Remote work needs secure access to company resources without exposing the network. From managed Zero Trust (Twingate) to self-hosted protocols (WireGuard, OpenVPN) to mesh overlays (ZeroTier), here are the five best VPN solutions for remote teams — ranked by use case.
Remote work creates a specific security problem: employees need access to company resources from outside the office network, but opening those resources to the public internet is risky. Traditional VPNs solve this by routing all traffic through an encrypted tunnel. Modern Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions take a different approach — they grant granular, per-application access without exposing any ports to the internet.1
The right choice depends on your team's size, technical expertise, and how much control you want. A managed ZTNA service like Twingate handles security policy for you. A self-hosted protocol like WireGuard gives you maximum speed and control but requires more setup. And tools like ZeroTier create mesh networks where devices behave as if they're on the same LAN, regardless of physical location.3
This guide covers five approaches — from managed Zero Trust to quick self-hosted scripts — so you can pick the one that fits your remote work setup.
Twingate is a Zero Trust Network Access solution that lets remote workers connect to company resources without exposing ports to the public internet.1 Instead of a traditional VPN tunnel that routes all traffic, Twingate applies granular access control — you decide exactly which resources each user or group can reach.
A free tier makes it accessible for small teams, and paid plans scale up for larger organizations that need advanced policies and integrations.1 If you're moving away from a legacy VPN and want a modern security posture without managing infrastructure yourself, this is the most straightforward path.
WireGuard is the gold standard for self-hosted VPNs, known for its extreme speed, modern cryptography, and low resource overhead.2 It's faster than OpenVPN and drains less battery — a real advantage for remote workers on laptops and mobile devices.2
It's free and open source, but it's a protocol, not a product. You'll need to configure it yourself or layer a management tool on top. For technical teams that want maximum performance and control over their remote access infrastructure, WireGuard is the foundation to build on.2
ZeroTier creates a software-defined network overlay — essentially a virtual global Ethernet switch. Devices connected to the same ZeroTier network appear as if they're on the same local network, regardless of where they physically are.3
This is particularly useful for collaborative remote teams that need LAN-like access to shared resources, internal tools, or each other's machines. A free tier covers small networks, and it's cross-platform with a straightforward setup process.3 If your team needs the feel of a local network without the complexity of traditional VPN routing, ZeroTier is the most elegant solution.
OpenVPN is the most widely supported open-source VPN protocol, with massive community support and high configurability.4 It runs on virtually any device and operating system, making it the go-to fallback when you need compatibility across legacy systems or environments where newer protocols aren't available.
The free Community Edition covers most self-hosted use cases.4 It's not as fast as WireGuard, but its maturity means you'll find documentation, tutorials, and client apps for almost any platform. If you need a VPN that works everywhere, OpenVPN is still the safe bet.
PiVPN is a single installation script that turns a Raspberry Pi or Debian server into a WireGuard or OpenVPN server in minutes.5 It's free, optimized for low-power hardware, and designed to make deployment effortless via a simple CLI installer.5
For freelancers, small teams, or anyone who wants a self-hosted remote access solution without spending hours on configuration, PiVPN lowers the barrier dramatically. You get the speed of WireGuard (or the compatibility of OpenVPN) without the manual setup — just run the script and follow the prompts.
| Twingate | WireGuard | ZeroTier | OpenVPN | PiVPN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Managed ZTNA | Self-hosted protocol | Mesh overlay | Self-hosted protocol | Self-hosted installer |
| Cost | Free / Paid | Free | Free / Paid | Free / Paid | Free |
| Setup | Easy | Advanced | Easy | Moderate | Easy |
| Best for | Managed security | Speed and control | LAN-like mesh | Compatibility | Quick deployment |
The core distinction: Twingate is a managed service that handles security policy for you1; WireGuard and OpenVPN are protocols you configure yourself2; ZeroTier is a mesh overlay that abstracts away network topology3; and PiVPN wraps WireGuard or OpenVPN into a one-command installer for low-power devices.5
If you're looking at managed business VPNs beyond Twingate, two alternatives came up in research: NordLayer offers ZTNA with a large server network (7,000+ servers) at roughly $10 per user/month6, and Goodaccess provides a cloud-delivered Software-Defined Perimeter starting at $9 per user/month with SSO support.7 Both are worth comparing if you need a fully managed solution with dedicated IP options and don't want to self-host.
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