OpenVPN vs Wireguard Network Performance Tests: Is WireGuard really faster?
What Exactly Is WireGuard?
WireGuard is a free and open-source software application and communication protocol that implements virtual private network (VPN) techniques to create secure point-to-point connections in routed or bridged configurations. It is run as a module inside the Linux kernel and aims for better performance than the IPsec and OpenVPN tunneling protocols.
What are the real benefits of using WireGuard?
WireGuard® is the next-generation VPN protocol that gives you the highest level of privacy, security, and speed. VyprVPN 4.0 just left beta status. For the last few weeks, we’ve been working hard to bring our users our best version of this protocol without sacrificing performance, security, or privacy across all platforms.
WireGuard protocol aims to provide a VPN that is both simple and highly effective. Its advantages are not just improved connectivity but also in providing a fast response negotiation reconnection.
Now WireGuard® is released in VyprVPN 4.0 clients. In this review, we will be testing the WireGuard protocol. A new brand protocol recently implemented in VyprVPN clients, that supposed to improve connectivity speed as well as security.
About Our Speed Tests
Protocol Performance Test
- The test will compare the WireGuard performance speed compared to the VyprVPN stranded OpenVPN protocol. In this test, we installed the latest VyprVPN Windows Client and switched between five popular server locations and checked transfer speeds using the Ookla Speedtest website.
Downstream/Upstream Test
- In this test, we performed a simple comparison test—a connection speed test with and without an active VPN connection using WireGuard Protocol.
Test Conditions:
- ISP Name: 013 Netvision
- Infrastructure: GPON Fiber Optics
- ISP Plan: 500/50 Mbps
- Software Client: VyprVPN 4.x
- OS Platform: Windows 10
- Benchmark Test Tool: Ookla Speedtest Service
Protocol Comparison Test
In each test, we checked three times for each protocol using Ookla Speedtest and those are our results:
| Region/Location | OpenVPN | WireGuard | Ookla Speedtest |
| France (Paris) | PING 85ms D: 92.21Mbps U: 38.49Mbps | PING 97ms D: 19.27Mbps U: 44.01Mbps | Naitways Paris |
| Region/Location | OpenVPN | WireGuard | Ookla Speedtest |
| UK (London) | PING 87ms D: 47.30Mbps U: 17.30Mbps | PING 92ms D: 25.80Mbps U: 47.01Mbps | Vodafone, UK |
| Region/Location | OpenVPN | WireGuard | Ookla Speedtest |
| US (New York) | PING 141ms D: 41.94Mbps U: 26.52Mbps | PING 139ms D: 12.80Mbps U: 43.28Mbps | New York, NY |
| Region/Location | OpenVPN | WireGuard | Ookla Speedtest |
| Germany (Frankfurt) | PING 791ms D: 100.74Mbps U: 21.90Mbps | PING 82ms D: 28.43Mbps U: 23.94Mbps | LUMASERV Systems |
| Region/Location | OpenVPN | WireGuard | Ookla Speedtest |
| NL (Amsterdam) | PING 73ms D: 69.05Mbps U: 35.83Mbps | PING 73ms D: 20.28Mbps U: 46.94Mbps | PhoenixNAP Global IT Services |
Downstream/Upstream Test
Test Conditions:
- Location: Israel
- ISP Name: 013 Netvision
- Infrastructure: GPON Fiber Optics
- ISP Plan: 500/50 Mbps
- Software Client: VyprVPN 4.x
- OS Platform: Windows 10
- Test Tool: Ookla Speedtest Service
We checked WinGuard performance in a simple test for each of the listed regions. One test with an active VPN connection, and a second one without it.
| Test No. | Region | With VPN | Without VPN | Ookla Speedtest [Server Name] |
| 1 | Israel | Ping 6ms D: 81.20Mbps U: 47.51Mbps | Ping 5ms D: 426.95Mbps U: 50.25Mbps | Xfone 018 Petah Tikva |
| Test No. | Region | With VPN | Without VPN | Ookla Speedtest [Server Name] |
| 2 | Romania | Ping 113ms D: 21.78Mbps U: 37.39Mbps | Ping 86ms D: 143.00Mbps U: 43.04Mbps | NAV Communications Bucharest |
| Test No. | Region | With VPN | Without VPN | Ookla Speedtest [Server Name] |
| 3 | UK (London) | Ping 87ms D: 20.08Mbps U: 44.86Mbps | Ping 77ms D: 63.03Mbps U: 49.94Mbps | Vodafone UK London |
| Test No. | Region | With VPN | Without VPN | Ookla Speedtest [Server Name] |
| 4 | US (New York) | Ping 153ms D: 19.57Mbps U: 25.72Mbps | Ping 142ms D: 126.81Mbps U: 38.45Mbps | AT&T New York, NY |
| Test No. | Region | With VPN | Without VPN | Ookla Speedtest [Server Name] |
| 5 | Germany (Frankfurt) | Ping 79ms D: 18.45Mbps U: 43.53Mbps | Ping 239ms D: 105.13Mbps U: 28.02Mbps | Gemnet LLC Frankfurt |
Final Words:
In our bandwidth speed tests using VyprVPN from Israel, the performance was pretty disappointing. OpenVPN protocol outperformed the WireGuard protocol with better download speeds while In upload transfer speeds, WireGuard had the upper hand with much higher transfer speeds of the two tested protocols. If I had to guess what is the problem, I would assume its a traffic shaping restriction imposed by my ISP provider combined with very poor routing.