best vpn for remote workers in 2025

Working remotely means your office is wherever your laptop is — a coffee shop, a co-working space, your kitchen table. That flexibility is great, but it also means your connection to company resources passes through networks you don't control.

Not all VPNs are built for this. There's a big difference between a privacy VPN (the kind you use to hide your IP or stream geo-blocked content) and a remote access VPN (the kind that connects you securely to internal company tools, servers, and databases). This guide is about the latter.

We've looked at four tools that solve the remote-access problem in very different ways. The right one depends on your team's size, technical comfort, and security requirements.

what makes a good remote-work vpn?

For remote workers, a VPN needs to do three things well:

• Stability for video calls — dropped tunnels mean dropped Zoom calls.
• Security for sensitive data — encryption and access controls that keep company data safe on untrusted networks.
• Easy access to internal tools — without requiring a PhD in networking to set up.

The tools below take different approaches: zero-trust, mesh networking, and traditional tunneling. We'll explain each.

the picks

1. twingate — best for zero-trust remote access

Twingate is a modern take on remote access. Instead of putting you on the company network (which is what traditional VPNs do), it creates secure, one-to-one connections to specific resources — a database, an internal app, a server — using a zero-trust model.1

Why it works for remote workers: You don't get broad network access. You get access to exactly what you need, nothing more. That's better for security and simpler for the user. Setup is fast, and it integrates with identity providers like Okta and Google Workspace.

Best for: Teams that want granular, per-resource access without managing VPN servers.

2. zerotier — best for virtual lan collaboration

ZeroTier creates a virtual network that makes remote devices behave as if they're on the same physical LAN.1 Think of it as a software-defined switch that connects your team's machines directly.

Why it works for remote workers: If your team needs to share files, access network-attached storage, or collaborate on local-development tools, ZeroTier makes it seamless. It's especially popular with developers and small teams who want a flat network topology without hardware.

Best for: Teams that need peer-to-peer connectivity and shared-network-style collaboration.

3. wireguard — best for self-hosted performance

WireGuard is a modern, high-performance VPN protocol that's much faster and simpler than its predecessors.1 It's built into the Linux kernel and has clients for every major platform.

Why it works for remote workers: If you or your IT team can manage a server, WireGuard delivers the lowest latency and fastest throughput of any option here. It's ideal for video calls and latency-sensitive work. The downside: you manage it yourself, so there's no admin dashboard or user directory out of the box.

Best for: Tech-savvy teams and individuals who want maximum performance and are comfortable with self-hosting.

4. openvpn — the enterprise standard

OpenVPN has been the go-to for corporate remote access for years. It's battle-tested, widely compatible, and supported by virtually every operating system and router.1

Why it works for remote workers: It just works. OpenVPN's maturity means there are countless guides, enterprise management platforms (like OpenVPN Access Server), and integrations. It's not the fastest option, but it's the most proven.

Best for: Organizations that need maximum compatibility and a well-documented, audited security protocol.

comparison at a glance

which one should you pick?

• You want the simplest, most secure setup → Twingate. Zero-trust access without the VPN baggage.
• You need a virtual LAN for your team → ZeroTier. Best for collaboration and shared-resource access.
• You want raw speed and control → WireGuard. Self-host it for the best performance.
• You need maximum compatibility and proven reliability → OpenVPN. The standard for a reason.

Disclosure: AskBuy earns a commission if you purchase through the links above. We only recommend tools we've researched and believe are genuinely useful for the use case described.