Alternatives to Libreswan

A free IPsec and IKE VPN implementation for Linux, FreeBSD and macOS. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Libreswan.

  • strongSwan

    An open-source IPsec VPN implementation using the IKEv2 and IKEv1 key exchange protocols.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidSelf-hostedCommand line

    strongSwan is another open-source IPsec implementation with a thorough IKEv2 stack, and adds Windows and Android support plus virtual IP pools via DHCP, RADIUS or SQL.

  • OpenVPN Community

    The VPN protocol and client that has been the default for two decades, and still runs on everything.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSCommand line

    OpenVPN Community replaces IPsec with its own protocol over TCP or UDP on any port, with clients on every major platform, though it is slower than WireGuard.

  • WireGuard

    A small, fast VPN protocol and set of official clients that connect two machines by exchanging public keys.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxAndroidiOSCommand line

    WireGuard replaces IPsec and IKE with a small key-exchange-based protocol that is easier to audit, but each peer's tunnel address is set by hand.

  • SoftEther VPN

    An open-source multi-protocol VPN server and client for remote access and site-to-site networking.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted

    SoftEther VPN is a multi-protocol server and client with SSL-VPN, dynamic DNS and NAT traversal under Apache-2.0, and it also runs on Windows.

  • Algo VPN

    Ansible scripts that stand up a personal WireGuard and IPsec VPN.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOSLinuxCommand line

    Algo VPN uses Ansible to deploy a personal WireGuard and IPsec server with fixed security defaults, avoiding manual IPsec configuration, but you pay for the cloud server.

  • Pritunl

    A self-hosted VPN server for OpenVPN, WireGuard and IPsec, managed through a web interface.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxSelf-hosted

    Pritunl manages IPsec, OpenVPN and WireGuard from a web interface with site-to-site links, replacing hand-edited configuration files with a graphical interface.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Libreswan as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • ocserv

    An open-source Linux SSL VPN server compatible with OpenConnect and AnyConnect clients.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxSelf-hosted

    Libreswan moves you to IPsec with IKEv1 and IKEv2, packaged in Fedora, RHEL and Arch, with a steep learning curve and no graphical interface.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.