PPTP vs OpenVPN – Which is Better for You?
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While choosing VPNs, most consumers are only concerned with the price. However, it is also important to consider the type of VPN protocols your service provider offers.
Speaking of protocols, most of the providers offer either PPTP or OpenVPN protocols. However, which one is better? Without understanding the differences between the two, it is almost impossible to choose a VPN that can effectively protect you on the Internet.
Don’t worry, this guide is perfect for you. I have put together PPTP vs. OpenVPN to reveal the strengths and weaknesses of both protocols just for you. Hopefully, by the end of this blog, you will be able to decide which protocol is right for you.
What is PPTP?
Microsoft developed the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol, or PPTP, in the mid-1990s. It is compatible with all major platforms, which is why it is the go-to protocol for many VPN service providers.
There are two main types of PPTP: encryption and authentication. PPTP encrypts your data and packets it by creating a tunnel. This tunnel provides secure data transmission over WAN or LAN.
PPTP makes data transmission secure through encapsulation, encryption, and end-to-end authentication. With PPTP, you can access the Internet and stay secure even on public networks.
There are security concerns with PPTP, which I will discuss in detail later. As of now, it is only important to know that PPTP is one of the oldest tunneling protocols. This makes it less advanced than some alternatives.
PPTP: Strengths and Disadvantages
PPTP is fast. Simply put, it offers unparalleled speed in tunneling protocol. Hence, many VPN users prefer PPTP for streaming activities. But with that speed come some serious security flaws.
To start, PPTP lacks data integrity and data origin authentication. This means that there is no way to know if the data being sent over this protocol is in its original form.
In addition, PPTP supports 128-bit encryption that is not efficient enough to provide protection from professional hackers. Another disadvantage of PPTP is that it often fails on unstable networks.
Despite this, PTTP is widely used as it is compatible with all popular devices. In fact, it is built into Windows and can be set up on this operating system without much hassle.
Positives
- fast protocol
- easy to configure
- Compatible with a variety of devices
cons
- Provides minimal security
- Serious security holes
- Weak against professional hackers
What is OpenVPN?
OpenVPN is a relatively younger protocol that was released over 17 years ago. This protocol is open source, which means that it has open code for inspections and evaluations.
It uses open source technology such as the OpenSSL Cryptographic Library. Moreover, it uses SSL/TLS to perform key exchange. The primary function of OpenVPN is to create a site-to-site and point-to-point configuration.
In addition, it is important to mention in our PPTP and OpenVPN review that the latter is more popular. In fact, VPNs that do not offer OpenVPN are at a disadvantage. A large number of users prefer OpenVPN over other protocols.
OpenVPN: Strengths and Disadvantages
OpenVPN supports multiple levels of encryption including military-grade 256-bit encryption. Banks are even using this advanced technology to secure their private information.
This makes OpenVPN one of the most secure protocols in existence. Moreover, it is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Android and Linux operating systems.
However, even this protocol has its drawbacks. One needs technical knowledge to configure OpenVPN and even then you are required to put in extensive effort.
Furthermore, OpenVPN is not a VPN service on its own. This means that you need a third party app for it to work. Finally, due to the heavier encryption, OpenVPN is also somewhat slow when compared to PPTP.
Positives
- High level of security
- strong encryption
- Compatible with many platforms
cons
- difficult to set up
- relatively slow
PPTP vs. OpenVPN: head to head
Both PPTP and OpenVPN have their own strengths and drawbacks. So which one is really better? To get an accurate answer, both protocols must be evaluated against certain criteria.
performance and reliability
I learned through performance testing of PPTP vs. OpenVPN that OpenVPN is more consistent than PPTP. OpenVPN has the ability to recover from unstable connections quickly. PPTP does not have such a capability.
speed and latency
PPTP vs OpenVPN speed test showed that the former is much faster than the latter. This in no way means that OpenVPN is useless for jobs that require good speed.
In contrast, if you have a decent internet connection, OpenVPN is good enough for online gaming, live streaming, and downloading.
However, for speed enthusiasts, PPTP may be a preferable option.
VPN encryption
When it comes to encryption, OpenVPN has an irreplaceable advantage over PPTP. As I mentioned earlier, PPTP provides 128-bit encryption, which is an outdated system and can be beaten by most hackers.
On the other hand, OpenVPN supports military-grade 256-bit encryption. Thus, the comparison between PPTP and OpenVPN for encryption has a clear winner.
Compatibility
PPTP is compatible and is usually pre-installed on Windows. It also works on Android, iOS, Mac OSX, Linux, DD-WRT, and Tomato. However, PPTP is difficult to set up on a few routers.
In comparison, OpenVPN is compatible with Windows and Linux Mac. It can also be used on Android through a third-party app.
Configuration/Setup
All Windows and many other operating systems, even on a smartphone, have built-in support for PPTP. One only needs a username and password with a server address to configure PPTP.
This makes the PPTP setup process very easy.
Meanwhile, OpenVPN is not pre-installed on any device and requires you to install the client software.
Most VPN providers have descriptive setup guides on their website to help users connect to OpenVPN. They provide the necessary configuration files for a VPN to work.
Although, it is sometimes difficult to configure OpenVPN on your device manually.
protection
A PPTP vs. OpenVPN security review confirms that PPTP is an insecure protocol. The vulnerabilities in PPTP are so well established that Microsoft advises against them.
Moreover, time and time again, individuals using PPTP have been put at security risk. In simple words, PPTP is now outdated.
OpenVPN is a more comparable protocol. It contains the necessary tools to protect your connection from even the most skilled hackers.
User Reviews
It is unwise to compare OpenVPN and PPTP without taking user opinions into account.
To understand what netizens think about these two protocols, I took a quick stroll through social media forums.
This OpenVPN and PPTP Reddit review illustrates exactly this problem with PPTP.
Another user on Twitter recommends OpenVPN.
It is suspected of being able to crack PPTP and (some) IPsec settings. Consumer VPNs often use #OpenVPN as we have done since the beginning in 2010 with AES256. AES256 is not hackable and they use it themselves for highly confidential communications.
– CitizenVPN (@CitizenVPN) August 18, 2018
questions and answers
OpenVPN is used all over the world to secure highly confidential information. From banks to security services, they all use OpenVPN with 256-bit encryption.
Thus, rest assured that OpenVPN will fight hackers as you browse the internet.
TCP or Transmission Control Protocol provides an error connection. It is a reliable protocol because it has a process to reconfirm the delivery of data packets.
UDP or User Data Protocol is similar to TCP but does not have a mechanism to ensure data delivery.
OpenVPN supports both UDP and TCP. OpenVPN with UDP provides less security but optimum speed. In contrast, users who want an extra layer of protection choose TCP. for more details.
wrapping!
PPTP is an old technology that comes with an abundance of flaws. Any hacker worth the money can hack PPTP without much effort.
In addition, tools required to infringe on PPTP are not even rare. Instead, they are widely available across the web.
OpenVPN is a popular protocol option among privacy-conscious internet users. This is, in fact, the reason why almost all VNP providers guarantee compatibility with OpenVPN.
With peer and certificate authentication and strong encryption, OpenVPN is an ideal shield against threats from the online world. It is also highly credible due to its recovery capabilities.
Overall, OpenVPN v PPTP wasn’t a competitor at all. PPTP belongs in the history logs while OpenVPN should be present in every device.
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