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WireGuard vs strongSwan: catalog facts
WireGuard	strongSwan
Free Free software. WireGuard is a protocol and a set of clients, not a subscription service…	Free Free under GPLv2, with commercial licensing available as an option.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, Self-hosted, Command line
Connections are made by exchanging public keys, in the same way as SSH keys Designed to be implemented in very few lines of code and to be easy to audit	Thorough IKEv2 implementation with many IETF extensions Runs on Linux, Android, FreeBSD, macOS and Windows
It is plumbing, not a product: you need a server endpoint, from your own machine or a provider Each peer needs a static tunnel IP address, configured by hand or by another tool	Configuration requires solid IPsec knowledge Mainly configured through files and the command line
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.