for remote access applications. And because PPTP does not require you to install additional software, it is very easy to set up. This makes it a popular choice for a lot of VPN providers and offices.
Open VPN vs PPTP VPN
Comparing the pros and cons of Open VPN and PPTP VPN can be endless. It is therefore worth mentioning only the most obvious ones. Below are some of them:
- OpenVPN uses software to authenticate you to the VPN server, while PPTP VPN is a direct setup. To connect PPTP VPN to your mobile devices, all you need to set are Host Name, Username, and Password. But then, some VPN providers now offer a direct easy-to-install VPN connection.
- As of this time, PPTP standard encryption is only up to 128-bit as compared to up to 256 bits for OpenVPN. This higher stronger encryption level of OpenVPN is definitely ideal if you want to be safer and more secured connection. This is why OpenVPN is a better option if you are in the Middle East.
- Open VPN has a higher configurable structure than that of PPTP VPN, making it more scalable for businesses. However, Open VPN’s support for mobile devices is not yet as good as for desktop computers. And because of its simplicity and lower security, PPTP is considerably faster than Open VPN.
Based on the advantages and disadvantaged mentioned above, you can see the PPTP VPN tends to be cheaper than OpenVPN. So if you really don’t need a high level of security yet and you want an easier setup, you are most likely to choose PPTP. After all, you can easily upgrade to OpenVPN later.
You can also read about pros and cons of open vpn technology.